Income Assistance (IA) is the welfare program in BC. It provides financial support for low income or no income individuals. Whether you qualify or not is based on your income, assets, residency, family status (single/children etc.), and other factors. Also any money you receive from other sources may affect whether you qualify and how much you will receive.

The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has three income assistance programs:

1. Income Assistance (IA)
2. Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers (PPMB)
3. Persons with Disabilities (PWD)

Your eligibility for IA is based on your income, your assets, family status, residency, work history and other factors. If you are currently earning more than the IA benefit rate that applies to your family status, it is unlikely that you will be eligible for IA.

For example: If you are single (between 19-64 years) and your shelter costs are more than $500, the maximum IA benefit rate is $1,060 per month.

For more information, click here.

Once you are approved for IA, how much you will receive depends on your family situation (i.e. whether you are single, married, common law or have children), your age, or whether you're receiving income from another source. The IA benefit includes a portion of money for shelter and a portion of money for support. All recipients of Income Assistance will receive a minimum of $75 towards shelter, even if you do not have shelter costs. Your shelter rate may increase based on your shelter costs (i.e. rent, mortgage, utility costs, etc.), up to the maximum amounts listed below.

For example: If you are a single person between the ages of 19-64, the benefit rate would be $1,060 ($500 shelter portion + $560 support portion).

The table below shows the maximum benefit you might be eligible for based on your family unit.

Classification	Shelter	Support	Maximum Benefit
Single Person: Aged 19-64	$500	$560	$1,060
Single Person: with Confirmed Pregnancy (Prenatal Shelter Supplement)	$500 + 195	$560	$1,255
Single Person: Over 65	$500	$860	$1,360
Couple: Under Age 65	$695	$955	$1,650
Couple: One Under 65 Once Over 65	$695	$1,255	$1,950
Couple: with 1 Child	$790	$1,055	$1,845
Single Parent: with 1 Child	$695	$710	$1,405

For more information, click here.

You can get helped right away if you’re in immediate need and have no other resources to meet that need. For example:

• If you urgently need medical attention
• If you have no food
• If you are about to get evicted or are currently homeless
• If you are fleeing abuse

When you apply for assistance, if one of the above things is occurring, be sure to let the Ministry know.

For more information, click here.

A recipient may be eligible for income assistance when either themselves or an adult in the family unit is enrolled as a full-time student in a funded program of studies under the following circumstances:

• Is participating in funded training as a full-time student through WorkBC Employment Services (WorkBC) or the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ISETS) and,
• The family unit has been in receipt of income assistance, hardship assistance, or disability assistance for at least the 3 preceding calendar months and,
• The length of time an individual is enrolled in the program is not longer than 24 months.

If the individual is enrolled part time in a funded program of studies, they may remain eligible for income assistance if all other eligibility requirements are met. Recipients should notify the ministry of their educational goals, including participation as a part-time student in training programs.

For more information, click here.

You can earn some money while you are on IA, but there are limits to how much income you can earn (referred to as "earned income") without it affecting your assistance. For example, if you are a single person or a couple with no dependents, the earned income limit is $600 per month. If you earn more that your allowable monthly exemption, your IA payment will be reduced by the amount you have gone over.

For example: Your regular IA payment is $1,060 and your earnings exemption is $600. This month you earn $700, so your IA payment will be reduced to $960 ($1,060-$100) as you earned $100 over the $600 monthly earnings limit.

The table below shows the earning exemptions for IA dependent on your family size.

Classification	Monthly Earnings Exemption
Single Person: Aged 19-64	$600
Single Person: with Confirmed Pregnancy	$600
Single Person: Over 65	$600
Couple: Under Age 65	$600
Couple: One Under 65 One Over 65	$600
Couple: with 1 Child	$900
Single parent: with 1 Child	$900

For more information, click here.

