Work and Income's $3000 payments to clients who move to another city for work have been taken up by over 1700 people in Christchurch.

A Work and Income incentive scheme which gives $3000 to job seekers who move to another city for work has been expanded to cover another 500 people.

The 3K to Work scheme provides an incentive payment to support "high-risk" clients who relocate to take up full-time work.

It was originally introduced for Christchurch in July 2014, with more than 1700 Work and Income clients receiving payments for relocating.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley said it made sense to expand the scheme to cover the entire country after its success in Christchurch.

Tolley said more than 90 per cent of those who took part in the scheme in Christchurch stayed off a benefit for longer than three months, with more than half employed in the construction sector and a third 24 years old or younger.

She said officials were monitoring fraudulent use of the scheme "very tightly", with cases of potential fraud making up about three per cent of overall payments.

"Work and Income keep track of these people: they might incur a debt and that debt remains with them so if they do come back onto a benefit, they have to repay that debt.

"Where it's clear fraud, prosecutions have taken place."

An additional $1.5 million of funding would allow another 500 job seekers to receive payments over the next year, although the budget could increase based on demand.

Tolley said the scheme was unlikely to have a significant effect on unemployment, although "every little bit helps".

The discretionary grant is focussed on clients who are between 18 and 24 years old, who have been on a main benefit for more than six months, or who "are experiencing social factors where relocation would be beneficial", such as gang affiliates or victims of family violence.

Limited Service Volunteer boot camp graduates and those who are in a work-focused case management scheme are also eligible.