My Little Rant

The criteria for student allowance is fucked.

I have been financially independant for a year and my parents live in Qatar. The do not support me financially but their income is STILL tested. They don't pay any tax over there so dads income alone puts me over the limit. WARGARBLE!

Your stupid parents need to learn a thing or two about money laundering.

But yes it is a very stupid system. But I guess it is better than having to provide the government access to any bank account you hold so that they can see all the deposits you get that aren't taxed income... and then your parents having to explain any cash withdrawals they made and you having to provide a list of all your assets and how you managed to afford them.

Moral of the story: Don't go to university. MacDonalds (generic unskilled job) is a great career and you get paid from day one. In the 3-4 years you are studying you get a $30,000 student loan. You also lose the $30,000 or so you can earn at Mc'D's per year. That's $240,000 you've lost in the four years you were studying. So you can spend the next 10 years paying off the loan (essentially losing $100 per week from what ever you earn) and you'll find that in a graduate position you'll be earn between $30k and $50k anyway. A lot of companies aren't giving promotions or pay rises easily at the moment. So you probably won't be earning any more than the unskilled job until you've been out in the workforce for 5 years or so. This means you have just wasted 8 years of your life before you get some pay parity. Its a massive scam to defraud the young people.


The worst off are teachers. They get paid the same as a lot of non-degree jobs, even though they have degrees.

Student allowance system is hugely flawed. Nobody should get one.

Working whilst studying for me has actually allowed me to save enough money this year that offsets my course costs, so I'm in a better position than most. And it has sorta given me some work skills as well alowing me to buildup a decent CV.

frup wrote:Moral of the story: Don't go to university.

I'm not going because I want to be rich. I'm going because it's the only way to get the job I want.

superarmy wrote:Working whilst studying for me has actually allowed me to save enough money this year that offsets my course costs, so I'm in a better position than most. And it has sorta given me some work skills as well alowing me to buildup a decent CV.

Unfortunatly, with my work ethic I have to give myself a head start with my learning. If the university isn't next door, I will not go. If I have to work during the weekend or evenings, I will not study. I know this, it's just finding a way around it that's hard.

My post was largely tongue and cheek.

I think for a lot of people these days the key to succeeding at university is to get rid of their internet connections. Aye 5o1?

frup wrote:My post was largely tongue and cheek.

I think for a lot of people these days the key to succeeding at university is to get rid of their internet connections. Aye 5o1?

Tongue IN cheek.
And yeah I already know that. This is my second attempt at university. I was addicted to the file sharing network.

ChelseaT wrote:

superarmy wrote:Working whilst studying for me has actually allowed me to save enough money this year that offsets my course costs, so I'm in a better position than most. And it has sorta given me some work skills as well alowing me to buildup a decent CV.

Unfortunatly, with my work ethic I have to give myself a head start with my learning. If the university isn't next door, I will not go. If I have to work during the weekend or evenings, I will not study. I know this, it's just finding a way around it that's hard.

It took me an entire semester to work out the balance, it's an acquired skill. And then with extra expendable income I spent a collosal amount on games...... I need to add it up, it's gotta be close to $2,000, which didn't exaclty help balance my work load, I think I have it sorted now.

frup wrote:My post was largely tongue and cheek.

I think for a lot of people these days the key to succeeding at university is to get rid of their internet connections. Aye 5o1?

I need to block the Chan's, every single one..... Biggest time waster ever.

I went back to uni when I was 24, was independent of my paretns same thing happened to me. It does blow goats. What irks me more are those whos parents run a business and they just cook the books so it looks like they havent earned enough to stop a student allowance for their kids.

Working and studying is a tough one. I worked my balls of during my first degree and got very average marks, didnt work as much last year, studied alot more ( cause I enjoyed the subject matter much more) and got kick arse marks but eventually the moeny won over and now I sell cancer .

when I was at uni (yes, some time ago), all you had to do was provide proof that you were living independntly from your parents - I think the proof was a letter from your parents confirming it

ya can still do that donkey.... just you have to get ya parents to pretty much disown you and I think it gives them abit more power to look into your accounts to make sure ya arent screwing it off

Okay developments. The form for student allowance asks to declare my parents 'taxable income' both in NZ and overseas, it then goes on to ask for proof of nil income. So, can I then say that they have zero taxable income because they don't pay tax? Which would then mean I qualify for an allowance? Would I get away with it?