Earned income is income that is classified as any of the following:

• Any money received for working
• Pension plan contributions that are refunded due to insufficient contributions
• Money received from providing room and board at your residence
• Money received from renting rooms at your residence

Unearned income is any income that is not earned income. Some types of unearned income include:

• Employment Insurance (EI)
• Any type or class of Canada Pension Plan benefits (i.e. CPP, CPP-D, CPP-E)
• Old Age Security and related benefits (i.e OAS, GIS, allowance)
• War disability pensions, military pensions, and war veterans’ allowances
• Tax refund
• Workers’ compensation benefits and disability payments or pensions
• A trust or inheritance
• Maintenance under a court order, separation agreement, or other agreement
• Education or training allowances, grants, loans, bursaries, or scholarships
• A lottery or a game of chance
• And more...

For more details about income types and exemptions, click here.

Assets are considered assets if they can be converted to cash. That is, if the item has monetary value, then it is considered an asset. Assets can include cash, savings, stocks, bonds, RRSPs and more. When applying or on IA, you are allowed to have certain “assets” that do not affect your assistance, as long as these assets are within your allowable asset limits. If the value of these assets exceed your allowable limits, then IA applicants are required to use their assets for personal independence.

For more information, click here.

The Ministry places a maximum value amount of assets you can have when applying or while on IA. A single employable person is allowed to have up to $5,000 in assets. If the dollar amount exceeds $5,000, the person may not be eligible for assistance.

The table below shows the asset level one is allowed to have depending on their family unit.

Classification	Asset Level
Single Person: Aged 19-64	$5,000
Single Person: with Confirmed Pregnancy	$5,000
Single Person: Over 65	$5,000
Couple: Under Age 65	$10,000
Couple: One Under 65 One Over 65	$10,000
Couple: with 1 Child	$10,000
Single parent: with 1 Child	$10,000

For more information, click here.

Some assets are considered exempt for determining eligibility for IA. Below you will find some of the most commonly asked about exempt assets.

• Clothing and necessary household equipment
• One vehicle for everyday transportation needs
• A family unit’s place of residence (*you must live in the home for it to be exempt)
• Tax refund
• Canada Child Benefit
• BC Early Childhood Tax Benefit
• Goods and services tax credit; harmonized sales tax credit; a sales tax credit the Income Tax Act (Canada)
• The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement
• The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Class Action Settlement
• Abuse at Woodlands School
• Money paid or payable from a fund from the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry
• Funds held in a registered education savings plan (RESP) a dependent child
• Money received from the sale of, the family unit’s previous place of residence if the money is either:
  • Applied to the amount owing on the family unit’s current place of residence
  • Used to pay rent for the family unit’s current place of residence
• And more...

For a full list of exempt assets, click here.

If you are enter into a "marriage-like relationship" as defined by the Ministry, your partner may be added onto your Income Assistance file and your benefits may change to reflect that your partner is now considered part of the family unit. Your partner's income and assets would then start contributing to your monthly earning exemption and asset limit, and may affect your ongoing eligibility for Income Assistance.

The Ministry defines a marriage-like relationship as one where two people live together for 12 consecutive months, are financial dependent or interdependent, and show social dependence as well.

Example: Kristin is on Income Assistance and has been living with her boyfriend Adam for 1 year. Adam works a part-time job and is not on Income Assistance. Kristin and Adam share a one-bedroom suite, pay rent and bills together, and enjoy spending time together. Kristin informs the Ministry that she and Adam are in a marriage-like relationship. The Ministry updates her file to show that her family status has changed, and she begins receiving the benefit amount for a couple on IA. Adam's monthly income contributes to their annual earning exemption, which is now shared between the two of them.

For more information, click here.

There are two additional benefits you may be eligible for if you become pregnant while on IA:

1. Natal supplements - is an additional $80 per month (or $160 if you are carrying more than one baby) which may be provided to recipients of income assistance with a dependent child under the age of twelve months. This is to help with extra costs with prenatal and postnatal expenses. The eligibility period will end when the child turns 12 months old.ﾠ
2. Prenatal shelter supplement - is an additional $195 per month which may be provided to pregnant recipients with no spouse and no dependent children. This supplement is to assist in finding housing that will accommodate the new addition to your family. The eligibility period ends 8 months upon confirmed pregnancy.

