A guide to the Winter Energy Payment

Transcription

1 A guide to the Winter Energy Payment Easy Read

2 What is this guide about? This is an Easy Read guide about the Winter Energy Payment from Work and Income. It can be hard for some people to read a document with a lot of information in it. Some things you can do to make it easier are: read it a few pages at a time have someone to assist you to understand it. 1

3 What is in this guide? What is Work and Income?...4 What is the Winter Energy Payment?...5 Who gets the Winter Energy Payment...7 How much money is the Winter Energy Payment?...9 When is the Winter Energy Payment paid?

4 Important information for couples..11 What happens if you go overseas?...12 What you need to know about the Winter Energy Payment What if you do not want to get the Winter Energy Payment?...16 How to contact Work and Income

5 What is Work and Income? Work and Income is a government department. Work and Income: helps people looking for work gives money to help people pay for the things they need. Money from Work and Income is called: payments benefits allowances. 4

6 What is the Winter Energy Payment? The Winter Energy Payment from Work and Income is to help with the cost of keeping your home warm during the winter months. In winter your home may get cold on the inside. Energy is what we use to warm up our homes when it is cold. Some types of energy are: electricity gas firewood. 5

7 We use more energy in the winter so it costs more money. The Winter Energy Payment is to help pay the cost of the energy you use. If you do not keep your home warm you can get sick. For example: asthma a cold the flu. 6

8 Who gets the Winter Energy Payment? You will get the Winter Energy Payment if you already get one of these payments: New Zealand Superannuation Veteran s Pension Jobseeker Support Jobseeker Support Student Hardship Sole Parent Support Young Parent Payment 7

9 Supported Living Payment Youth Payment Emergency Benefit Emergency Maintenance Allowance. You can talk to Work and Income if you need to know more about these payments. You do not have to ask to get the Winter Energy Payment. The extra money will be paid into your bank account at the same time as your other benefits or payments. 8

10 How much money is the Winter Energy Payment? Single people with no children will get $20.46 a week. Couples will get $31.82 a week. People with children will get $31.82 a week. 9

11 When is the Winter Energy Payment paid? In 2018 the Winter Energy Payment will: start from: 1 July 2018 finish on: 29 September In 2019 the Winter Energy Payment will: start from: 1 May 2019 finish on: 1 October The Winter Energy Payment is paid at the same time as your other benefits or payments. 10

12 Important information for couples In 2018 the Winter Energy Payment cannot be split between a couple who have their own bank accounts if you get: New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran s Pension. Only 1 bank account can be paid the Winter Energy Payment. If you want to change the bank account that your Winter Energy Payment is paid into you will need to talk to someone at Work and Income. 11

13 What happens if you go overseas? If you go overseas you will need to tell Work and Income before you go. Work and Income will tell you if you can keep getting the Winter Energy Payment and your other payments. If Work and Income pay you too much money they can ask for the money back. It is a good idea to let Work and Income know when you are back in New Zealand so your payments can start again. 12

14 What you need to know about the Winter Energy Payment 1. Your money: The money you already get from Work and Income will not change. You will get the Winter Energy Payment as an extra payment. The Winter Energy Payment gives you more money to pay the cost of keeping your home warm during winter. 13

15 2. Hospital stays If you are going to be in hospital you need to let Work and Income know. When you are in hospital you might get less money from Work and Income for your energy. You may not get the Winter Energy Payment while you are in hospital. If Work and Income pays you too much money they can ask for the money back. 14

16 3. Residential Care Subsidy and Residential Support Subsidy If you get one of these subsidies you will not get the Winter Energy Payment. 15

17 What if you do not want to get the Winter Energy Payment? You can choose not to get the Winter Energy Payment. If you do not want the Winter Energy payment you will need to tell Work and Income so they can stop this payment. 16

18 How to contact Work and Income 1. MyMSD: MyMSD is an online service that makes it easy to keep in touch with Work and Income. To look at your MyMSD account go to There is an Easy Read booklet called Keep in touch with MyMSD. Here is the website address: documents/online-services/ mymsd-easy-read.pdf. 17

19 2. Work and Income website: 3. Phone: Free call number: Monday Friday 7.00 am 6.00 pm. Saturday 8.00 am 1.00 pm. 18

20 4. If you are: Deaf or hard of hearing Deaf Link free-fax: Text: Other languages You can call these phone numbers and talk to Work and Income in one of these languages: Monday Friday 8.30 am 5.00pm 19

21 Arabic Cantonese Farsi Hindi Mandarin Māori Punjabi Samoan Somali Tongan

22 This information has been translated into Easy Read by People First New Zealand Inc. Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi 21