The home education supervision allowance is paid in about May/June and November/December each year and covers the preceding six months. The first payment for a child new to home education will cover the period since the date the exemption certificate was issued. Payment is subject to confirmation that you are continuing to home educate “at least as regularly and well as a registered school”. A declaration form will be sent automatically to your home address (the one MOE have on file from sending you your exemption letter), if you don’t receive one then contact the MOE Resourcing Division (see below). Complete the form and post it back to the Ministry of Education by the date specified. Your allowance will then be processed and paid on the date stated on the form.
While you cannot apply to home educate a child aged 16yrs or over, if you already have an existing Certificate of Exemption for a child before they turn 16yrs you will continue to receive the supervisory allowance (upon completion of the declaration twice a year) until the end of the calendar year in which the child turns 19yrs provided the child is still being home educated.
The annual allowance rates are as follows:
First child $796 ($398 twice a year)
Second child $677 ($338.50 twice a year)
Third Child $557 ($278.50 twice a year)
Subsequent children $398 ($199 twice a year).
If you do not return the form by the date specified, you will receive a reminder. If the Ministry has still not received the form by the date in the reminder letter, they may choose to instigate other means of checking whether your child is still being taught “as regularly and well as” such as an ERO review. You are responsible for managing the process if you are absent from your home address for any reason or if you have moved.
For any issues, to get a new form, or to return the form; contact:
Resourcing Division
Ministry of Education
PO Box 1666
Wellington 6140
Phone (04) 463 8383
Email resourcing@education.govt.nz
The MOE advise that, if you travel outside of New Zealand for more than 28 days, no supervisory allowance will be paid for that period – see Travelling/Leaving NZ.
The form must be completed twice each year even if you don’t wish to receive the home education supervision allowance. More information can be found on the Ministry of Education website.
Contact MOE:
The department to contact at the Ministry of Education is the Resourcing Division (if you haven’t received the form, you need a replacement form, or any other query):
Resourcing Division
Ministry of Education
PO Box 1666
Wellington 6140
Phone (04) 463 8383
Email resourcing@education.govt.nz
At a glance …
- Home educators receive a supervisory allowance every six months
- You must complete a form confirming you home educated for the preceding six months in order to receive the allowance
- Forms are sent automatically to home educators by MOE
- You will need to contact MOE to let them know of a change of address or if you haven’t received the form
- The allowance will be “docked” if you travel outside of NZ for more than 28 days
- You must complete the form even if you don’t wish to receive the supervisory allowance
- Failure to complete the form will result in your exemption certificate being revoked
