Being eligible for FamilyBoost will depend on who cares for your children, your household income and the type of childcare you pay for.
You may be able to receive FamilyBoost if:
- you are the caregiver of a child or children aged 5 and under
- you have household income of less than $180,000 a year
- you have costs from a licensed early childhood education (ECE) provider
- you are a tax resident of New Zealand.
Check if your ECE provider is licensed.
Early Childhood Services | Education Counts
Income used to calculate your FamilyBoost
For salary and wage earners, we’ll use your income information to work out your household income.
For self-employed earners, we’ll use your tax return. Overdue income tax returns need to be filed before you can claim FamilyBoost.
There will be no change to your claim if your income is different at the end of the year.
Payments received from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD)
You will be able to claim FamilyBoost if you are getting payments from MSD and have ECE costs for a child in your household.
Care arrangements
Separated caregivers or caregivers living in separate households can claim FamilyBoost if they:
- have some day-to-day care of the child or children
- have costs for ECE
- provide separate invoices.
Receiving other subsidies
If you get other subsidies to help with your childcare and have extra costs after this, you will be able to claim FamilyBoost. You cannot claim for any costs already covered by a subsidy. An example of a different subsidy is the Childcare Subsidy from Work and Income.