The Mycare Team
Individualised Funding in New Zealand
A plain-English guide for people with disability, older adults and their families
Who this guide is for
This guide is for people with a disability or high support needs, older adults who need regular support at home, and the whānau or family members who help organise their care. It explains what Individualised Funding is, how it works, what you can spend it on, and how to find the right person to support you.
Most people in New Zealand receive disability support through a provider – an organisation that sends someone to help them. That person is often rostered week to week. You might see a different face every time. You have limited say in who comes, when they come, or what they help with.
Individualised Funding is different. It gives you a budget to manage your own support. You choose who helps you. You choose when. You decide what matters most.
For many families, it is the first time the care system has felt like it is working for them rather than around them.
What is Individualised Funding?
Individualised Funding, usually called IF, is person-directed funding from Disability Support Services (DSS) that lets you purchase your own disability supports. Instead of being allocated a provider, you receive flexible funding that you can use to arrange the support you need in a way that works for you and your whānau.
The idea is straightforward: you know your own needs better than any system does. IF gives you the tools to act on that.
What IF is not
IF is not a blank cheque. It is not residential care funding. It is not ACC-funded support (that is a separate system). And it is not available to everyone who needs support; eligibility is assessed based on your specific disability support needs.
If you are an older adult looking for support at home but do not have a disability that meets the eligibility criteria for Disability Support Services, you may be funded through a different pathway. People over 65 with age-related needs are usually funded through a separate home support stream rather than through IF, although there can be specific exceptions. A NASC (Needs Assessment and Service Coordination) organisation can tell you which funding type applies to your situation.
Who can access Individualised Funding?
Eligibility for IF is determined through a needs assessment. You do not self-refer directly to IF - the process starts with a NASC assessment.
What is a NASC?
A NASC is a Needs Assessment and Service Coordination service. NASCs (and Enabling Good Lives sites, where available) are your main gateway to Disability Support Services. They assess your disability support needs, decide whether you are eligible for DSS, and help work out which types of support, including IF, are suitable for you.
Importantly: even if you qualify for disability support services, you may not automatically be offered IF. You may need to ask specifically for it. Some families do not know this and accept the default provider allocation without realising they have another option.
You can ask your NASC whether Individualised Funding is an option for you. If you are currently funded through a provider and would prefer to manage your own support, your NASC can discuss whether your allocated supports can be managed using IF.
How does the money work?
Your IF budget is calculated based on your assessed support needs. It is designed to cover your support worker’s pay and the associated costs of putting that support in place, things like ACC levies, KiwiSaver contributions and holiday pay.
Your IF allocation is not treated as personal income and is not taxed. It is public funding that pays for disability support services, not a benefit paid to you as cash income.
Funding levels vary between people and can change over time as needs and policies change, so this guide does not include specific dollar figures or hourly rates. For the most up-to-date information about funding levels, check disabilitysupport.govt.nz or talk with your NASC.
You are the employer – and that matters
Here is the part most families do not expect: when you receive IF and employ your own support worker directly, you become the legal employer. That is genuinely empowering, you have real authority over who works for you and how. But it also means responsibilities.
As an employer, you are responsible for:
- Having a written employment agreement in place
- Paying your worker correctly, including at least the minimum wage
- Managing holiday and sick leave entitlements
- Making ACC levy and KiwiSaver contributions
- Complying with employment law if something goes wrong
For most families, this is the part that feels overwhelming – especially if you have never been an employer before and are also managing the emotional reality of someone you love needing support.
What is an IF Host?
An IF Host organisation exists to take many of those employer and administration responsibilities off your plate. You remain in control of who you hire, how many hours they work, and what they do. The host can help you set up IF, manage payments and reporting, and support you to stay within the rules for using your funding.
Using an IF Host is not compulsory, but many people choose to use one for help with administration and compliance. Different hosts may have different fee structures and ways of covering their costs. Your chosen host can explain how their fees work and how they are accounted for within your IF arrangement. More details here
What can you use IF for?
