Prescription charges

In Aotearoa New Zealand, unless you're under 14 years of age or 65 years and over, most people have to pay $5 for each medicine prescribed.

The $5 prescription charge is set by the government and is the contribution you make towards the cost of your medicine. The prescription charge is:

• collected by community pharmacies on behalf of the government
• also sometimes called a prescription co-payment
• only collected if the medicine written on your prescription is subsidised or partially subsidised by the government
• not collected for repeat supplies of fully or partially subsidised medicines on the same prescription, eg, you won't pay the $5 prescription charge for medicines you collect as refills on the second or third months after the first dispensing.

Below is a summary of the prescription charges from 1 July 2024 for a subsidised medicine according to which age group you're in. Additional charges will apply for partially subsidised medicines or medicines that are not subsidised. 

Under 14 years of age or have a Community Services Card (CSC) or Prescription Subsidy Card (PSC)

If you're under 14 years of age, or you and your whānau have a CSC or PSC, all subsidised medicines on a prescription are free. It doesn’t matter who prescribed your medicines, there are no costs to you unless the medicines are only partially subsidised or not subsidised by the government.

Read more about applying for a Community Services Card(external link) and Prescription Subsidy Cards.

65 years of age or over

If you're 65 years of age or over, all subsidised medicines on a prescription are free unless they're prescribed by a private specialist or dentist in a private practice. See the table below for the cost of these medicines as it depends on whether or not you have a High Use Health Card (HUHC).

A High Use Health Card (HUHC) is a card that your doctor can apply for if you have a long-term condition that requires frequent visits to your enrolled medical practice. You need to have visited a health practitioner at your medical practice 12 or more times in 1 year. Unlike the Community Services Card, the HUHC doesn't depend on your income. The card needs to be reapplied for every year.

Read more about the High Use Health Card(external link).

14 to 64 years of age

If you're 14 to 64 years of age, EACH of your subsidised medicines on a prescription will cost $5.

If your prescription is from a private specialist or a dentist in a private practice, you'll pay more for your medicine. See the table below for the cost of these medicines as it depends on whether or not you have a High Use Health Card (HUHC). 

Cost of EACH subsidised medicines on a prescription written by a specialist 

Example: For a 16 year old who has been prescribed 3 medicines on a prescription written by their dentist in a private practice: If all 3 medicines are fully subsidised by the government and they have no health subsidy cards, the cost of the prescription will be $10 for each medicine, a total of $30.

Non–residents and visitors 

Non–residents and visitors to Aotearoa New Zealand pay for their medicines in full unless they are from the United Kingdom or Australia. Read more about who is eligible for publicly funded medicines below. 

The cost you pay for prescriptions depends on a number of factors, including:

• your immigration status (whether you're a resident or non-resident of Aotearoa New Zealand or Australia)
• your age
• if you have any health subsidy cards, eg, a Community Services Card
• if the medicine is fully subsidised, partially subsidised, or not subsidised by the government
• the prescriber, eg, if they're a GP or nurse practitioner, public hospital specialist, private specialist or dentist in a private practice.

Medicine subsidies

Medicines in Aotearoa New Zealand have different levels of subsidy, or funding.  A subsidy is the amount funded (paid for) by the government.

There are 3 levels of funding:

• fully subsidised
• partially subsidised
• not subsidised.

A government agency called PHARMAC(external link) decides which medicines are subsidised and by how much. These medicines are listed in the Pharmaceutical schedule.(external link)

Fully subsidised medicines

Medicines that are fully subsidised (funded) still require you to pay a prescription charge (also known as a prescription co-payment) unless you:

• are under 14 years of age
• are 65 years of age or over 
• have a Community Services Card or a Prescription Subsidy Card.

Partially subsidised medicines

These medicines are only partially subsidised or funded by the government. This means you need to pay for the prescription charge and part of the medicine, the government subsidises the rest.

The amount you pay depends on:

• how much the medicine costs
• how much the government pays
• how much you've been prescribed.

Unsubsidised medicines

Some medicines aren't subsidised at all by the government so you'll need to pay the full cost. It doesn’t make any difference who prescribes the medicine.

How much you pay depends on how much the medicine costs plus any dispensing fee and mark up charged by the pharmacy. The final price can vary, so it's best to check with the pharmacy first. Make sure you tell the pharmacy the exact name and strength of the medicine and how much you need.

