Rules

✅ What You CAN Use Individualised Funding For: 

IF is designed to support you to live a good life, based on your goals, needs, and choices. You can use the funding for:

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Support Workers

• Hiring people to help with:

• Personal care (e.g., showering, dressing)

• Household tasks (e.g., cleaning, cooking)

• Community participation (e.g., going to appointments, events)

• You can employ people you know (even family, with limits—see below).
  
  

🧾 Support Services

• Paying a provider (like Access or another agency) to deliver services.

• Buying respite services for carers (e.g., short breaks for family).
  
  

📚 Things That Support Your Goals

• Activities that promote independence, wellbeing, or social connection (e.g., gym memberships, art classes, transport to work or activities).

• Purchasing technology or items if they're directly related to your disability support needs (with prior approval sometimes).
  
  

❌ What You CANNOT Use Individualised Funding For:

There are clear restrictions on what IF cannot be used for. This includes:

• Medical care (e.g., prescriptions, GP visits)

• Housing costs (rent, mortgage, power, internet)

• Standard living costs (food, clothing, entertainment)

• Gifts or donations

• Illegal or unsafe activities

• Paying yourself (the person receiving support cannot pay themselves from IF)
  
  

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Can I Pay Family or Whānau?

Yes, in some cases, but there are rules:

• Must be approved as part of your support plan.

• Generally limited to specific family roles (e.g., not your partner/spouse unless there's a clear reason).

• The family member must be genuinely providing disability support, not general parenting or household duties.
  
  

📋 Responsibilities You Take On:

When you use IF, you take on certain roles:

1. Planning Support:

You’ll create a support plan outlining how your funding will be used to meet your disability-related goals.

2. Managing the Budget:

You (or someone you appoint) must:

• Keep track of how the money is spent

• Stay within your funding allocation

• Keep receipts and records for audits
  
  

3. Reporting:

You need to submit regular financial reports to your Host Provider (the organisation that holds the funding and supports you to manage it).

4. Employing Staff (if applicable):

If you directly hire support workers, you become their employer, and must:

• Pay at least the minimum wage

• Meet all employment obligations (tax, leave, health & safety)

• Follow employment law
  
  

Host Providers like Manawanui, MyCare, or Access can help with this:

🔍 Oversight and Accountability

Whaikaha and your Host Provider may audit or review your IF spending to ensure it’s:

• Disability-related

• Within the rules

• Aligned to your agreed support plan
  
  

Misuse of funds can result in having to pay the money back or losing access to IF.

These rules apply to all the below sources

•Carer Support 

•Individualised Funding / I.F. 

•Enhanced Individualised Funding / E.I.F.

•Choice in Community Living or Enabling Good Lives