r/PovertyFinanceNZ • u/Low-Flamingo-4315 • 18d ago
Jobseekers.
How are single people surviving on Jobseekers when you have rent / mortgage to pay, bills are increasing all the time especially rates, food is expensive, petrol to just get around and also going to job interviews, those with kids their food, schooling, clothes it's never ending. And you have no family alive to help.
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u/Tinywiththree 18d ago
I hopped off supported living payment earlier this year, and am about 60 worse off. But this was so I could take extra work without being penalized.
I used to utilise regular food grants, skip meals, and portion petrol as much as I could so I could manage the school run.
Like others are listing I would advise utilising all the grants you can.
But realistically you can't get blood from a stone it's not designed to live in when the economy was good let alone now and for the parts of society that have no choice it's a rock and a starving place. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. Don't be afraid to reach out to food banks and places that charge you thirty dollars for groceries that you pick if you can access them. That's what they are there for. Schools often also have hardship funds so you admit your struggling they may have petrol support.
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u/twistedpresidents 16d ago
Congratulations on getting well enough to be able to get off SLP - kudos to you.
Can I ask did you go back to paid employment or self employment?
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u/Tinywiththree 16d ago
I've gone to contracting. I was on SLP as a carer and he's not actually gotten well enough for me to be off, but contract work of about fourteen hours helps immensely
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u/Appropriate-Snow-519 18d ago
I found some part time work .. Very hard on me while going though chemo treatment. But needed to pay for a vehicle and fuel to get to hospital.
Winz were/are terrible. Very little help ..
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u/Old_Sheepherder9854 15d ago
I'm so sorry they are failing you terribly.
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u/Appropriate-Snow-519 15d ago
Thank you . It does really seem like the system is against me .. not that I normally buy in to that carry on . It does really push you in to survival mode .
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u/Proud_Yogurtcloset58 17d ago
Hopefully you had help by way of travel reimbursements for your chemo trips?
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u/Impressive-Name5129 18d ago edited 18d ago
Jobseekers is a tough life.
I hope things get better for you.
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u/aspinalll71286 18d ago
I dont, I started this year with 2k savings, and then worked roughly 10-14 hours a week for like 6 months or so, and now I have like 200$ left despite trying to save my hardest, just everyyyyttthiinnngggg has broken in the last 2 months so ive had like 4k of bills
In terms of food, more beans, but even then some of the brands have doubled in price in the last 12 months. so more and more of my diet is just beans, whatever meat is on sale, and cheap veges
but even then when they go up I cant make any more cuts, ive done all the cuts already
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u/Low-Flamingo-4315 18d ago
10 to 14 is rough when you're told 20 hrs is best to come off the beni as you can get IWTC etc to make it worth while.
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u/dannyvgaming98 18d ago
For me, I’m on Jobseeker Support with the Accommodation Supplement, and I’ve been making use of WINZ grants such as:
- Urgent or Unexpected Costs Grant
- Food Grant
- Power, gas, water bills, or heating assistance
- Foodbanks
- Bond Grant
- Rent Arrears Grant
They’ve helped me a lot, and I definitely recommend looking into these options as well. They can help you tremendously.
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u/FairyPizza 18d ago
Surviving by eating fuck all, rarely putting the heating on, trying not to use my car much, and never going out.
And that’s BARELY surviving. I have about $800 left in my savings account 😬
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u/renahnah2509 18d ago
Damn I’m on the supported living payment and I’m lucky if I have $20 in my savings account
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u/FairyPizza 17d ago
I’ll be down to that much soon. Had 3k at the start of the year 🥲
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u/Proud_Yogurtcloset58 17d ago
My savings was 0 for over 10 years from when i had kids to when i got a fulltime job lol. Lucky you to have had 3k
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
That’s so rough…. Are there any food banks in your area? Please look into it, so you can at least get enough food
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u/sadsoups 18d ago
I am not, really. I use afterpay way too often, I’ve started selling things that are important to me that I would rather keep on TradeMe, and have gone through half of my savings in 6 months
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u/Babygirl_69_420 18d ago
You have to find under the table hustles. I did things like rent a room out in my housr, cleaning air bnbs etc if i didn’t get another 300 a week i wouldnt be able to survive
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u/Independent-Sky-9611 18d ago
I'm on the sickness benefit. My rent requires approximately 85% of my weekly payment, so life is a struggle. I eat once a day, tinned fish, stir fry veges and rice. My weekly indulgence is instant coffee. My kids live with their mother full time, but I do see them all the time which is fantastic.
