Stairlifts Grants

Stairlifts Grants in New Zealand

Few people know that you can get grants to help you with (and often cover) the cost of a stairlift. We understand that applying for a grant can be stressful, which is why we’ve laid out some information about the funding that could be available to you, to help you work out your options.

One thing you should bear in mind is that most grants need to be approved before you start work.

If you want more information about the grants that may be available to you, you should contact your local authority, doctor or occupational therapist, but we’ve laid out some basic information below. It might be exactly what you’re looking for.

For general advice about stairlift costs, view our guide to stairlift prices.

Ministry of Health funding for modifications to your home

The Ministry of Health can help fund modifications to your home, including the cost and installation of a stairlift. However, the funding will depend on your disability-related needs and situation.

Ministry of Health funding:

  • Can be up to a maximum of $15,334 (including GST)
  • Is available for modifications to get into, out of and between levels of your home, including installing a stair lift.
  • The Ministry of Health has a limited amount of funding available for housing modifications to support disabled people so they use a prioritisation tool to make sure their funding is used as fairly as possible.
  • If the total cost of the modifications to your home is more than $8,076 (including GST), you will have to have an income and cash asset test to work out whether you need to pay any of the cost yourself. The total cost includes the cost of any other modifications that the Ministry of Health has already funded for you since you turned 16 years of age.
Note:

If you have already paid for any modifications to your home yourself, generally you cannot claim back the cost from the Ministry of Health so always contact them before you carry out any work. As well as this, as a general rule, you can only get Ministry of Health funding once for a particular type of modifications.

Cost contribution

The Ministry of Health will generally pay you a contribution towards the cost of some modifications to your home related to your disability needs if the modifications cost more than $1,000 (excluding GST) and at least one of the following situations applies:

  • You are building a new home to meet your disability related needs.
  • You are carrying out more or different modifications to your home than the Ministry of Health’s housing assessor recommends.
  • The builder who is carrying out your modifications does not have a contract with the Ministry of Health’s housing modifications funding manager Accessable or Enable New Zealand.
  • The cost of access modifications into or between levels of your home (for example, a ramp or platform lift) is more than the Ministry of Health’s funding limit (more than $15,334 including GST).

You must manage the building process and pay for the modifications yourself first. The Ministry of Health will pay their contribution to the cost after the modifications have been completed and you have paid for them.

If you think you qualify for this funding, or want to find out more, contact a Ministry of Health Equipment and Modification Service (EMS) qualified housing assessor to help you work out if a stairlift best suits your needs. You can also talk to your doctor or occupational therapist to see which is the best option to suit you. They can help you work out the most cost-effective option for your needs and if you can get funding help from the Ministry of Health.