The Ministry of Social Development reviews all claims for a Rest Home Subsidy. You are eligible if you meet the following criteria: your assets are below the allowable threshold; your income is below the allowable amount; and you have not deprived yourself of assets for example transferred a property to a trust. Currently the threshold for a single person living alone is a maximum of $230,495.00 in cash or assets. If you have a spouse or partner who is also in care your combined assets cannot be more than $230,495.00.
If your spouse or partner is not in care the combined assets can be either of $124,224.00 excluding the home and car; or $230,495.00 including the home and car. If the home is the main place of residence for your spouse or partner or there is a dependent child living there then the home and car are exempt.
Gifting of $6,500.00 per couple per year is allowed in the five years before going into care and $27,000.00 per year per couple outside of that time frame. Anything over those limits is considered as excess gifting and can be overturned by the Ministry.