In many emergency contexts, aid agencies hesitate to provide aid for extended periods because of fears that doing so may create ‘dependency’. These concerns can influence decisions about levels of assistance, and what type of assistance people receive, where and when. Relief should not be withheld without solid evidence that the needs which prompted it in the first place have been met. This paper argues for caution about how the label ‘dependency’ is applied, and how it is used to justify reductions in relief.