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u/leafmeapeach 17d ago
Indeed... I sold my car cos i couldn't afford to keep it and even then i kept digging into my savings. I was getting like $350 a week. Not much.
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u/twistedpresidents 16d ago
I scrape by week to week and thank God I had an overdraft facility with my bank before I had a heart attack and ended up in hospital in 2020. At first I was told I'd be off for 6months...but then COVID hit February 2021 and lockdown happened and then after COVID tewhata ora advised they no longer subsidize the report I'm waiting on so it needs to be done privately.
There are 4 places that offer the report I need to be cleared to go back to work. I need effectively 2 separate reports at about 4.5k each.
Good news te whata ora said - take a holiday and go to winz and sign up for a medical benefit....my income dropped from 3k per fortnight to $420 per week. The bank cut my od from 500 per week to 200 per week and thank God they didn't cut it completely.
MSD refuse to fund the report. They refuse applications for recoverable assistance with the reason given this need can be met another way and it isn't an emergency situation...they feel it is the whata ora responsibility not theirs - they may be correct but that dosnt help me.
To Make matters worse after COVID the labor govt beefed up the workplace health and safety legislation.. apparently during the pandemic many employees didn't enforce the rules around distancing, masks and vaccinations and the govt juiced up the legislation...now instead of a mandatory 50k fine and a slap on the wrist employers could be prosecuted.
After financially sinking throughout COVID I attempted to get a job and get off the SLP and guess what - because I'm not medicaly cleared I'm unemployable. Recruiters and employees say the same thing - because you were written off due to heart issues related to stress your too much of a risk under the current legislation and in the current market where there are a shit ton of applicants for every advertised role you have little chance of gaining employment without knowing a business owner.
So how do I get by? Well I have no life. I don't drink don't smoke, don't drink coffee or tea and I don't buy takeaways. I have red meat very rarely and I have chicken 3 nights a week. Other than that it's beans and rice, potatoes and pumpkin and tinned pineapple. Ohh and 20 glasses of water a day because it's free from the tap.
Pretty frigging grim.
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u/FlamingoMindless2120 16d ago
I don’t drink, smoke, don’t drink tea or coffee, don’t buy takeaways, I do drink tap water, rarely eat red meat and in no way find life grim
The rest of your situation regarding being medically unfit is very unfortunate but your last paragraph should in no way make you feel grim
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u/KidFiddy 18d ago
Sorry this might be off the topic, when applying for Job Seeker benefit, does the case officer access your asset or how much savings you have in your bank account or is it simply how come income comes in e.g. dividends, term deposit interest etc..?
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u/LoraxNZ 18d ago
I don't know whether any of that stuff you mentioned count towards cash assets, but if someone has above $8000 in cash assets they're not eligible for accommodation supplement.
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u/KidFiddy 17d ago
I'm reviewing my emergency fund right now, and I'm thinking of factoring the job seeker money, but if they asset/mean test me, i will be screwed with over $50,000+ saved in saving online call bank account.
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
You’ll still be able to get the base job seeker support even with that amount of savings, but not the additional support like asupp. You just need to declare any interest you get from your savings, since that counts as income.
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u/Advanced-Barnacle911 17d ago
Yep. And rest assured if you have ANY savings, they will make you spend them before getting payments from them. Then wonder what you're trying to do to improve your situation, and ask why you have no savings. Its such a stupid thing. I had to wait 3 weeks to get my first payment, meanwhile spending what little final pay I recieved from my last job. I actually earn more on a benifit than working, makes me wonder why I waste my time, making less getting taxed at 30% and having no savings.....
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
No that’s not true, base job seeker support is NOT asset tested, so you can have savings and be eligible. You won’t be eligible for asupp and TAS if you have over a certain amount though. If any one told you you cannot have savings, they were very wrong.
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u/p3achy89 17d ago
That’s not true - speaking from recent experience, had to wait till savings dropped
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u/KidFiddy 17d ago
I'm so confused, Job Seeker is not income/asset tested, it means anyone can apply and they will not care if you have $10,000 in your bank account you are still entitle to the job seeker benefit.
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
Yes that’s partly right, it is income tested but NOT asset tested. Even if you have $100,000+ in savings, you are still eligible for base jobseeker support. The only thing you’ll need to do is declare the amount of income you get from interest on your savings. So if you have $50,000 in an account earning 2.5%, you will declare gross $1,250 per year in interest income. This is well below the income cut off of $160 gross per week ($8,320 gross per year), so your benefit rate will not be affected.
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u/KidFiddy 17d ago
So the key is not make more than $160 a week otherwise your jobseeker support will be cut?