Nil income and nil taxable income are so very different.

This is the form if you could help me understand what they're asking, that would be great because the call centre staff are about as helpful as HIV.

ChelseaT wrote:Okay developments. The form for student allowance asks to declare my parents 'taxable income' both in NZ and overseas, it then goes on to ask for proof of nil income. So, can I then say that they have zero taxable income because they don't pay tax? Which would then mean I qualify for an allowance? Would I get away with it?

Nil income and nil taxable income are so very different.

This is the form if you could help me understand what they're asking, that would be great because the call centre staff are about as helpful as HIV.

Chelsea - are your parents still resident of NZ for tax purposes? Do they still have a home here? If they are not NZ residents for tax you might get the allowance easier

No they're not. They're residents of Qatar. They sold the house and have no monetary ties to New Zealand. They're also not allowed to visit New Zealand for more than 30-something days at a time, else they have to start paying tax again.

Might have to send some angry emails to someone higher up than the useless call centre staff to get a finite answer on this one.

ChelseaT wrote:No they're not. They're residents of Qatar. They sold the house and have no monetary ties to New Zealand. They're also not allowed to visit New Zealand for more than 30-something days at a time, else they have to start paying tax again.

Might have to send some angry emails to someone higher up than the useless call centre staff to get a finite answer on this one.

cool - so long as they have something that says they aren't tax residents of NZ then you should be sweet

As your parents are not resident of NZ, I would simply get them to identify the rules for you. Where it requests information relating to their income, I would put something in about not knowing as they are:
1) not resident of NZ
2) not reisdent of NZ for tax purposes
3) independent from them, so unable to provide other details of their income

Okay well, I've phoned again and this time the guy admitted he had no idea so asked his supervisor and he said that the income is still considered. The form is just misleading. The question that asks to prove nil income saved their butts because I couldn't prove they had no income. Dang it.

ChelseaT wrote:Okay well, I've phoned again and this time the guy admitted he had no idea so asked his supervisor and he said that the income is still considered. The form is just misleading. The question that asks to prove nil income saved their butts because I couldn't prove they had no income. Dang it.

okay - not over yet

get your parents NZ IRD numbers- they should be closed or whatever. Anyway, get a statement of income for the year using those numbers, and see what happens

I would also ask the people about how you are meant to prove this when you don't even live together.

If they look into your accounts will they see money from you parents to you?

Donkeycheese wrote:
okay - not over yet

get your parents NZ IRD numbers- they should be closed or whatever. Anyway, get a statement of income for the year using those numbers, and see what happens

I would also ask the people about how you are meant to prove this when you don't even live together.

If they look into your accounts will they see money from you parents to you?

Having a relationship with them (ie talking to them) means that I should be able to prove it.

Yes they will see money coming from them. This coincides with my birthday and christmas dates though (not sure if that matters).

I cannae be bothered jumping through all the hoops for the damn allowance to be honest. And you have to re-do it every semester too.

ChelseaT wrote:

Donkeycheese wrote:
okay - not over yet

get your parents NZ IRD numbers- they should be closed or whatever. Anyway, get a statement of income for the year using those numbers, and see what happens

I would also ask the people about how you are meant to prove this when you don't even live together.

If they look into your accounts will they see money from you parents to you?

Having a relationship with them (ie talking to them) means that I should be able to prove it.

Yes they will see money coming from them. This coincides with my birthday and christmas dates though (not sure if that matters).

I cannae be bothered jumping through all the hoops for the damn allowance to be honest. And you have to re-do it every semester too.

the money coming in for ya bday will be all they need to say that you are still supported by them. and therefore they will reject your claim.

Unfortunatly thats the way it has been for years.