What the DPB will pay under Labour

Labour’s baby bribe doesn’t just apply to those working and earning $148,000 a year, but also to those not in work.

One thing that interested me is how much money would someone on the DPB Sole Earner Benefit receive under Labour with their new policy. This excludes childcare subsidies or the like, and is just direct welfare payments. For someone in Auckland and with 1 or 2 children it would be:

• DPB $295
• Accom Supplement $160 (1) or $225 (2)
• Family Tax Credit $98 (1) or $166 (2)
• Baby Bribe $60

That is a total of $613 a week in the hand if they have one child aged under 3 and $746 in the hand for two children under three.

If you gross that up to an equivalent pre-tax wage, that is around $37,500 if you have one child and $45,700 if you have two children on the DPB.

The Greens would go further. They want the IETC for working parents paid to those on the DPB also. That would increase the equivalent gross salary to $41,000 for being on the DPB and having one child, if you are receiving the maximum accommodation supplement in Auckland.