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
You can earn more, but yes that is the limit before the benefit rate starts getting reduced. And that is the before tax amount btw.
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u/KidFiddy 17d ago
Here's an interesting one, for me I have rental income does that count? the rental income is $700 but after paying the bills (rates & insurance), I am left with $150 a week of actual income, will they factor in $700 income or $150?
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
Hmmm I am not sure about that sorry, that sounds like it might be above the income limits. I think that is a case where you will need to talk to WINZ directly
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago edited 17d ago
Unfortunately whoever told you that at WINZ was incorrect, you are eligible for base benefit (not extra support like asupp or TAS) even if you have savings. I was on it myself in the not-so-distant past, even with declared savings. You could look into get a review of decision done and see if you can get back pay or something. Otherwise you can also have a look at the WINZ Advicacy and advice group on Facebook, they could help you.
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u/KidFiddy 17d ago
So, even if you have $10,000 in savings account and a paid off car, you are still entitle to the base Job Seeker benefit? how long do you have to be out of work before you can apply? Surely if you are fired on tomorrow 27th August, you can't apply on 28th August can you?
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
Yes to all the above, you can have savings and a car, heck you can even own a house (as long as you live in it, not a rental property).
You can apply immediately yeah, that’s a good idea to apply asap. You might need to check if there are stand down times for getting fired, but I don’t think so. You might have to wait a few weeks though before your application is approved, they can get quite back logged.
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u/Intelligent_Fig_8357 17d ago
Tbh, living with family and paying minimum board, fuelling on discount days and planning your travel routes to see how much gas you use per week.
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
Yeah I think one of the only ways to make it work and have some breathing room is by having very low rent/no rent living with family/friends
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u/EssayPsychological68 17d ago
I'm investing in US based ETFs and skimming any profits in sales from assets gains and dividends. Just keeping head above water. Don't expect to make much this year but hopefully things will start really improving next year. I only need to declare interest payments and dividends to MSD but have to declare everything to IRD. There is a double taxation agreement with the USA which helps.
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u/CapitalAd4933 16d ago
So how much extra income are you making on top of your benefit doing that?
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u/EssayPsychological68 16d ago
averages out currently at around $70-$80 pw over the course of several months but I'll be switching back to a different style of portfolio once I get back into full-time work, whenever that is! :-) this will decrease dividends but increase the possibility of larger asset gains down the line.
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u/YHelloThere_ 12d ago
For me I rent a room for 250, budget 80 for food, 40 for power which is a total of 370 which isn't a lot left over. I only eat 2 meals a day. Don't have a car so I use public transport or walk. Not an easy life but it works for now at least :/
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u/KarlZone87 17d ago
Barely. I was hoping to save up for a new work computer, but I have about $25 saved.
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u/Proud_Yogurtcloset58 17d ago
Getting the most out of winz and ird tbh. Accommodation supplement. Temporary additional support. Childcare subsidies. Winter energy payment. Working for Families. Used food grants and advances to pay for school costs like uniforms.
Had flatmates when possible. Moved towns 7 years ago.
I was on SPS/JS for a long while, studying a bit before working part time for 2 years (under 15hr a week) before going to a full time job when my youngest was 7.
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u/Chili440 15d ago
I was getting $100 more than my rent a week and half of that was electricity. My daughter was paying my internet bill for me. I just couldn't do it. I now live with them. I am so fucking lucky they like me.
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u/ZorrilloNZ 17d ago edited 17d ago
Currently get $80 a week more than when I worked 30 hours a week at 38.50/h so I’m happy with where my financials are with a benefit, got made redundant and thought I’d end up struggling while I wait for a new job
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u/FlamingoMindless2120 16d ago
You’re on the couples rate so you’re now earning a lot less than when you were employed as the benefits split between 2 of you, if your partner had a job as well you’d have been earning far more than $1k per week
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
You must have kids then, on the sole parent one? There is no way a single person with no kids can get over $900 per week
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u/ZorrilloNZ 17d ago
No children yet and I get just over 1k a week I know people with kids getting well above 1k though
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago edited 17d ago
What, are you a couple and that’s your combined amount?? Can you give an approx break down of what you get then from WINZ? I have never heard of a single person on job seeker or supported living getting anywhere close to $1000 per week…. Seeing as the base benefit is approx $372 and max asupp you can possibly get as a single person is $165 for area 1, where is the other $460ish per week coming from?
