An Australian citizen says she and her partner have been given New Zealand's cost of living payment, despite having returned home after less than a year here.

PM Jacinda Ardern has confirmed some people overseas will get the boost, but the cost of trying to recover payments would outstrip the benefits.

Kelly McGuire told Heather du Plessis-Allan her payment was a surprise.

She says her partner earned more than $70,000 during their time in New Zealand.

“We didn’t even know about the cost of living payment policy until we received the emails on the weekend to say that we were going to get the money.”

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