New Zealand Student Allowance: income and eligibility

Student Allowance helps eligible students with living costs, with personal income and, in some circumstances, parental or partner income tests.

Single under 24, with parent in parent-funded home

$286.35 after tax / $321.64 before tax weekly maximum, M codeStudyLink, Student Allowance weekly rates

Single under 24, away from parent and parent-funded home

$333.38 after tax / $378.64 before tax weekly maximum, M codeStudyLink, Student Allowance weekly rates

Personal weekly income threshold

$284.70 before taxStudyLink, income and Student Allowance

Personal-income abatement

Cent for cent above the thresholdStudyLink, income and Student Allowance

Two-parent annual abatement threshold

$72,108.92 before taxStudyLink, Student Allowance with two parents

Two-parent income cut-outs

$131,670.35 living with parents; $141,451.55 living awayStudyLink, Student Allowance with two parents

A living-cost payment with eligibility conditions

Student Allowance is a weekly payment towards living expenses during study. It does not normally have to be repaid, unlike Student Loan living costs. Most applicants must be aged 18 to 65 and studying full-time, with specified exceptions for younger students or part-time study. Residence, approved-course and provider requirements apply. Previous recipients also face passing requirements and limits on the number of weeks of entitlement. StudyLink, Student Allowance (opens in a new tab).

Weekly rates depend on living arrangements

For a single student under 24 living with a parent in a place the parent owns or pays for, the published weekly maximum is $286.35 after tax or $321.64 before tax. When the student lives neither with a parent nor in a place a parent owns or pays for, it is $333.38 after tax or $378.64 before tax. These rates use the M tax code and may reduce because of personal or parental income. StudyLink, Student Allowance weekly rates (opens in a new tab).

Personal income reduces the payment

A student's own income can reach $284.70 a week before tax before it affects Student Allowance. Above that threshold the allowance reduces cent for cent. Ordinary work earnings must be reported for the week they are earned, with notification by that week's Sunday. Holiday pay is counted in the week it is received. StudyLink pays in arrears, so the income affects the following week's payment. The threshold is a weekly personal-income rule and does not replace any parental or partner income assessment that applies. StudyLink, income and Student Allowance (opens in a new tab).

Why parents' income may still matter

For a student under 24 with no children who still has a relationship with one or both parents, StudyLink bases the allowance on parental income. This policy applies whether the student lives at home or away, and whether the parents actually provide financial support. Living independently does not by itself remove parental income from the assessment. The published policy concerns those family circumstances rather than treating every adult student as financially independent. StudyLink, parental income policy (opens in a new tab).

The published two-parent thresholds

Where two parents' income is assessed, joint annual earnings above $72,108.92 before tax reduce the allowance. The published cut-outs are $131,670.35 when living with the parents and $141,451.55 when living away. Assessed earnings reduce by $7,000 for each other student aged 16 to 23 financially supported by the parents and studying full-time in New Zealand at secondary school or an approved education provider and by $3,400 where the parents live in separate houses. These adjustments and living circumstances mean the headline income limits cannot settle every student's entitlement. StudyLink, Student Allowance with two parents (opens in a new tab).

Scope and loan distinction

This guide is general information, not a personal award or an assessment of residence, family relationships or course approval. It does not calculate net weekly entitlement, decide whether another student qualifies for a parental-income adjustment or assess a recognised partnership. No Student Allowance calculator or worked student example is provided here.

Related guides