Confirming Your Circumstances Review NZ: What UCB Caregivers Need to Know

What the CYC Review Is

The Confirming Your Circumstances (CYC) review is a mandatory periodic check that Work and Income uses to verify that beneficiaries still meet the conditions of their payment. Under the Social Security (Modernisation) Amendment Act 2026 and the Social Security (Mandatory Reviews) Amendment Act 2025, caregivers receiving Unsupported Child's Benefit and Orphan's Benefit were formally brought into the CYC review framework from 1 July 2026.

In practical terms, this means Work and Income will periodically send you review documentation asking you to confirm that:

• The child still lives with you and you remain the primary caregiver
• Your residential address is current
• The child's school or early childhood enrolment has not changed
• The child's income or financial circumstances have not changed
• The reasons for the original family breakdown have not materially changed

What Happens If You Do Not Respond

If you fail to return the CYC review documentation within the specified deadline, Work and Income can suspend your payments. The suspension continues until you complete the review. This is not a punitive measure — it is an administrative hold — but the effect on your household cash flow is the same.

Do not ignore CYC review letters. They are not optional, and they do not go away.

Changes You Must Report Immediately

Outside the CYC cycle, you have an ongoing obligation to report material changes in circumstances as they happen. The main triggers:

Changes in the care arrangement. If the child's care or support arrangement changes — including time with a natural parent, changes to shared care, or a move to another caregiver's home — you must notify Work and Income immediately. Payments generally stop from the start of the next pay period; Work and Income may continue them for up to 28 days after care ends.

A parent returning. If one or both natural parents resume the ability to care for and financially support the child, the basis for UCB (family breakdown) may no longer be met. This does not necessarily mean the benefit stops immediately — Work and Income assesses the situation — but you must report it.

A child leaving your care. If the child is placed into Oranga Tamariki state care, returns to a parent, moves to another relative, or begins living independently, notify Work and Income straight away. Continuing to receive benefit payments after care has ended creates an overpayment that MSD will recover.

Address or school changes. Any change in where you live or where the child is enrolled in school or early childhood education must be reported.

Overseas travel. If you take the child overseas for more than 28 days, payments stop from the 29th day unless you have prior approval from Work and Income. Notify them before you travel.

How to Prepare for a CYC Review

The review itself is straightforward if your records are current. Before your review date:

• Confirm the child's school enrolment is current and unchanged (or report the change if they have moved schools)
• Check that your address and bank details on file with Work and Income match your current situation
• If the child receives any income — trust distributions, overseas payments, part-time employment — have the details ready
• If the family situation has changed in any way since your last review, prepare a brief written summary explaining what changed and when

Keeping an ongoing log of your care arrangements, school changes, and any contact with the child's parents makes CYC reviews faster and less stressful. You are not being re-assessed from scratch — you are confirming that nothing has changed, or explaining what has.

Staying Ahead of the Process

The Unsupported Child's Benefit and Orphan's Benefit guide includes a change-of-circumstances checklist and a CYC review preparation template — so you can keep your records current throughout the year and respond to review requests quickly when they arrive.

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