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  1. Home
  2. Starting study
  3. What's available
  4. On a benefit

Starting study

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  • Student Allowance
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On a benefit

If you're getting a Work and Income benefit while you study, you may be able to get a Training Incentive Allowance, Course Participation Allowance, or a Student Loan.

Important information

Talk to Work and Income about whether you can stay on your benefit while you study and what help you could get for course costs.

Studying while on a benefit

Student Loan for compulsory course fees and course-related costs

If you're getting a benefit, you may be able to get a Student Loan for compulsory course fees and course-related costs (eg. books, computer, travel).

If you get a Course Participation Allowance (CPA) or Training Incentive Allowance (TIA) from Work and Income, the amount you get for fees and course-related costs will go down by the amount of CPA or TIA you get. This doesn't include any CPA or TIA you get for:

  • childcare
  • transport
  • disability-related costs.
Find out if you can get a Student Loan

Paying your living costs

If you’re on a benefit, you can’t get a Student Allowance or a Student Loan to pay for your weekly living costs.

Training Incentive Allowance

You can apply for the Training Incentive Allowance (TIA) if you're getting certain benefits. The TIA can help pay for things to help you study, like tuition fees, books, equipment and transport. It can also help cover the costs of childcare and any extra care expenses during your study. You don't need to pay this money back.

You can apply for TIA while you're studying a course from levels 1 to 7 of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework. There's more information available on the Work and Income website:

Training Incentive Allowance - Work and Income

Course Participation Assistance

You can apply for Course Participation Assistance (CPA) to help cover the costs of doing an employment-related training course or programme that lasts up to 12 weeks. You don’t need to pay this money back. There’s more information available on the Work and Income website:

Course Participation Assistance - Work and Income
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Go to Ministry of Social Development's website Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa / New Zealand Government