IF is available throughout New Zealand for eligible people who have been assessed to receive either:
- Home and Community Support Services, which include help with personal care and household management
- Respite services to help carers take a break, including facility-based respite, Carer Support and in-home support
In practice, this means IF can pay for personal support; practical, day-to-day help that enables you to live your life as you choose. This typically includes:
- Personal care (getting up, showering, dressing)
- Help around the home (cooking, cleaning, errands)
- Getting out and about in your community
- Accompanying you to appointments
- Supporting participation in education, work or social activities
From 1 April 2026, people who receive flexible funding, such as IF have more choice and control over how they use their funding. Previous purchasing rules have been removed, but IF still needs to be used for disability-related supports and within your allocated budget.
What IF does not cover
IF is not designed to fund medical care, clinical treatment or specialist therapies, these are funded through other parts of the health system.
Your IF must also not be used for prohibited items such as illegal activities, alcohol, tobacco or gambling, and must stay within your allocated budget and support plan.
Whether you can use IF to pay a family member (including someone you live with) depends on current disability funding rules and your situation. These rules have changed over time and can differ between funding types. Your NASC or IF host can explain whether paying a family member is currently allowed in your case and what approvals or processes are required.
How to find the right support worker
Having the funding sorted is only part of it. The question most families find hardest is: how do we actually find someone we trust?
The honest answer is that the system does not make this easy. Your NASC can point you toward providers, but finding an independent worker – someone who fits your home, your routines, your values – is largely left to you.
Many families end up posting on general job boards, sifting through dozens of responses, and trying to work out who to trust with no real vetting support and no framework for what to ask.
What to look for
A good support worker is not just someone available and willing. You are looking for:
- Someone whose personality fits your home – reliability matters as much as capability
- Relevant experience or training, depending on the complexity of your needs
- A clean background check – police (MoJ) and identity verification as a minimum
- Someone who communicates clearly, shows up consistently, and treats your family with respect
Questions worth asking at an interview
- What drew you to support work?
- Tell me about a time something went wrong in a care situation. What did you do?
- How do you handle it when someone wants to do things differently from how you were trained?
- What does a good day at work look like for you?
These questions tell you more than a CV. You are not just hiring a worker, you are inviting someone into your home.
How Mycare helps you
Finding someone you actually trust
Mycare is a New Zealand platform built for exactly this situation: families who have IF or other funding and need to find an independent support worker – without spending weeks on general job boards hoping for the best.
Browse verified care workers
Every care worker on Mycare has been identity-verified and had a Criminal Record Check or NZ Police Vetting result completed before they can work. You are not starting from scratch.
- Find someone who genuinely fits
Search by location, availability, experience and the type of support you need. Read profiles, see reviews from other families and make contact directly. - Hire on your terms
You set the hours, the schedule and the scope. Mycare makes the practical side simple – no complicated contracts to navigate on your own. - IF-friendly by design
Mycare is built to work alongside Individualised Funding and other flexible funding. Whether you are using an IF Host or managing directly, the platform supports how IF actually works.
Ready to find your person?
Browse care workers in your area at mycare.co.nz. It costs nothing to search or list a job. You only pay when you hire.
Common questions
Can I choose a family member as my support worker?
Whether you can pay a family member (including someone you live with) using IF depends on current disability funding rules and your situation. These rules can change and may be different for different types of flexible funding. Talk to your NASC or IF host about whether paying a family member is currently allowed for you and what conditions apply
What if the support worker I hire does not work out?
You have the right to bring an employment relationship to an end if it is not working. As an employer, you need to follow a fair and lawful process – this is where your IF Host or employment support service is valuable. They can guide you through the steps required under employment law so that the process is as safe and fair as possible.
Can I have more than one support worker?
Yes. Many people choose to have two or three workers who cover different times of the week. This is often a smart approach, it reduces the risk that your entire routine falls apart if one person is unavailable.
What happens to my funding if my needs change?
Your NASC can reassess your needs if your situation changes significantly – if your health deteriorates, if you recover some independence, or if your circumstances shift. You do not need to wait for a scheduled review to request a reassessment.disabilitysupport+1
Is Mycare only for people with IF funding?
No. Mycare is for anyone who needs to find independent support at home – whether you are IF-funded, using other flexible funding, or paying privately. The platform is designed to make finding a trusted person straightforward, whatever your funding situation.
mycare.co.nz | This guide is for general information only. For advice specific to your situation, contact your NASC or check disabilitysupport.govt.nz for the latest Disability Support Services information.
Published by pAI2 Limited | June 2026 | Subject to review and updates as government policy changes.