Winter Energy Payment
Updated 2026 MSD rates. The Winter Energy Payment is an extra tax-free payment to help with heating costs during the colder months. It is paid automatically to people receiving a main benefit or NZ Superannuation/Veterans Pension — you do not need to apply.
Payment Period
The Winter Energy Payment is paid each week from 1 May to 1 October (22 weeks, covering all of winter). For 2026, payments run from 1 May to 1 October (inclusive), with the first payment on 4 May 2026.
Weekly Rates (2026)
| Situation | Weekly Rate (NZ$) | Total for Winter (22 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Single person, no dependent children | $20.46 | $450.12 |
| Couple (both eligible), or person with dependent children | $31.82 | $700.04 |
Note: The rate is based on household composition, not on whether you live alone. A single person gets $20.46 per week; couples and anyone with dependent children get $31.82 per week. Rates were unchanged between 2025 and 2026.
Who Gets It Automatically
- Jobseeker Support recipients.
- Sole Parent Support recipients.
- Supported Living Payment recipients.
- NZ Superannuation and Veterans Pension recipients.
- Orphan's Benefit / Unsupported Child's Benefit recipients.
- Youth Payment / Young Parent Payment recipients.
Who Does Not Get It
- Student Allowance recipients (unless also receiving a main benefit).
- Working for Families recipients who are not on a main benefit.
- People receiving only the Accommodation Supplement or Temporary Additional Support (no main benefit).
- People living in contracted residential care facilities (e.g., rest homes, hospitals).
How You Receive It
The payment is made automatically with your regular benefit or NZ Super payment. You do not need to apply. If you are eligible, you will see it as a separate line item in your MyMSD payment schedule. It is not taxable and does not affect your other entitlements.
If You Are in a Boarding House or Care
If you live in a boarding house or residential care facility where your heating costs are included in your accommodation fees, you may receive a lower rate or no payment. Check with Work and Income if you are unsure.
Why It's Paid Automatically
The Winter Energy Payment (WEP) is designed to be friction-free: because it is tied to receiving a main benefit, NZ Superannuation, or Veteran's Pension, Work and Income already knows you qualify — there is no application form and no separate assessment. It appears as a separate line item in your MyMSD payment schedule and is paid weekly or fortnightly alongside your main payment.
It is non-taxable and, crucially, does not count as income for other assistance — it will not reduce your Accommodation Supplement, Temporary Additional Support, or income-related rent. It also cannot be paid as a lump sum; it is spread across the 22-week season (1 May to 1 October).
Who Qualifies and Who Doesn't
- Automatic recipients: Jobseeker Support, Sole Parent Support, Supported Living Payment, NZ Super, Veteran's Pension, Orphan's/Unsupported Child's Benefit, Youth Payment, and Young Parent Payment recipients.
- Not eligible: Student Allowance recipients (unless also on a main benefit), Working for Families-only families, and people receiving only Accommodation Supplement or TAS.
- Boarding-house and care residents: may receive a lower rate or nothing if heating is included in their accommodation fees — check with Work and Income.
- Overseas: the payment stops if you leave New Zealand for more than 4 weeks.
Budgeting the Season
A single person receives about $450 over the season ($20.46 × 22 weeks), and a couple or family about $700 ($31.82 × 22). Because payments arrive weekly, they are easy to spend incrementally; consider setting aside the amount in a separate account to smooth heating costs across the year, or use it to pre-purchase firewood or top up power bills before the coldest months. If you struggle with a specific power bill, Work and Income can also arrange direct payments to your energy provider.
How the Payment Reaches You
The Winter Energy Payment is paid automatically with your main benefit, NZ Superannuation or Veteran's Pension — there is no separate application, and it is not income-tested or asset-tested. It is non-taxable and does not affect any other payments, including Income Related Rent. If you do not want it, you can opt out at any time through MyMSD or by contacting Work and Income; once opted out, you must contact them to restart it. Because the payment is tied to receiving a main benefit, you receive it only for the weeks you are eligible — if a benefit stops mid-winter, the payment stops too. The 22-week season runs from 1 May to 1 October, so the first payment lands in early May and the last in early October, giving households predictable support across the coldest months.
Deep dive — 2026 update
What the payment is worth over a full winter
The Winter Energy Payment is a weekly amount paid from 1 May to 1 October — 22 weeks:
| Household | Weekly | Over 22 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Single with no dependent children | $20.46 | $450.12 |
| Couple, or a person with dependent children | $31.82 | $700.04 |
It is non-taxable, does not affect any other payment you receive or your Income Related Rent, and it is paid to one person only. Couples receive $31.82 whether they live together or separately.
Who misses out, and why
- Not on a qualifying payment. You need to be receiving NZ Super, Veteran's Pension, Jobseeker Support, Jobseeker Support Student Hardship, Sole Parent Support, Supported Living Payment, Young Parent Payment, Youth Payment, Emergency Benefit or Emergency Maintenance Allowance.
- Getting the Residential Care Subsidy or the Residential Support Subsidy.
- Living overseas, or receiving an overseas pension that removes your NZ Super entitlement.
- Students on Student Allowance — unless they are also on Jobseeker Support Student Hardship, in which case the payment is available.
- Working families not on a benefit — not available however low the income. Check the Accommodation Supplement and Working for Families instead.
Opting out and travelling overseas
If you are getting NZ Super or Veteran's Pension and do not want the payment, you can opt out — useful for people whose income would otherwise push them over a threshold for another entitlement, such as the Rates Rebate.
- Tell MSD before you travel. If you are away more than 28 days, the payment may need to be stopped or repaid.
- Pensioners: the payment continues for up to 28 days overseas. Return before 1 October and contact MSD to restart it; after 1 October it resumes next year automatically.
- Beneficiaries: the same 28-day rule applies if your benefit continues while you are overseas.
- The first payment is partial. In 2026, 1 May falls on a Friday and benefits are paid in arrears, so the week of 4 May is a part-payment and full amounts start the week of 11 May (pensioners: 5 May, then 19 May).
Using it well
- Budget the whole season — around $450 for a single person and $700 for a couple, which is roughly 20–25% of a typical winter power bill for a small household.
- Stack it with the Disability Allowance if heating is a medical requirement — up to $82.85 a week is available for power costs supported by a doctor's certificate.
- Check the Rates Rebate (up to $830 for the 2026/27 rating year) if you own your home.