How to claim

Before you claim New Zealand Disaster Recovery Allowance (NZ DRA), check who can get it.

You may be asked to prove your identity when claiming this payment.

Prepare to claim online

To claim online, you need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov.

If you already have a Centrelink online account that’s linked to myGov, you can make a claim.

If you don’t have a myGov account, you’ll need to set it up. Learn how to create a myGov account on the myGov website.

If you have a myGov account, you need to link it to your Centrelink online account.

Learn how to link your Centrelink online account to myGov on the myGov website.

Make your claim

Now your accounts are set up, sign in and start your claim.

When claiming you need to make sure the information you give us is true and correct. You must base your claim on your actual circumstances.

If you’re a member of a couple and you both want to claim this payment, you and your partner must make separate claims.

Sign in to myGov

Then follow these steps:

1. Select Apply for Disaster Recovery Allowance and answer the eligibility and claim questions
2. Submit your claim.

Getting help to make a claim

Find more information on how to claim Disaster Recovery Allowance in our Centrelink online account help guide.

You can have someone deal with us on your behalf. This is called a correspondence nominee. They can call the Emergency information line to submit a claim for you. They cannot submit an online claim on your behalf.

If you need help claiming, you can call us on the Emergency information line. If you need an interpreter, let us know and we’ll arrange one for you.

If you want to speak to someone in your language, call our Multilingual Phone Service.

If you’re an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australian, you can also call and speak to our Indigenous call centre for help.

Evidence you need to provide

We will ask you to give us evidence of your loss of income. This can be pay slips or a letter from your employer.

If you’re a farmer, have a small business, or you’re involved in a trust or partnership where you get wages, evidence can also include:

1. profit and loss statements
2. income tax returns
3. other documents that show cash flow, such as a bank statement for your business
4. trust or partnership tax returns that show you have been paid a wage or salary.

We will also ask you to give evidence that you’ve participated in the tax system in Australia for at least one year in the past 3 financial years or will do before 9 January 2027.

Participation in the tax system means you have exceeded the tax free threshold after any deductions or offsets are applied.

Evidence can include notices of assessment, income tax returns, pay slips or a letter from your employer.

If you don’t have evidence you can still submit your claim and then call us on the Emergency information line to discuss your options.

After you claim

We’ll let you know if you’ve successfully submitted your claim.

To track the progress of your claim online:

1. Sign in to myGov
2. Select Payments & claims
3. Select My online claims

Sign in to myGov

You can also use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.

We’ll try to process your claim as quickly as possible. We may call you to ask for more information. We appreciate your patience at this time.

We’ll let you know the outcome of your claim in one of the following ways:

• SMS
• myGov inbox message
• letter.

If you want to discuss the outcome of your claim, you can call us on the Emergency information line.