If ACC has accepted cover for your injury, it can fund the aids and equipment you need to manage everyday tasks — wheelchairs, walking frames, crutches, specialised chairs and more. You don't buy the equipment yourself and send ACC the bill. It's supplied to you on loan through ACC's national contracted supplier, and it stays ACC's property.
Two practical points most people don't know:
- Enable New Zealand is ACC's equipment supplier nationwide, under a service called Managed Rehabilitation Equipment Services (MRES). Freephone 0800 362 253.
- Items under $100 sit outside that system, and you can buy those yourself and ask ACC to reimburse you. That's the one place a retailer like us fits into the ACC picture.
What ACC can fund
ACC's own list of aids and equipment includes:
- Wheelchairs, walking frames and crutches
- Specialised chairs and furniture
- Hearing aids and batteries
- Braille equipment or glasses
- Voice recognition software
- Artificial limbs
The test is whether the equipment is needed because of the covered injury. Equipment for a condition ACC doesn't cover goes through Equipment and Modification Services instead — the two systems are separate and you can't use both for the same need.
What ACC won't fund through MRES
- Individual items under $100 excluding GST and freight (see below — these can be reimbursed instead)
- General household items unrelated to injury rehabilitation, such as cookware and standard appliances
- Medical consumables, orthotics and prosthetics, which have their own pathways
- Fixed items like through-floor lifts, which go through the Housing Modification Service
- Equipment that is properly the responsibility of Health NZ or Disability Support Services
Standard recliner chairs and beds that aren't made by a specialist rehabilitation manufacturer sit in a grey zone: they aren't banned, but they trigger an exception review and need ACC sign-off before anything is dispatched.
How to apply
You can apply any time after ACC has accepted cover. There are five routes, and any of them works:
- Ask your doctor to send ACC a letter of recommendation
- Contact ACC's claims team
- Complete an ACC001 Request for assistance form
- Talk to your recovery team
- Apply through MyACC
ACC may ask you to attend an assessment, usually with an occupational therapist or physiotherapist — ACC pays for it. Once the assessment report is in, ACC will tell you within 21 days what equipment you can have. Basic equipment is typically delivered in three to five days; more complex items take two to three weeks.
Just out of hospital? The hospital provides your equipment for up to six weeks after discharge. If you still need it after that, talk to ACC before the six weeks runs out.
Can I buy equipment myself and claim it back?
Under $100 — yes. Individual items costing less than $100 excluding GST and freight can't be ordered through MRES at all. ACC's guidelines say clients and caregivers can request reimbursement by sending the receipt with an ACC001 form. Getting prior approval from your recovery team first is sensible if you want certainty. That covers a lot of genuinely useful things: crutch tips, grab rails, reachers, dressing aids, bath boards, basic cushions.
Over $100 — no. There's no provision for buying a wheelchair or similar from a retailer and being reimbursed. It has to come through the contracted service, and hiring directly from an equipment supplier isn't permitted either. If you buy first, you're very likely buying it yourself.
One exception worth knowing: if you paid for something while waiting to hear whether your injury would be covered, ask your recovery team about a refund.
Loan, recall, and who owns it
ACC owns the equipment. It's loaned to you, and most items carry a recall date — Enable will contact you to arrange collection when it's due, and ACC pays the collection cost. Purchase is preferred over hire, so hire is used mainly for short periods (under about two months), high-value items, or as a stopgap while something else is on order. Equipment trials generally run up to 20 working days, extendable on request.
Enable or Accessable for ACC?
For equipment, it's Enable New Zealand, everywhere in the country — Accessable does not supply ACC equipment. Accessable's ACC role is housing modifications in Auckland and Northland only. This trips people up, because for non-ACC equipment the two providers split the country geographically.
Where Mobility Plus fits in
We're honest about this: we are not an ACC contracted equipment supplier — Enable holds that contract nationally. What we can do:
- Supply the under-$100 items you can buy and claim back — we'll provide a proper GST receipt to attach to your ACC001.
- Provide quotes for occupational therapists, case managers and clients, itemised the way funders expect.
- Sell privately where ACC declines, where you'd rather not wait, or where you want a better chair than the funded option and are happy to pay the difference.
- Hire — our wheelchair, walker and lift chair hire covers gaps while an ACC request is being processed.
Call 022 022 9956 or email info@mobilityplus.co.nz.
ACC mobility equipment FAQs
Does ACC pay for a wheelchair in New Zealand?
Yes, where the need results from an injury ACC has accepted cover for. Wheelchairs are on ACC's published list of aids and equipment. They're supplied on loan through ACC's contracted national supplier rather than bought by you, and the wheelchair remains ACC's property.
Who supplies ACC equipment in New Zealand?
Enable New Zealand, nationwide, under the Managed Rehabilitation Equipment Services contract. Enable manages the purchase, supply, recall and refurbishment of rehabilitation equipment on ACC's behalf. Accessable does not supply ACC equipment — its ACC role is housing modifications in Auckland and Northland only.
Can I buy mobility equipment myself and get ACC to pay me back?
Only for items under $100 excluding GST and freight, which fall outside the managed equipment service. Send the receipt with an ACC001 Request for assistance form, and get prior approval from your recovery team if you want certainty. For anything above that threshold, equipment must be supplied through the contracted service — there's no reimbursement route for buying a wheelchair from a retailer.
How long does ACC take to approve equipment?
ACC will tell you within 21 days of receiving an assessment report. After approval, basic equipment usually arrives within three to five days and more complex items in two to three weeks.
Do I get to keep equipment ACC provides?
No. ACC owns the equipment and lends it to you. Most items have a recall date, and Enable will contact you to arrange collection when you no longer need it. ACC pays the cost of collection.
Can I get a lift chair through ACC?
Possibly, but it isn't straightforward. ACC's public list includes "specialised chairs or furniture", so there is a pathway. However, standard recliner chairs that aren't made by a specialist rehabilitation manufacturer meet ACC's exception criteria, which means an individual approval decision before anything is supplied. Talk to your recovery team or assessor before assuming either way.
What's the difference between ACC funding and Enable funding?
ACC funds equipment needed because of an accepted injury claim. Equipment and Modification Services, delivered by Enable and Accessable and funded by Disability Support Services, covers long-term disability needs not related to an ACC injury. You can't use EMS for a need ACC covers. Confusingly, Enable is the delivery organisation for both — but the funding, criteria and processes are entirely separate.
This page summarises publicly available ACC information as at August 2026 and is general information, not advice about your claim. Funding decisions rest with ACC. Contact ACC or your recovery team for the current position on your situation.
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Need a quote or a receipt for an ACC claim? Contact our NZ team. You may also want our WINZ funding page or Enable and EMS funding page.