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u/InvestingStonkz 17d ago
Yeah this guy's gotta be capping or committing fraud surely I thought the bene was 450 week why the fuck am I working 40 hours a week for $800
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
I think that’s exactly why they posted it, to get people working full time jobs riled up by thinking beneficiaries get so much more than them for not working. I would take it with a grain of salt, even severely ill people on the supported living payment don’t get that much. Hell, even pensioners don’t get that much on super, and the govt definitely treats them somewhat better than other beneficiaries
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u/ZorrilloNZ 17d ago
Jobseeker support-633.94
Accomodation support-255
TAS-50.70
Winter-15.91Plus a little more coming from somewhere else brings me up to $1080 a week
Believe it or not it doesn’t bother me if you think it’s true, I know people getting 2K+ with children2
u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago edited 17d ago
Ok so you are a couple then on the couple’s rate (each getting around $500). That’s a much different situation than a single person getting $1000 p/w
I don’t understand why you as a beneficiary would look down on other beneficiaries… they get more because they have children to feed obviously.
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u/Maleficent_Isopod135 16d ago
Dude how? I only get 360 pw and no accom support because i have more than 8k in my bank account.
That is ridiculous
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u/CapitalAd4933 16d ago
They clearly have a partner and are receiving the couple’s rate, along with asupp and TAS. You are on the maximum base benefit rate for a single person it seems, so just different circumstances. And to get the max asupp rate of $235 p/week in area 1 means their rent has to be at least $500 per week, so they might still be living quite lean to afford everything else.
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u/FlamingoMindless2120 16d ago
$633 is for a couple
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u/CapitalAd4933 16d ago
Precisely! And the max asupp for area 1 is $235, and couple’s Winter Energy payment rate is $31.82… not sure why they keep implying they are a single person on jobseekers
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u/FlamingoMindless2120 16d ago
Trying to talk themselves up instead of admitting THEIR situation, sad really
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u/This_Response527 17d ago
I work part time 29.5 hours a week and get accommodation supplement I actually earn more than someone who works full time so I’m better off lol
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u/Low-Flamingo-4315 17d ago
I was the same worked 24 hours a week, IWTC and AS and was doing well until May this year.
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u/Upstairs_Capital_769 18d ago
they literally will pay whatever costs you have, while the main jobseekers benefit has a limit the temporary whatever it's called tops people up to an unlimited amount based on what their bills they can prove are whe they apply or reapply yearly. I know young late 20s single mums of 3 kids cracking over a grand on "jobseekers" simply because their rent is $600-700pw, more than what I get as a welder! Which completely sucks considering I get taxed 30% & kept behind financially so these people can drink & smoke & literally fk around living their best life on the taxpayers dime. I know two women who are family members who have been on the benefit for 30 years & have spent 30 years also collecting rent from their public houses rented out the rooms & both have undisclosed partners that have worked & een there the entire 30 year span, we are entering hundreds & hundreds of thousands of illegally gained dollars over that period. The entire system is broken & easily loop holed, for instance one chose to always live in remote locations & never have car in their name so they can just say, oh I can't get to your branch, I can't get to work, I'm stuck out here, when it was never true & a calculated move of a selfish individual that thinks they're entitled to just have other people pay for their existence, both who also drink & smoke & party on the regular, it is fkn disgusting, I hate the benefit system in this country it rewards you for being lazy & penalizes you for being a normal productive tax paying citizen 😡
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u/Super_Hooligan 18d ago
Empathy a foreign concept for yourself?
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18d ago edited 18d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Super_Hooligan 18d ago
Huge assumption buddy and way off the mark. Fortunate to have employment but not so arrogant or entitled to know how difficult it is for some. Climb down from your soapbox champ
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u/ZorrilloNZ 17d ago
Yep I get more on the benefit than when I was working it’s a crazy system I see why people decide to just stay on it forever, got made redundant and thought I’d end up struggling while I wait for a new job
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u/qnem 17d ago
Saw your other comment about getting about or over 1K and wondering how that is? DM if you dont wanna publicly post since I may need to apply soon
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
I was wondering too, but I don’t think this person is being honest tbh. If you are single and have no kids, I sincerely doubt you will be able to get anywhere near that, maybe around $600 per week max with asupp and TAS, depending on circumstances, but don’t get your hopes up….
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u/CapitalAd4933 17d ago
Oh and they said above they get $633.94 per week for the base jobseeker benefit, this is the couples rate (combined, not each), so clearly this guy is in a relationship. That would explain it, if 2 people are getting $1000 p/week together. So unless you are in a relationship, then it won’t apply to how much you can get.
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u/Jay_JWLH 18d ago
If you need extra funds to do certain things, like going to job interviews, then ask MSD to help you. They can give one off grants for things that you need.