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Working for Families calculator
Estimate your Family Tax Credit, In-Work Tax Credit and Best Start from your family income and how many children you have. Built on the current IRD rates.
Both parents' combined income, before tax.
Best Start (children under 3)
Leave at 0 if none. Under-1 is paid to everyone; ages 1 to 3 reduce once income passes $79,000.
Uses the current 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 rates. The In-Work Tax Credit is temporarily higher this year. An estimate for the common cases, not a payment quote.
Enter your family income and how many children you have to estimate your Working for Families payments.
How Working for Families works
Working for Families is Inland Revenue's help with the cost of raising kids. It's made up of a few tax credits that stack together, then reduce as your family income rises:
- Family Tax Credit: the core payment, paid whether you're working or not. Up to $152/week for your first child and $124/week for each additional child.
- In-Work Tax Credit: an extra for families normally in paid work, temporarily up to $147/week for up to three children this year (plus $15/week per additional child).
- Best Start: up to $77/week per child under three, not income tested in a child's first year.
Once your family income passes $44,900 a year, the Family Tax Credit and In-Work Tax Credit reduce by 27.5 cents in every dollar above that, so higher-earning families get less or nothing. Because the rates change every 1 April, we keep this calculator on the current year's figures.
Working for Families questions, answered
- What is Working for Families?
- Working for Families is a set of tax credits from Inland Revenue that helps families with the cost of raising children. The main parts are the Family Tax Credit, the In-Work Tax Credit, and Best Start for young children. What you get depends on your family income, how many children you have, and their ages.
- Who can get Working for Families?
- You generally qualify if you're the main carer of one or more dependent children, you're a New Zealand tax resident, and your family income is under the cut-off (which rises with the number of children). The In-Work Tax Credit also requires you to be normally in paid work.
- What is the Family Tax Credit?
- The Family Tax Credit is the core payment, paid whether or not you're working. For the 2026/27 year it's up to $152 a week for your eldest child and $124 a week for each additional child, before it's reduced by income.
- What is the In-Work Tax Credit?
- The In-Work Tax Credit is an extra payment for families who are normally in paid work (about 20 hours a week for a single parent, or 30 hours between a couple). For 2026/27 it's temporarily increased to up to $147 a week for up to three children, plus $15 a week for each additional child.
- What is Best Start?
- Best Start is a payment for children under three, worth up to $77 a week per child. In a child's first year it's paid regardless of your income. In the second and third year it reduces once your family income is over $79,000.
- How does my income affect the payments?
- Above a family income of $44,900 a year, your Family Tax Credit and In-Work Tax Credit reduce by 27.5 cents for every dollar you earn over that threshold. The Family Tax Credit reduces first, then the In-Work Tax Credit. Best Start for older children has its own separate income test at $79,000.
- Is this calculator exact?
- It's a close estimate for the common situations, using the current 2026/27 rates. It doesn't cover the Minimum Family Tax Credit, shared care, foster or orphan payments, or very high incomes. For your precise entitlement, use IRD's official calculator at ird.govt.nz/working-for-families, and remember payments are squared up at the end of the tax year.
Budget around what actually lands.
KeaBudgetis the free budget app for Kiwi bank accounts, so your Working for Families payments and your spending sit in one place. It's live now, and free.
Start using KeaBudget →More free tools
NZ Take-home Pay Calculator →KiwiSaver Max-Out Calculator →Related reading: Working for Families explained. Or see all our free NZ money calculators.