To apply for these benefits you will need to provide the Ministry with verification from your doctor of your pregnancy and confirmation that you require natal supplements.

Note: Be aware that if you have employable status you will still be required to look for work and attend your work program while pregnant.

Once the baby is born, your family status will change and your benefit should increase.

For example:

• Single person with confirmed pregnancyﾠcould receive up to $1,255 per month
• Single persons with one child could receive up to $1,405 per month

Note: Once the baby is born, if you are a single parent, you will no longer be expected to look for work until your child turns 3 years of age. However, if you have a spouse or common-law partner, they will still be expected to be looking for work.

There are multiple benefits for children on Ministry assistance such as:

• Camp fee supplement: is for families wanting their child to attend summer camp. These funds are limited, so you may want to contact the Ministry early. The amount the family may be eligible for is limited to the actual cost of the camp fee up to a maximum of $200 per child.
• Winter supplement is issued for the month of December based on size of the family unit to help with the holiday costs. The amount for recipients with children is $120 plus $20 for each child.
• School start-up supplement: is issued for the month of August to help with costs associated with going back to school. The amounts vary depending on the age of your children. The amount is $120 for children ages 5-11 and $210 for children over the age of 12.
• Sole-recipient with disabled child: if you are a single parent that cannot leave the home to work more than 30 hours a week because you need to provide extensive care to your child with disability, you may be exempt from entering an employment plan under this category.

For an existing IA recipient, normally when a child turns 19 years old, if they are still attending secondary school, they may remain on the parent or guardian's file.

If they are not attending secondary school, they must apply for IA on their own to create a file for themselves as adults. Generally, when a dependent turns 19 years old,ﾠthey should be automatically removed from your file but to be certain you avoid an overpayment, you may also want to let the Ministry know that your child needs to be taken off your file.

For new IA applicants, if their child is 19 years old, they are not included in the family unit, regardless of whether they are attending secondary school or not.

For more information, click here.

Your child should automatically be removed from your file once they turn 19 years old. However if this doesn't happen, call the Ministry and they will remove your child from your file to avoid any overpayments.

Also, let the Ministry know if your child no longer resides with you, as they will remove your child from your file and it will impact the benefits you receive.

As of August 01, 2024, income earned by a dependent child is not considered income and is exempt, regardless of their schooling status.

For more information, click here.

The IA program is applicable to BC only. You may not be eligible to receive benefits if you are out of BC for more than 30 consecutive day unless you get specific approval from the Ministry.

Some examples include:

• Needing medical treatment
• Requiring to participate in a formal education program
• Avoiding undue hardship

For more information, click here.

Recipients of IA and their families should be able to access Ministry of Health medical coverage through the Medical Services Plan (MSP). Prescription coverage is available through PharmaCare. In addition, depending on your circumstances, you may also get other expenses covered.

For a full list of other health supplements and benefits, click here.

Medical Services Only (MSO) can be provided to former recipients of Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers (PPMB) or Persons with Disabilities (PWD) to allow them to keep medical benefits and health supplements due to income in excess. MSO occurs either when a PPMB/PWD recipient becomes ineligible for assistance due to income in excess or when they turns 65 years old.

Due to Income In-Excess
If you become ineligible for assistance due to income in excess, your file may turn into an MSO file for as long as eligibility criteria and income test are met.

Turning 65
If you become ineligible for assistance due to being over the age of 65, your file may turn into a MSO file for as long as you qualify for a federal benefit.

For more information, click here.

The Ministry has available diet supplements for people requiring a special diet under these categories:

Condition	Maximum Amount
Restricted Sodium Diet	$15 per month
Kidney Dialysis	$50 per month
Diabetes	$60 per month
Gluten-Free Diet or Dysphagia	$65 per month
High Protein Diet	$65 per month
Ketogenic	$65 per month
Low Phenylalanine	$65 per month
Cystic Fibrosis	$80 per month

To receive a supplement you will require a written confirmation from a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner or registered dietitian of the condition and diet that you require, and how long you need it.

