People receiving a main benefit: NZ data and downloads
All working-age main benefits was 413,691 in Jun 2026 qtr, up 1.9% on a year earlier.
Updated
Source: Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Last retrieved 10 October 2026.
People receiving a main benefit
All working-age main benefitsJobseeker SupportSole Parent SupportSupported Living PaymentOther main benefits
Show the figures
| Period | All working-age main benefits (number) | Jobseeker Support (number) | Sole Parent Support (number) | Supported Living Payment (number) | Other main benefits (number) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 qtr | 413,691 | 218,481 | 81,255 | 109,500 | 4,455 |
| Mar 2026 qtr | 409,575 | 215,214 | 81,531 | 108,498 | 4,335 |
| Dec 2025 qtr | 427,236 | 223,512 | 81,534 | 107,760 | 14,430 |
| Sep 2025 qtr | 410,328 | 217,818 | 80,568 | 106,890 | 5,052 |
| Jun 2025 qtr | 406,128 | 216,009 | 79,953 | 105,642 | 4,524 |
| Mar 2025 qtr | 398,163 | 209,838 | 79,341 | 104,700 | 4,284 |
| Dec 2024 qtr | 409,665 | 213,321 | 79,296 | 104,469 | 12,576 |
| Sep 2024 qtr | 391,224 | 204,765 | 78,027 | 103,824 | 4,611 |
| Jun 2024 qtr | 380,889 | 196,434 | 76,959 | 103,152 | 4,344 |
| Mar 2024 qtr | 370,251 | 187,986 | 76,338 | 102,090 | 3,834 |
| Dec 2023 qtr | 378,711 | 189,798 | 76,170 | 101,502 | 11,241 |
| Sep 2023 qtr | 362,094 | 181,509 | 75,000 | 101,364 | 4,221 |
| Jun 2023 qtr | 351,759 | 173,130 | 74,166 | 100,878 | 3,582 |
| Mar 2023 qtr | 345,417 | 168,498 | 73,572 | 100,095 | 3,246 |
| Dec 2022 qtr | 353,904 | 170,103 | 73,560 | 100,038 | 10,200 |
| Sep 2022 qtr | 345,762 | 170,037 | 72,897 | 99,258 | 3,573 |
| Jun 2022 qtr | 344,622 | 170,763 | 72,687 | 97,710 | 3,465 |
| Mar 2022 qtr | 348,339 | 177,642 | 72,372 | 95,007 | 3,315 |
| Dec 2021 qtr | 368,172 | 187,989 | 73,263 | 93,918 | 13,002 |
| Sep 2021 qtr | 359,493 | 193,635 | 66,627 | 94,599 | 4,638 |
June 2026 quarterAll working-age main benefits 413,691Jobseeker Support 218,481Sole Parent Support 81,255Supported Living Payment 109,500Other main benefits 4,455
Lines break at accounting-basis changes and missing periods. Source: Ministry of Social Development (MSD).
People receiving a main benefit: NZ data and downloads: definitions
The number of working-age people (18–64) receiving a main benefit at the end of each quarter, by benefit type: Jobseeker Support, Sole Parent Support, Supported Living Payment and other main benefits. Quarterly from June 2012.
People receiving a main benefit: NZ data and downloads: comparison limits
These affect how the figures can be compared.
- Counts people receiving a benefit, not unemployment: many beneficiaries are not expected to look for work (e.g. people with serious health conditions or caring responsibilities).
- Other main benefits spikes every December quarter as students receive Jobseeker Support Student Hardship over summer; compare like quarters (e.g. June with June).
- Excludes NZ Superannuation and Veteran's Pension.
- Categories changed with the July 2013 welfare reform; MSD restated figures back to June 2012 but not earlier.
People receiving a main benefit: NZ data and downloads: data by period
The latest ten periods for up to the first six series. Downloads contain every published observation.
| Period | All working-age main benefits | Jobseeker Support | Sole Parent Support | Supported Living Payment | Other main benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 qtr | 413,691 | 218,481 | 81,255 | 109,500 | 4,455 |
| Mar 2026 qtr | 409,575 | 215,214 | 81,531 | 108,498 | 4,335 |
| Dec 2025 qtr | 427,236 | 223,512 | 81,534 | 107,760 | 14,430 |
| Sep 2025 qtr | 410,328 | 217,818 | 80,568 | 106,890 | 5,052 |
| Jun 2025 qtr | 406,128 | 216,009 | 79,953 | 105,642 | 4,524 |
| Mar 2025 qtr | 398,163 | 209,838 | 79,341 | 104,700 | 4,284 |
| Dec 2024 qtr | 409,665 | 213,321 | 79,296 | 104,469 | 12,576 |
| Sep 2024 qtr | 391,224 | 204,765 | 78,027 | 103,824 | 4,611 |
| Jun 2024 qtr | 380,889 | 196,434 | 76,959 | 103,152 | 4,344 |
| Mar 2024 qtr | 370,251 | 187,986 | 76,338 | 102,090 | 3,834 |
People receiving a main benefit: NZ data and downloads: questions for your AI
Download the file, attach it in the assistant you use, then paste the prompt. Whatever it tells you is its reading of the data, not ours.
- 1Download main-benefits.csv
- 2Attach it in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or another assistant
- 3Paste this prompt
The attached CSV is People receiving a main benefit (main-benefits), from Ministry of Social Development (MSD), Benefit fact sheets: national benefit tables. Describe how each measure has changed, naming its unit and period. Treat changes in basis and missing periods as breaks. Distinguish observation from explanation. Limitations: Counts people receiving a benefit, not unemployment: many beneficiaries are not expected to look for work (e.g. people with serious health conditions or caring responsibilities). Other main benefits spikes every December quarter as students receive Jobseeker Support Student Hardship over summer; compare like quarters (e.g. June with June). Excludes NZ Superannuation and Veteran's Pension. Categories changed with the July 2013 welfare reform; MSD restated figures back to June 2012 but not earlier.. Do not infer causation from changes during government terms.
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People receiving a main benefit: NZ data and downloads: sources
The source publication, licence and snapshot used to build this page.
- Organisation
- Ministry of Social Development (MSD), Benefit fact sheets: national benefit tables
- Licence
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Source: Ministry of Social Development, Benefit fact sheets, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Figures compiled across releases by NZ in Numbers.
- Reuse limits
- Logos, emblems, trade marks, photography, imagery and website design elements are not covered.
- Snapshot
- data/raw/msd-benefits/2026-10-10_90cd8e7c8ff2.xlsx
- SHA256
- 90cd8e7c8ff210ca9334eb035dfef3a39abdefe10365e5f7a6ccbd4291248f74
- Retrieved
- 10 October 2026