Accommodation Supplement Estimator NZ
This calculator gives Kiwis on lower incomes a quick, practical way to estimate whether they might qualify for the Accommodation Supplement, a weekly Work and Income payment that helps cover the cost of renting, boarding or owning a home, and roughly how much they could receive. You enter four figures: your weekly housing cost, your weekly income after tax, the weekly maximum payment set for your area, and the share of your income you are expected to cover yourself before any help kicks in. From these, the tool works out how much of your housing cost sits above your income share, applies a simplified 70 percent rate to that excess, and caps the result at your area's maximum. The results show your indicative weekly Accommodation Supplement, the amount of housing cost above your share, the area maximum applied, and what that adds up to over a year. A worked example using $550 weekly housing and $900 weekly income shows how the numbers flow through step by step. Because the real Accommodation Supplement also weighs income and cash asset tests, family situation and other Work and Income rules that change over time, treat this as a rough guide rather than an official assessment, and confirm your actual entitlement directly with Work and Income before making any decisions based on it.
This is a simplified estimate. The real Accommodation Supplement uses set formulas, income and cash asset tests, family situation and area-based maximums, all set by Work and Income and changing over time. Use it as a rough guide and check your eligibility with Work and Income.
How it works
The estimate works out how much of your housing cost sits above the share you are expected to meet yourself, then pays a portion of that excess, capped at the maximum for your area. The 70% subsidy rate is the real one: Schedule 4 Part 7 of the Social Security Act 2018 pays 70% of the amount by which your weekly accommodation costs exceed your entry threshold, up to the maximum for your area. The entry threshold is where this model simplifies. In the Act it is a percentage of the relevant base benefit rate, which is a set amount, not a percentage of what you earn: 25% for renters and boarders, and 30% for homeowners, rising to 40% for homeowners from April 2027 under Budget 2025. This page applies 25% to your income instead, which is easier to enter and gives the right shape, but it will not match an assessment. Use it to see whether applying is worth it, then check with Work and Income.
Worked example
With $550 a week housing and $900 income, this model puts the share you cover first at 25% of income, $225. Housing above that is $325. Seventy percent of $325 is about $228 a week, which is below a $305 area maximum, so the indicative supplement is around $228 a week. In a real assessment the $225 would instead be 25% of the base benefit rate that applies to you, so your own figure will differ.
Related calculators
- Benefit Entitlement Estimator: other support.
- Working for Families Calculator: family tax credits.
- Rent Affordability Calculator: affordable rent.
- Budget Calculator: household budget.
- Community Services Card - Learning Centre: background on this topic.
- Gifting Calculator NZ: gifting and Residential Care Rules.