Unsubsidised medicines also include medicines that are bought over-the-counter (OTC) without a prescription.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, if you're a citizen or permanent resident, or hold a work permit for more than 2 years in a row, you're eligible for funded prescription medicines.

Visitors or non-residents are not eligible for funded medicines unless they are:

• an Australian citizen
• a citizen of the United Kingdom
• a permanent resident of Australia who has lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for 2 years or more or needs immediate treatment.

Read more about health agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom(external link).

A special authority is where a prescriber applies for a funding subsidy for a particular person for a certain medicine.

• Some medicines need to be approved by Pharmac (the government medicine funding agency) before they can be funded for you.
• Pharmac does this to make sure medicines get to those who would benefit most from treatment.
• This is often for high-cost or high-risk medicines, or medicines which only work for specific illnesses.
• There are criteria for each medicine. The criteria may include trying a less expensive medication first.
• If you meet the criteria, your prescriber will apply to Pharmac for a special authority.

If the application is approved Pharmac gives a special authority number. Some special authority numbers last for your lifetime. Others are given for a set time and may be renewed once it's been checked that you still meet the criteria.

A Prescription Subsidy Card (PSC) reduces costs for families/whānau and people who are prescribed a lot of medicines. It's also sometimes called an 'exemption card'.

If you and your immediate whānau have a PSC you won't have to pay the $5 prescription charge for each medicine until the card expires on 31st of January.

Who can get a Prescription Subsidy Card?

You and your immediate whānau are eligible for the subsidy once you've paid for 20 subsidised or partially subsidised prescription medicines between 1 February to 31 January each year. 

• To reach a total of 20 medicines, you can include prescription medicines for your partner and dependent children from 14 to 18 years of age.
• Any medicines that are free or not subsidised don't count towards the total.

Where can I get a Prescription Subsidy Card?

You can get this card through your pharmacy. Your pharmacy will keep count of the number of medicines that contribute towards the card.

If you tell your pharmacy the name of your partner and dependent family/whānau members, the pharmacy can add in the medicines paid for by them and create a combined total.  

Pharmacy systems are not all linked, so pharmacies don't always know what you, your partner and dependent family/whānau get from another pharmacy. If you all visit different pharmacies, keep all the receipts. Show them to 1 pharmacy, so they can keep a record of your total prescription count in their system. 

Read more about the Prescription subsidy scheme(external link).

The Community Services Card (CSC) is based on your family/whānau's income. If any family/whānau member's income before tax (gross) is below the amount set by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, you can get a CSC. You can get this card through Work and Income NZ (WINZ) or the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Read more about applying for a CSC(external link).

Having a CSC will make all subsidised medicines free no matter who prescribes the medicine. It may also lower the cost of GP visits but this depends on the GP practice.

The SuperGold Card(external link) is for New Zealand residents 65 years of age or over, or people who qualify for New Zealand superannuation or a veteran’s pension. 

If you have a SuperGold card, there's no prescription charge for a subsidised medicine unless the prescription is written by a private specialist or dentist in a private practice. Use the prescription charges calculator to find out how much EACH medicine on your prescription will cost you.

If you're also eligible for a Community Services Card (CSC), you will get a 'combo' card which shows your CSC status on the back of your SuperGold card. Having a CSC will make all subsidised medicines free no matter who prescribes the medicine.

Prescription charges from specialists differ depending on whether the prescription is written by a specialist in a public hospital (free) or a privately funded hospital or practice. This is because private healthcare providers don’t receive funding or subsidies for providing health services. 

Fully subsidised medicines are free when prescribed from any specialist in a public hospital if any of the below apply to you:

• you're 65 years of age or over
• you're under 14 years of age
• you or your immediate whānau have a Community Services Card
• you or your immediate whānau have a Prescription Subsidy Card.

The cost for EACH subsidised medicine prescribed to you by a private specialist or dentist in a private practice is:

• $10 for children 14 to 17 years of age
• $15 for an adult 18 years of age or over.

The exception to these charges are: 

• if the medicine is an oral contraceptive then the cost is $5
• if you have a High Use Health Card(external link) these costs are reduced to $5 for EACH medicine.