Eligibility, Rates & Rent Help
Housing is one of the largest regular expenses for households in New Zealand. For people on lower incomes, paying rent, board or homeownership costs can leave very little money for food, electricity, transport and other essentials.
One form of assistance designed to help is the Accommodation Supplement (AS). It is a weekly payment administered by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) that can help eligible people with the cost of renting, boarding or owning a home.
The need for housing assistance can be understood more clearly by looking at New Zealand’s housing data. According to the 2023 Census, 66.0% of households owned their home or held it in a family trust. That means 34.0% of households did not own their dwelling or hold it in a family trust.
At the same time, New Zealand had 565,974 renting households in 2023, while the median weekly rent had increased to $450, compared with $340 in 2018.
These figures help explain why a payment such as the Accommodation Supplement is relevant to hundreds of thousands of households.
What is the Accommodation Supplement in NZ?
The Accommodation Supplement is a weekly payment that helps people with their rent, board or the cost of owning a home. It is administered through MSD and is subject to eligibility requirements involving factors such as income, assets, accommodation costs and housing circumstances.
Importantly, you do not necessarily have to be receiving another benefit to qualify.
MSD says that more than 250,000 households use the Accommodation Supplement to help pay rent or board in the private market, while more than 33,000 homeowners use it to help with mortgage costs.
The payment is therefore not exclusively a benefit for unemployed people. Some people who are working or receiving other forms of income may also qualify if their circumstances meet the relevant requirements.
The amount someone receives depends on their individual circumstances rather than being one universal payment for everyone.
New Zealand’s housing picture: how many households don’t own their home?
The 2023 Census provides one of the clearest pictures of housing tenure in New Zealand.
In 2023, 1,175,220 households, or 66.0%, owned their dwelling or held it in a family trust. In 2018, the figure was 64.5%.
That means approximately one in every three households was outside this ownership category.
It is important to interpret this statistic correctly. The 34% figure refers to households, not 34% of all individual New Zealand residents. Housing tenure statistics can also include different living arrangements, household sizes and people sharing accommodation.
Stats NZ defines household tenure as whether a household rents, owns or holds its dwelling in a family trust, and whether payment is made for the right to live there.
More than 1.5 million people lived in rental housing
The scale of renting becomes even clearer when looking at people rather than households.
Stats NZ reports that just over 1.5 million people, 1,533,936 people, lived in rental housing at the time of the 2023 Census.
There were also 565,974 households renting their homes.
Most rental households rented privately. In 2023, 475,944 households, or 84.6% of renting households, rented privately. Around 63,162 households rented from Kāinga Ora, while others rented from councils or community housing providers.
This distinction matters because the Accommodation Supplement is particularly relevant to people living in the private accommodation market.
Renting has become more expensive
The cost of renting has changed considerably over the past decade.
Stats NZ reports that the national median weekly rent was:
| Year | Median weekly rent |
|---|---|
| 2013 | $280 |
| 2018 | $340 |
| 2023 | $450 |
The increase from 2018 to 2023 was 32.4%.
The national figure also hides substantial regional differences.
In 2023, the median weekly rent was around $550 in Auckland, $500 in Wellington and $460 in the Bay of Plenty. Waikato and Canterbury were both around $400, while Southland was around $300.
For households on modest incomes, even a relatively ordinary rent can consume a significant part of the weekly budget.
How many people receive the Accommodation Supplement?
The number of people receiving the Accommodation Supplement has also increased over time.
According to MSD’s Benefit System Report 2025, about 381,600 people were receiving Accommodation Supplement in June 2025. That was approximately 17,500 more recipients than in June 2024, an increase of 4.8%.
The longer-term change is significant. In June 2015, approximately 289,500 people were receiving Accommodation Supplement. By June 2025, the number had reached about 381,600 , an increase of nearly 100,000 people, or 31.8%.
This does not mean that every person who rents receives Accommodation Supplement. Eligibility is assessed individually, and the number of people receiving the payment is therefore different from the total number of people living in rental housing.
Who may qualify for Accommodation Supplement?
There are several factors that MSD considers when determining whether someone may qualify.
These can include:
- Income
- Cash assets
- Accommodation costs
- Type of accommodation
- Whether the person is renting, boarding or paying costs associated with owning a home
- Age
- Residency or citizenship requirements
- Whether the person lives in social housing
- Other payments or circumstances that affect the calculation.
MSD’s online eligibility guidance says applicants generally need to be a New Zealand citizen or resident, and normally need to be aged 18 or over, with specific provisions for some 16- and 17-year-olds who are financially independent.
However, meeting one or two conditions does not automatically guarantee payment. MSD assesses the complete circumstances of the applicant.
The official MSD calculator is therefore a better way to determine individual eligibility than relying on a general example.
It can help renters, boarders and some homeowners
One useful feature of the Accommodation Supplement is that it is not limited to people paying rent. The payment can potentially assist with:
- Rent: People renting a private home may qualify if they meet the income, asset, accommodation-cost and other requirements.
- Board: People paying board may also qualify, although the way board payments are treated can affect the calculation.
- Homeownership costs: Some homeowners may qualify for assistance with housing costs.
MSD states that more than 33,000 homeowners use Accommodation Supplement to help with mortgage costs. This makes the payment relevant to more than just tenants.
Is the amount the same for everyone?
A common misunderstanding is that Accommodation Supplement is a standard weekly amount. It isn’t.
The payment can vary according to factors including where someone lives, their family circumstances, income, assets and accommodation costs.
The maximum amount also depends on the Accommodation Supplement area. This geographical element recognises that housing costs vary substantially around New Zealand. For example, the median rent in Auckland in 2023 was considerably higher than in many provincial areas.
Someone with a particular income and housing cost may therefore receive a different amount from someone with otherwise similar circumstances living in another location.
