Checking benefits, entitlements and tax

Have you ever wondered if it is true that the bath water goes down the plughole anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern? And does that mean it goes straight down at the equator? If I asked you all to check it out and explain it, how would you go about that? Would you ask an expert? Google it? Conduct an experiment? Pass on dimly remembered stories as pure scientific fact? Well the same thing happens every day when clients ask if it is true that they are entitled to $200 per year in food grants from Work and Income. Are they? Or is there more to it than that? Clients often operate on a basis of word of mouth and dimly remembered fact. But that is not an option for a Financial Mentor. Our advice has to be right, otherwise we may do more harm than good for the client. We must know the whole answer and we must be able to prove it. That means we need to use the skills of others and the reference material available to us. The trick to answering those questions is knowing where to look or who to ask.

Learning objectives

In this course you will:

• Identify Work and Income benefits and allowances
• Understand abatements
• Identify other types of Work and Income assistance
• Liaise with Work and Income personnel
• Identify common Inland Revenue allowances and deductions
• Understand the effects of Inland Revenue tax rules on clients
• Liaise with Inland Revenue personnel

 

Whakataukī

Hāpaitia te ara tika pūmau ai te rangatiratanga mō ngā uri whakatipu Foster the pathway of knowledge to strength, independence and growth for future generations.