Working for Families

An overview of Working for Families, your payment options, what 'family income' means, and whether Inland Revenue or MSD will manage your payments.

There are 4 different types of Working for Families payments, including Best Start. Find out which ones you could qualify for, and how other government payments may affect your entitlement.

You can get Working for Families if you’re aged 16 years or over, you care for a dependent child, you’re the principal caregiver and you meet the residency requirements.

You can use our calculator or chart to estimate your Working for Families entitlement ─ the easy way.

On this page, you can apply (register) for Best Start and Working for Families, apply to restart your Working for Families payments if you become eligible again, and apply for Working for Families for past years.

Everything you need to do to see your Working for Families payments.

Update your details and find out what changes we need to know about.

We’ll estimate your Working for Families entitlement before the start of the tax year and work out your actual entitlement at the end of the tax year.

See some common situations when you may no longer qualify to receive Working for Families payments or your payments from Inland Revenue may reduce.