How to access Carer Support

Carer Support is intended to give full-time carers a break from their caring role.

You are a full-time carer if you provide more than 4 hours per day of unpaid care to a disabled person. For example, you may be the parent of a disabled person.

This information is about Carer Support for disabled people who are supported by Disability Support Services.

Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora also provides a Carer Support Subsidy for carers of people with health-related conditions. More information can be found on their website: Carer Support Subsidy – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora external

What is Carer Support?

Carer Support is a subsidy that can be used to provide a full-time carer a break from their caring role. It contributes to the costs of care and support for a disabled person.

You are considered a full-time carer if you provide more than 4 hours a day of unpaid care to a disabled person. For example, you may be the parent of a disabled person.

Carer Support is accessed through your local Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) organisation or EGL site.

NASCs and EGL sites are responsible for determining whether a disabled person is eligible for DSS-funded supports. Eligible people will have a needs assessment and may be allocated disability supports, including Carer Support.

The amount of Carer Support that is allocated will depend on your needs and those of the person you support.

While Carer Support is allocated in days, it can be treated as a budget for the whole year.

How can you use Carer Support?

As of 1 April 2026, Carer Support funding is governed by the Purchasing Operational Policy.

There will be some types of support that will require prior approval from the carer’s NASC or EGL site. It is the carer’s responsibility to ensure they have obtained prior approval before they submit a claim.

When managing flexible funding, there are some general responsibilities that apply to everyone to ensure it is used for the right purpose to meet support needs and it is managed consistently.

For more information and operational policy:

• Flexible funding from 1 April
• Operational Policies: DSS operational policy
• Scenarios: Examples of using flexible funding
• Questions and answers: Flexible funding | Disability Support Services

What you can and cannot claim for

Flexibility and person-led choice are key to Carer Support. When making a claim or thinking of using your Carer Support funding you should first consider "will this provide the full-time carer with a break?"

You can use your Carer Support as a total budget, and not just as the rate per allocated day. What this means is you can take the number of days you are allocated funding, times the daily amount to figure out your total Carer Support budget.

For example, Lisa is allocated 28 days at a rate of $80 per day. Lisa's total Carer Support budget is therefore 28 x $80 = $2,240 for the year.

You can claim for any purchases for the purposes of giving a full-time carer a break from their responsibilities and is consistent with the Purchasing Operational Policy.

You cannot claim for drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling or illegal activities.

For more details, check out our frequently asked questions. 

Making a Carer Support claim

Download a blank carer support form external to fill out.

Please note that, unless requested, Health NZ is no longer sending claim forms out by post to Carer Support claimants.

You can either:

• Download and print a form from the link above, or
• Download and complete a form on your computer (electronic signatures are accepted if you submit the form electronically).
• Request physical forms from the Carer Support team by phone (0800 855 066) or email:carer_support@health.govt.nz.

How to make a claim

There are a couple of ways you can make your claim to our partner Health New Zealand.

By email

Sending your claim by email will help it be processed more quickly. Completed Carer Support forms can be sent by email to  csclaims@health.govt.nz.

 If you are using a printed form, you can:

• scan it (if you do not have a scanner at home, your local library can help you do this), or
• take a photo of it.

By post

You can mail your Carer Support claim form to Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora at:

Private Bag 1942

Dunedin 9054

This is a reply paid address, so you don’t need a stamp.

If you have additional paperwork to include with your claim, such as receipts, we suggest using an envelope.

If you have questions about the claiming process, you can contact the Carer Support team on 0800 855 066 or email carer_support@health.govt.nz.

How long does a claim take to process?

Processing times can vary depending on the volume of claims received. A correctly filled-in form should take about 10 working days to process from the time it is received. Claims are processed by the Carer Support Team in Te Whatu Ora. The Carer Support Team can be contacted on 0800 855 066 or at carer_support@health.govt.nz if you have an enquiry regarding your claim.

Tips for filling in your form correctly

When submitting your form, completing it correctly will allow it to be approved the first time it is considered.

This checklist will help you submit your claim form correctly. 

Please ensure:

• Your photo or scan is clear and easy to read. If images are blurry, we may not be able to process it.
• You have included the entire form in the photo/scan. If parts of the form are missing, for example the bottom is cut off, we will not be able to process it.
• The claim form is signed and dated.
• The information you have provided is correct.
• You have included identifying information – including the disabled person’s client name, client ID and full time Carer name.
• The disabled person’s client information (carer name and/or ID) is in the subject line of your email, not just on the form. For example, if you are sending in a bank account verification, we need to understand which client this account is relevant for. Please don't assume just your email address is sufficient.
• You send everything together in one email. This means the claim form and any supporting documentation needs to be sent in one email. Multiple emails add time and means your claim will take longer to process.
• One file format is ideal. Sometimes we receive in one email jpegs, word docs and pdfs. This adds to the time we need to process. Our preference is pdf.
• You send your claim to the correct email address: csclaims@health.govt.nz. 
• If you are mailing in your claim form with receipts or other support documentation, it’s a good idea to put it in an envelope so it doesn't get lost. You just write our postage paid details on it. No stamp required.

Considering all these tips enables easier and quicker processing of your claims.  

Tax

Payments to people for caring for your disabled family member using Carer Support may be treated as part of their overall income and will depend on their individual circumstances. Inland Revenue has information about income tax for Carer Support payments on their website: Inland Revenue - Carer Support payments external

You may wish to seek advice about tax issues from:

• Inland Revenue external, or
• Work and Income New Zealand external, if you receive a benefit.