NZ Super After Death

The death of a partner who was receiving NZ Superannuation triggers changes that most surviving spouses don't know about until they receive a letter from Work and Income — sometimes weeks or months later. Knowing what happens and when can prevent overpayments, underpayments, and months of confusing correspondence.

Notify Work and Income Immediately

The first step is to contact Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) as soon as possible after the death. Call 0800 552 002 and tell them that the person receiving NZ Super has died.

You'll need the deceased's IRD number and some basic details about the date of death. WINZ will:

• Stop the deceased's NZ Super payments
• Assess whether a 28-day continuation applies to the surviving spouse
• Update the surviving spouse's payment rate

Don't delay this call. NZ Super is paid in advance, and payments may continue automatically even after the death. Any overpayments — amounts paid to the deceased after their death — are recoverable by WINZ, and recovering them from the estate can cause complications.

What Happens to the Deceased's Payments

NZ Super stops on the date of death. If a payment covers a period that extends past the date of death, the portion covering the days after death is technically an overpayment and must be repaid to WINZ.

In practice, WINZ calculates the overpaid amount and notifies the estate. This typically comes out of the estate funds — the executor or administrator handles it. If the surviving spouse received joint payments, the overpayment calculation can be more complex.

The 28-Day Continuation

This is the provision most surviving spouses don't know about — and it's worth several hundred dollars if you claim it.

When a couple was receiving NZ Super together (married or de facto), the surviving partner can receive the couple rate for 28 days after the partner's death, even though they're now living alone. This is called the 28-day continuation.

The reason it exists: the couple rate is higher than the single rate, and there's a recognition that the surviving partner needs time to adjust financially before the reduced single rate kicks in.

You must request the 28-day continuation. It is not automatically applied. When you contact WINZ to notify them of the death, explicitly ask for the 28-day continuation to be applied to your payments.

The Rate Change: Couple to Single

After the 28-day continuation period ends (or from the date of death if no continuation is requested), the surviving spouse's NZ Super transitions from the couple rate to the Single Living Alone rate.

The 2026 Single Living Alone rate is $1,110.30 per fortnight (after tax, at the M tax code).

Compare this to the couple rate, where each partner receives roughly $866 per fortnight — so as a couple the total was around $1,732 per fortnight. The surviving spouse's single rate is $1,110.30 — meaningfully less than half the combined couple payment.

This rate difference is one of the more significant financial impacts of a partner's death in retirement. The single rate covers one person's living costs in a context where fixed costs (rent or mortgage, power, insurance, rates) don't decrease proportionally with the household.

The Two Single Rates

There are two single rates of NZ Super:

• Single Living Alone: $1,110.30 per fortnight — for people living by themselves
• Single Sharing: a lower rate — for people living with others and sharing costs

After a partner's death, the surviving spouse qualifies for the Single Living Alone rate unless they move in with family or others and are genuinely sharing costs. If you later move in with an adult child, for example, you would move to the Single Sharing rate.

Notify WINZ if your living situation changes.

Receiving NZ Super and ACC Simultaneously

If the death was accidental and ACC is paying weekly compensation to the surviving spouse, an important rule applies.

A surviving spouse can receive both NZ Super and ACC weekly compensation for up to 24 months from the date of the accident. This is one of the few situations where two income support payments stack without full abatement.

After 24 months, ACC weekly compensation is reduced by the amount of NZ Super received — effectively the two are offset and the combined amount doesn't increase further.

This stacking period is valuable. If ACC is paying 60% of the deceased's earnings as weekly compensation, and the surviving spouse is also receiving NZ Super, total income in the first 24 months can be significantly higher than either payment alone.

Don't assume you have to choose between ACC and NZ Super — you don't, for the first two years.

If the Surviving Spouse Wasn't Yet Receiving NZ Super

NZ Super is available from age 65. If the surviving spouse is 65 or over but wasn't receiving NZ Super yet (perhaps because they were still working or hadn't yet applied), the death of their partner is a prompt to apply.

Apply at winz.govt.nz or call 0800 552 002. Applications are processed from the date of application — there's no backdating for delays in applying. Don't wait.

If the Surviving Spouse Is Under 65

NZ Super is age-specific — it doesn't transfer to a younger surviving spouse. If the deceased was 65+ and receiving NZ Super, and the surviving partner is under 65, the surviving partner does not receive NZ Super.

The surviving partner may be entitled to other Work and Income benefits depending on their circumstances — Sole Parent Support if they have dependent children, Jobseeker Support if they're not working, or Supported Living Payment if they have a health condition or disability. Contact WINZ to assess what applies.

The Surviving Spouse Payment

Work and Income also offers a short-term Surviving Spouse payment (sometimes called the Widow's payment, though it applies to any gender) — a one-time or short-term payment in the immediate aftermath of a death.

This is separate from NZ Super. It's available regardless of whether the surviving spouse was receiving NZ Super, and it's designed to cover the gap in the first weeks after a death when bills don't stop arriving. Contact WINZ when you notify them of the death and ask specifically whether you qualify.

Practical Steps After the Death

1. Call WINZ (0800 552 002) — notify of death, ask for 28-day continuation to be applied
2. Confirm your new payment rate — ask when and at what rate your payments will continue
3. Check if ACC applies — if the death was accidental, notify ACC (0800 101 996) and apply for survivor benefits
4. Review KiwiSaver — check if the deceased had a balance and start the claim process
5. Understand the estate — whether you need probate or can use statutory declarations for financial assets

The full scope of what a surviving spouse in New Zealand can claim — from WINZ, ACC, KiwiSaver, and the estate — is detailed in the NZ Survivor Benefits guide. It's designed specifically for this situation: a lot of different systems, each with their own timelines and requirements, all needing to be navigated at the same time.

Summary of NZ Super Rate Changes

Rates are 2026 figures and adjusted annually on 1 April.

See more New Zealand guides →