Community Services Card: income limits in New Zealand
The Community Services Card reduces health and transport costs for eligible people, with income limits based on household size.
On this page
- Single, living with others
- $34,974 a year before taxWork and Income, Community Services Card
- Single, living alone
- $37,116 a year before taxWork and Income, Community Services Card
- Couple, no dependent children
- $55,501 a year before taxWork and Income, Community Services Card
- Family of 4
- $96,266 a year before taxWork and Income, Community Services Card
- Family of 6
- $122,724 a year before taxWork and Income, Community Services Card
- Each extra person above a family of 6
- $12,440 a year before taxWork and Income, Community Services Card
A health and transport subsidy card
The Community Services Card is administered by Work and Income on behalf of the Ministry of Health. A benefit is not required to qualify; eligibility depends on age, residency and income. It reduces the cost of health practitioner visits, prescriptions, public transport and emergency dental care for eligible people. Work and Income, Community Services Card (opens in a new tab).
The income limits are based on household type
Work and Income publishes income limits that vary by household composition. For a single person living with others the limit is $34,974 a year before tax. For a single person living alone it is $37,116. For a couple with no dependent children the combined limit is $55,501. The limit rises with family size: a family of 4 has a limit of $96,266 and a family of 6 has $122,724, with $12,440 added for each additional person beyond six. Work and Income, Community Services Card (opens in a new tab).
The income that counts toward the limit
The income test includes wages, NZ Superannuation, private pensions, overseas pensions, interest and dividends, child support, paid parental leave, Working for Families Tax Credits, ACC payments and rental income. For a person receiving both NZ Super and a private pension, only half of the private pension counts as income. Income is the total before tax from all sources for both the applicant and their partner. Work and Income, Community Services Card (opens in a new tab).
What the card subsidises
The card reduces costs for health practitioner visits, subsidised prescriptions, public transport fares, after-hours health practitioner fees, glasses for children under 16, and emergency dental care at hospitals or approved contractors. It does not cover extra charges from a health practitioner or pharmacy part-charges. Work and Income, Community Services Card (opens in a new tab).
Automatic eligibility and how to apply
People receiving certain benefits, the Accommodation Supplement, or living in public housing are sent the card automatically. Others need to apply using the application form. Work and Income assesses the application and may request proof of income. The card has an expiry date and must be renewed. Work and Income, Community Services Card (opens in a new tab).
Scope of this explanation
This is general information about the published card and its income limits. It does not assess medical eligibility, determine which specific health service costs qualify, decide a card's expiry date or renewal outcome, or calculate a household's actual entitlement. No Community Services Card calculator or worked household example is provided here.