FamilyBoost is a new childcare payment available to eligible households with children aged 5 and under, to help with the costs of early childhood education. Inland Revenue will closely monitor and report on the ongoing results of Family Boost.
Parents and caregivers can claim back up to 25% of their fees, or a maximum of $975 every 3-months. This maximum payment slowly reduces for families with incomes over $35,000 but under $45,000 per quarter. Families with incomes over $45,000 per quarter are not eligible.
Find out more about FamilyBoost payments.
Data is collected throughout the quarter and will be updated a minimum of two months post the end of each quarter. Information will also be included in our annual reports for 2024-25 onwards.
Timeline for delivery of FamilyBoost
May 2024
- Enabling legislation passed
1 July 2024
- Legislation was enacted
September 2024
- Registrations for FamilyBoost open
October 2024
- Claims open for the first quarter (1 July-30 September 2024) and payments are made to eligible households
Funded cost
| 2023-24 ($m) | 2024-25 ($m) | 2025-26 ($m) | 2026-27 ($m) | 2027-28 ($m) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inland Revenue - administration cost | $13.900 | $11.100 | $9.100 | $9.100 | |
| Ministry of Education - administration cost | $0.175 | $0.100 | $0.100 | $0.100 | |
| Ministry of Social Development - administration cost | $0.242 | $1.604 | $1.322 | $1.322 | $1.322 |
| Forecast amount paid to eligible households | $131.000* | $171.000 | $167.000 | $165.000 |
Note:
- FamilyBoost is integrated with the delivery of IR main’s products. Given its relatively small size compared to tax, a breakdown of actual costs is not possible.
- *Data has been updated based on the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update 2025.
Indicators of performance
The following tables track the performance indicators for FamilyBoost.
Registrations
| Performance indicator | Q1 (Jul-Sep 2024) | Q2 (Oct-Dec 2024) | Q3 (Jan-Mar 2025) | Q4 (Apr-Jun 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registrations received | 23,165* | 59,990 | 69,680 | |
| Registrations accepted | 22,990* | 59,370 | 68,990 | |
| Registrations declined | 140* | 490 | 670 |
*Registrations received from 16 September to 30 September 2024.
Note:
- The data in this table shows point-in-time for registrations received during each quarter for 2024-25 financial year.
- Totals may not equal the sum of the rows due to rounding.
Claims
Note: Claims for FamilyBoost opened on 1 October 2024; reporting on claims commenced from Q2 2024-25.
| Performance indicator | Q1 (Jul-Sep 2024) | Q2 (Oct-Dec 2024) | Q3 (Jan-Mar 2025) | Q4 (Apr-Jun 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total claims received | N/A | 58,320 | 114,160 | |
| Households claiming | N/A | 51,970 | 61,640 | |
| Total amount paid | N/A | $16.026m | $32.139m | |
| Claims paid | N/A | 42,410 | 87,370 | |
| Households paid | N/A | 42,410 | 51,680 | |
| Claims declined | N/A | 10,880 | 20,970 |
Notes:
- The data in this table shows point-in-time for claims received during the financial year-to-date for each quarter for 2024-25.
- Totals may not equal the sum of the rows due to rounding.
Claims by period
| Performance indicator | Q1 (Jul-Sep 2024) claim period | Q2 (Oct-Dec 2024) claim period | Q3 (Jan-Mar 2025) claim period | Q4 (Apr-Jun 2025) claim period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claims received | 61, 870 | 52,290 | ||
| Amount paid | $17.047m | $15.091m | ||
| Claims paid | 45,300 | 42,070 |
Note:
- The data in this table shows point-in-time for claims received during the financial year-to-date for each claim period for 2024-25.
- Data will change due to being updated each reporting period.
- Totals may not equal the sum of the rows due to rounding.
Data updated as at 31 March 2025.