MSD - Help while Self Isolating

If you and your whānau need extra support while you're self-isolating because of COVID-19, we may be able to help. Use our online form to let us know how we can help you.

Many people will be able to self-isolate with help from whānau, family and friends, but there is help available if you need it.

If you need help, you may be able to get:

money to pay for urgent and essential costs, like food, medicine, and some bills
things you need to be delivered to you.

You can also use a form to be linked with community groups, iwi or Pacific groups in your area.

You can fill in a form even if you:

can work from home while you're self-isolating
are not getting a benefit right now
only need help with deliveries
only want to be put in touch with community groups, iwi, or Pacific groups near you
are not currently a New Zealand citizen or resident
are in New Zealand but don't usually live here.

You can ask for support more than once.

Apply online

Other ways to get self-isolation support

You can call us for free between 8am and 8pm every day on the COVID welfare line 0800 512 337

If you need urgent medical help or cannot breathe properly, call emergency services and tell them you have COVID-19 when you ring. Call free any time on 111

What happens after you apply

If we have any questions or need more details, we'll contact you.

After you complete the form, you'll be contacted within 2 days.

If you asked for help with an urgent cost, we'll email, text or call you.

If you let us know in the form that you'd like to work with community groups, iwi or Pacific groups they may contact you instead.

You can ask for support again if you need to.

Payment for urgent or unexpected costs

If you get a payment for urgent or unexpected costs, you can get the money paid to your Work and Income payment card. Friends or family members can use your payment card and sign on your behalf when they buy your grocery items, in store.

If you don't have a payment card, we may pay:

money into your bank account
your supplier directly, like your power company or pharmacy.

We'll call you to talk about it first.

What you need to fill in the form

If you apply for help to pay urgent or unexpected costs, we’ll ask about your situation and self-isolation so we can work out how to help you as quickly as we can.

Documents you may need

You may need to upload some documents to show your identity or residence status. We'll tell you in the form if we need it.

You can upload either a photo or scan. Remember to make this big enough and clear enough for us to read.

Self-isolation details

Where you're self-isolating.
Who else in your family is self-isolating with you.
If anyone else in the household needs help.
How much longer you'll be in self-isolation.

Financial details

If you're asking for financial help, like help paying for urgent costs, you need to give us:

information about any income and cash assets you or your partner have
your client number, if you're a client of Work and Income, StudyLink or Senior Services.

Client number information

Depending what help you need and how urgent it is, you may need to tell us your:

bank account details
Work and Income payment card number, if you have one
your Inland Revenue (IR) tax number.

When you’re filling in the form

You’ll need to fill in the form in one go, as you can't save your answers and finish it later.

If you’re having problems with the form, you can try:

using a different internet browser or device
clearing your cookies or caches
checking if your ad-block or anti-virus software is blocking the form
checking if you’re using a VPN or have an international IP address. This form will only work if you're in New Zealand.