Note: The MSDPR can ask you to renew the request every 12 or 24 months, and they will only pay for one diet supplement at a time, so you may want to apply for the highest diet allowance you think you are eligible for.

For more information, click here.

The Ministry may offer a monthly supplement of $95 to help with the maintenance of a guide dog team, service dog team and/or retired guide or service dog team.

For more information, click here.

If you meet specific eligibility criteria, crisis supplements may be provided. Different types of crisis supplements have different guidelines. The Ministry can issue up to the maximum amount of crisis supplement in accordance to what is set in legislation if you are an income assistance, hardship assistance or disability assistance recipient and you meet the eligibility criteria.

Regardless of the type of crisis supplement, the eligibility requirements are the same:

• It is an unexpected expense or the item is needed unexpectedly,
• The absence of this would result in danger to physical health or risk of child apprehension, and
• There is no other available resource to meet the need.

For more information, click here.

The 3 main types of crisis supplements that the Ministry can issue are for food, shelter and clothing:

• Shelter Crisis Supplement: The Ministry may be able to give a supplement up to the maximum combined shelter and support rates, and possibly the following:
  • Shared Parenting Assistance
  • Pre-Natal Shelter Supplement
  • CIC Temp Absence Assistance
  • Deceased Adjustment Supplement
• Clothing Crisis Supplement: The Ministry may give up to $110 per person per year (maximum $440 for a family unit of four or more). For example if you were doing laundry at a laundromat and your clothes were stolen.
• Food Crisis Supplement: The Ministry may give up to $50 per person per month. For example if there is a power outage and all the food in a fridge is spoiled and needs to be replaced.

Types of Crisis Supplement	Maximum Amount
Food	Up to $50 per person per month
Clothing	$110 per person per year (Maximum $440/year per family unit of 4 or more)
Shelter	Actual cost or up to the maximum combined shelter and support rates, plus, Shared Parenting Assistance Pre-Natal Shelter Supplementﾠ CIC Temp Absence Assistance Deceased Adjustment Supplement

For more information, click here.

People who are deemed eligible for IA may be able to get some General and Health Supplements. Some of these supplements are:

General: BC Bus Pass Program (age restricted - over 60) Christmas Supplement Family Bonus Supplement Funeral Costs And more..

Health: Dental Supplement Extended Medical Therapies Hearing Aids Supplement Orthotics and Bracing And more...

For a complete list of supplements available to IA recipients, click here.

When we are on Ministry benefits such as Income Assistance, we must seek out and accept any and all forms of income we may be eligible for. This means that failure to pursue a source of income that we are eligible for could result in sanctions or discontinuation of benefits.

For these reasons, it is recommended to exhaust EI prior to applying for Income Assistance. If the amount we receive for EI is less than what could be payable to us on Income Assistance, we may still apply for Income Assistance and receive a "top up".

For more information on sanctions, click here.

A monthly report is where an Income Assistance recipient must declare any income received, changes to circumstances or family status, and whether they are still in need of assistance. It must be submitted by the 5^th day of each month for the following month’s benefits to be received.

Monthly reporting requirements can be found here.

The Monthly Report form can be found here.

The Ministry may be able to help secure housing by providing security and/or pet damage deposits to recipients of Income Assistance through their Security Deposits Supplement. These security deposits can only be issued if the tenancy is covered by the Residential Tenancy Act and cannot exceed more than half the month’s rent. The following criteria must be met when requesting a security deposit from the Ministry:

• The deposit is necessary to secure a rental unit
• The recipient agrees to repay the deposit in writing
• The deposit doesn’t exceed half a month’s rent
• An “Intent to Rent” form must be completed

You can find more information on this supplement here.

Applicants can apply for income assistance using the My Self Serve online application.

If you are unable to complete the application process online, you can call 1-866-866-0800 or go into the Ministry office for assistance. If you live in a smaller community that doesn't have a dedicated Ministry office, you may get help from a Service BC office.

