Do I Have To Pay For My Partner's Care? - Ask Susan

Saturday, 14 June 2025, 3:15 pm
Article: RNZ

Send your questions to susan.edmunds@rnz.co.nz

If one person in a de facto relationship needs permanent medical care, does the Government require the other partner to pay for the care once the unwell patient's funds run out?

The basic answer to your question is that when your partner is being assessed for their ability to pay for their care, your income and assets will usually be taken into account.

If you're referring to medical care in a rest home setting, your assets and personal income affect whether your partner will qualify for a residential care subsidy.

"People who need residential care are required to pay for it themselves, if they can afford to do so. If they cannot afford it, they may be eligible for a residential care subsidy, which Health New Zealand pays directly to the care provider," said Ministry of Social Development group general manager for client service delivery Graham Allpress.

"MSD's role is to check whether people qualify for this subsidy by performing a 'financial means assessment'.

"To get the subsidy, a person's income and assets must be under a certain amount. If they are in a relationship, the combined income and assets of both parties must be under a certain amount."

People can qualify for the subsidy if they are 50 to 64, single and without dependent children, or over 65 and meet the income and means test. That means, even if your partner's funds have run out, your assets could still be taken into account.

If only one partner needs care, the couple combined need to have assets of no more than $155,873 not including the family home and car, or $284,636 if you do want the home and car in the assessment.

If it's other types of care that you're thinking of, it could be a good idea to contact Health NZ for a needs assessment.

There are options such as the supported living payment but eligibility for this is assessed on a household income basis, too.

I'm currently a NZ tax resident living in NZ, but previously lived in Australia (over a decade ago) and purchased shares on the ASX that I continue to own and receive dividends for (which I declare as part of my income). If I sold these shares now, worth about $150,000, what taxes would they be subject to? Specifically, would I have to pay a capital gains tax on the increased share value (as I would if I were an Australian tax resident).

This is probably a question for an accountant with expertise in Australian tax.

Based on information available online, it seems that you potentially should have paid tax on the shares in Australia when you stopped being an Australian resident.

Assuming that didn't happen, the Australian Tax Office is likely to be expecting capital gains tax to be paid on them when they are sold.

You aren't likely to have any New Zealand tax obligations.

Tax experts tell me that the authorities have access to a lot of data these days so it's possible that the Australian Tax Office will find out about any share sale and might get in touch with you.

I am 78 years of age and still work part time and also still contribute to my KiwiSaver. Am I eligible for the government contribution?

Sorry, no. While the government said it was going to start making contributions to 16 and 17-year-olds' accounts, it hasn't budged on the upper limit of 65.

© Scoop Media

RNZ

New Zealand's public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.

Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.

Contact RNZ

• Website - www.radionz.co.nz
• Twitter - @rnz_news
• Facebook
• Link - Contact RNZ