How much you will get?
Under the New Zealand Government’s Accommodation Supplement, the amount you receive is not a flat rate. Instead, it covers 70 cents of every dollar your housing costs sit above a specific baseline (known as the entry threshold), up to a maximum cap ranging from $70 to $305 per week.
The exact amount you get depends entirely on your geographic location, your family situation, income, and cash assets.
1. The Maximum Weekly Limits by Region
New Zealand is divided into 4 distinct geographic areas, and your maximum possible payment is heavily dictated by where you live and who lives with you:
- Area 1 (e.g., Auckland CBD, high-cost urban zones): Caps range from $165 a week for a single person up to $305 a week for families/couples.
- Area 2 (e.g., Wellington, Christchurch): Caps roughly up to $105 a week for a single person.
- Area 3 (Regional cities): Caps roughly up to $80 a week for a single person.
- Area 4 (Rural/smaller towns): Caps down to $70 a week for a single person.
2. How it Calculates Your Payment
According to Work and Income (WINZ) calculation uses a three-step formula:
- Step 1: Determine your housing type cost.
- Renters & Homeowners: Your base calculation uses your actual weekly rent or mortgage/home ownership obligations.
- Boarders: Because boarding usually includes food and power, WINZ only counts 62% of your total board payment as your true accommodation cost. (For example, if you pay $200/week for board, your housing cost is treated as $124/week).
- Step 2: Apply the “Entry Threshold”. This is a mandatory out-of-pocket minimum amount you must pay yourself before any subsidy kicks in. This threshold depends on your situation. For example, under the base Jobseeker settings, the threshold you pay entirely on your own is $93/week for a single person renting, or $205/week for a couple with children.
- Step 3: The 70% Rule. The government provides a 70% subsidy for every dollar you pay above that entry threshold, until you hit the maximum cap for your area.
3. Eligibility Rules & Income Tests
- Asset Limits: To get this payment, your total cash assets cannot exceed $8,100 if you are single, or $16,200 if you are a couple or sole parent.
- Income Rules: If you are already receiving a main government benefit, your Accommodation Supplement rate is generally not reduced by part-time earnings. If you are a non-beneficiary (working a regular job), your supplement reduces by 25 cents for every dollar you earn over certain weekly income limits (e.g., over $693/week for a single person).
Social Housing Exclusion: You cannot receive this supplement if you live in a public or social housing property (such as Kāinga Ora).
What is changing from 2027?
There are also important upcoming changes to the Accommodation Supplement.
The 2026 Budget announced that the maximum Accommodation Supplement rates will increase by between $10 and $30 per week across all areas from 1 April 2027. MSD estimates that approximately 111,000 families will gain income averaging $14.91 per week from the Budget 2026 housing package.
However, the changes are not simply an increase for everyone.
Other changes affect some homeowners. From April 2027, some homeowners — excluding specified groups such as people receiving New Zealand Superannuation, Veteran’s Pension or Supported Living Payment — will face a higher minimum housing-cost contribution before receiving Accommodation Supplement. MSD estimates that approximately 1,300 clients could cease receiving the payment as a result of this change.
The government is also changing Accommodation Supplement area boundaries from April 2027. MSD says the changes are intended to better reflect changes in residential development and housing costs.
Therefore, anyone receiving or considering applying for Accommodation Supplement should check the rules applicable to their circumstances rather than assuming that future changes will automatically increase their payment.
Why the Accommodation Supplement matters
New Zealand’s housing statistics show why housing assistance remains an important part of the social support system.
In 2023:
- 66.0% of households owned their home or held it in a family trust.
- 34.0% did not.
- 565,974 households rented their homes.
- 1,533,936 people lived in rental housing.
- The national median weekly rent was $450.
- Median rent had increased from $340 in 2018 to $450 in 2023.
Meanwhile, around 381,600 people were receiving Accommodation Supplement in June 2025.
These figures should not be interpreted as saying that everyone who rents needs government assistance. Many renters have sufficient income to meet their housing costs without support.
Instead, the figures demonstrate the size of the housing market in which the Accommodation Supplement operates.
How to check if you may qualify
If you are struggling with rent, board or homeownership costs, it can be worthwhile checking your eligibility rather than assuming that you earn too much or own too much to qualify.
MSD provides an online “Check what you might get” service that asks about your circumstances and provides an indication of what assistance may be available.
If you are eligible, MSD says that when you complete your application within 20 working days of first contacting them, assistance can potentially be granted from the date you first make contact.
Because individual circumstances matter, applicants should provide accurate information about their income, assets, rent or other accommodation costs.
The most reliable place to check current eligibility and apply is MSD’s official Accommodation Supplement eligibility service.
Final thoughts
Housing affordability is not simply about whether someone owns a house.
For hundreds of thousands of New Zealand households, housing means paying rent every week. For others, it means paying board or meeting mortgage and other ownership costs while living on a limited income.
The 2023 Census showed that around one-third of New Zealand households did not own their dwelling or hold it in a family trust, while more than 1.5 million people lived in rental housing. At the same time, median weekly rent had reached $450 nationally.
The Accommodation Supplement is one mechanism intended to help eligible households manage those costs. Its importance can also be seen in the growth of the recipient population, from approximately 289,500 people in June 2015 to around 381,600 in June 2025.
For anyone facing difficulty keeping up with housing costs, the key point is simple: don’t assume you are ineligible without checking. Accommodation Supplement has eligibility rules based on individual circumstances, and those rules are changing again in 2027.
Data note: The housing figures above are primarily from the 2023 New Zealand Census, while Accommodation Supplement recipient figures are from MSD’s 2025 Benefit System Report. “Households that do not own” and “people living in rental housing” are different measures and should not be treated as interchangeable.