Eligibility

Age requirement

To be eligible to receive Social Assistance and the Supplementary Allowance, you must be between the ages of 19 and 64.

Financial requirements

To be eligible to receive Social Assistance and the Supplementary Allowance, you must have financial need. This means that you and/or your spouse do not make enough money to meet your basic needs. Basic needs are things like shelter, food, and utilities.

To assess your financial need, the total cost of your basic needs will be calculated as well as your income for the last 31 days. If your total income was less than the cost of your basic needs, you will likely be eligible for Social Assistance.

Income can come from a variety of sources including:

• Employment
• Employment insurance (EI)
• Pension money (CPP/OAS/GIS/CPPD)
• Child support or maintenance
• Financial assistance from other services
• Financial assistance from other locations
• e-transfers, money transfers, gifts or other deposits
• Loans (for example, personal, student or payday loans)
• Grants, bursaries, scholarships
• Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Distribution payment
• Dividends or entitlements from a First Nation
• Assets that can be quickly and easily exchanged for cash

Excluded Income

Some specific sources of income will not impact your eligibility for Social Assistance. These sources of income are called Excluded Income. This includes income from the following sources:

• Canada child benefit
• GST
• Disability tax credit
• Extended family care agreement