Issue 45 – June 2026

New Mileage Rate

The new mileage rates have been updated and these are available here, and also via your local BRC Coordinators.

2025 - 2026

There has been an increase for the mileage allowances for travel to and from Benefits Review Committees. The reimbursement rate, which is based on the standard IRD rate, has increased from 01 April 2026.

$1.20 per km - Petrol

$1.30 per km - Diesel

$0.90 per km - Petrol Hybrid

$1.22 per km - Electric

This rate is in line with the Inland Revenue Kilometre rates for 2025-2026

More information around this is detailed under the Payment section of the Benefit Review Committee Panel Members Additional Information Pack.

Changes to the Committee Fee Members Payslips

From the 02 July 2026, enhancements have been made and will show on the Committee Fee Members Payslips.

A sample of how the payslips will now look with an explanation beside each page is attached below:

This enhancement will be updated in our payroll system effective from 02 July 2026. Which is for the pay period 15 July 2026.

Please see the below bullet points to assist explaining the new layout of the Community Representative Payslip:

• Payslips will now have 2 pages with the second page showing the actual date of the meeting
• Any meeting claims that are dated prior to the Go Live date of 02/07/2026 will not display with dates, (these will be blank)
• Any previous payslips have been rewritten by this enhancement with a page 2, (but these will not display dates)
• Community Representatives should keep Invoices up to date as much as possible for the previous pay of the 01 July 2026, (this will stop them having blank dates display for retro payments)

Policy changes and updates

Changes to Work & Income Products and Services can be located under the What’s New page on our Website:

https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/map/index.html

This is a useful place to look also for earlier changes.

Recent Changes:

02/06/2026 - Advance Payment of Benefit - dental treatment

26/05/2026 - Counting previous obligations failures

06/05/2026 - Initial stand-down periods

15/04/2026 - Care and protection concerns for a child or young person

13/04/2026 - Introduction of 12-month prescriptions

Ministerial Directions that have been updated, effective from 1 April 2026:

• Advance Payments of Instalments of Benefit
• Approval criteria for specified early childhood education programmes for purposes of social obligations under the Social Security Act 2018
• Debt Recovery
• Special Benefit

Welfare programmes that have been updated, effective from 1 April 2026:

• Away from Home Allowance Programme
• Emergency Housing Grants Programme
• Employment and Work Readiness Assistance Programme
• Family Start and Early Start (Childcare Assistance) Programme
• Flexi-wage Employment Assistance Programme
• Guaranteed Childcare Assistance Payment Programme
• Home Help Programme
• New Employment Transition Grant Programme
• Recoverable Assistance Programme
• Seasonal Work Assistance Programme
• Special Needs Grants Programme
• Special Transfer Allowance Programme 2000
• Training Incentive Allowance Programme

For changes prior to April 2026 please follow the link above.