Note: Clients who have been previously on assistance within the last 6 months may be eligible to apply through the Streamlined Application process.

For more information, click here.

It can be possible for an applicant under the age of 19 to be eligible for Income Assistance, but only if the following criteria are met:

• The applicant does not live with their parent(s), and/or
• The applicant does not receive support from their parent(s)

It's important to note that the Ministry of Children and Family Development will likely be involved with the application as well.

For more information on underage applicants, click here.

If you have been a recipient of income assistance or disability assistance within the last 6 months, you may be eligible to re-apply for assistance through the streamlined application process. To do so you may complete a Monthly Report, rather than do the full application over again, at the ministry’s discretion.

For more information, click here.

Most applications for IA are done online now through the My Self Serve (MySS). To do so you will need to set up a MySS account if you do not already have one and you will need an email account to set up your account.

Click here to create or login to your MySS account and check out the video below on how to set up and use your MySS account.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jdAu-BiEmtU

If you are already receiving income or disability assistance, the MySS will allow you to access your information online, view personal messages from the ministry, submit your monthly report, and upload documents.

If you are unable to complete the application process online, you can call 1-866-866-0800, go into the Ministry office for assistance or go to a Service BC office if you live in a smaller community.

In order to complete the IA application, you will need to provide details about your current situation, income and assets.

Be ready to give information, such as:

• ID for you and your family
• Your Social Insurance Number (SIN)
• How much you pay for rent and utilities
• A bank profile and statements for the last 60 days
• If you are awaiting any other source of income (i.e. CPP, EI, WCB, etc.)
• If you have any outstanding warrants
• If a family member sponsored you into Canada
• And more...

The IA application is set up as an online application and so you will need to get access to a computer from a friend, your local library or at your nearest community services office. If you are having difficulty completing the application on your own, contact your local advocacy office to make an appointment for help.

To visit PovNet to find a local advocacy office in your area, click here.

If you don't have an address or pay any shelter costs, you can still apply. However, you will only receive the minimum shelter rate of $75 in addition to the support portion of the benefit.

For example: A single person would only receive $635 ($560 for support, $75 for shelter). Once the recipient has shelter costs, they could receive up to $375 for their shelter portion.

Note: You may want to let the Ministry know if you are homeless and currently in need of food, shelter or medication.

Once you submit your online application through the MySS, a Ministry worker should contact you within 5 business days. If you’re in immediate need, you should be contacted by the Ministry within 1 business days.

If you don't hear from them in these time frames, call the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction at 1-866-866-0800 to follow up.

If you live on reserve in British Columbia and need to apply for IA, you can:

• Contact your band social development worker or
• Call Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada at 604-775-5100 or 1-800-567-9604 (toll free).

In our experience, Income Assistance applications on average take anywhere from 1-5 weeks to determine eligibility. Knowing how to fill out the application properly can help with reducing the time it takes. It also depends on the time it takes you to collect requested documents.

If you’re denied the first time you apply for Income Assistance, you may either re-apply or appeal the Ministry's decision. If you choose the appeal the decision, it is important to remember is that you have 20 business days from the date that you are informed of your denial to submit your appeal package. You will need to contact the Ministry and let them know that you:

1. Disagree with their decision, and
2. Are asking for a "Request for Reconsideration" package (appeal package)

For more information on reconsideration, click here.

It can be possible, but it's important to note that it will effect our benefit.

When receiving Income Assistance, we are allowed to have a certain amount of non-exempt assets, which will depend on the size of our family unit. A single person on Income Assistance has a $5,000 asset limit.

Additionally, an inheritance while receiving Income Assistance is considered "unearned" with "no exemption", meaning that the amount we receive will be deducted dollar for dollar from our following cheque (down to $0, effecting only one month).

This means that if we receive an inheritance that puts us over the $5,000 asset limit, we would become ineligible for the benefit altogether.

You can view rates on our rate chart here.