Benefits for low-income seniors
Do you qualify for
The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)?
The GIS is intended to supplement the Old Age Security pension. It is for low-income seniors living in Canada. Whether you are eligible depends on:
- Your age (you must be 65 or over),
- Your marital status (if you are married or living in a common-law relationship, we consider your combined income in our calculations), and
- Your annual income (combined with that of your spouse/common-law partner, if you have one), which must be under the maximum specified for the year. Your OAS pension is not considered income in the calculation of your GIS benefit.
If you qualify for the GIS, the amount you receive will depend on your marital status and your income, not counting your OAS pension. The chart below shows the maximum monthly payments for the period of January to March 2006. The amounts may rise over time to keep up with inflation. It is important to note that only clients with no other source of income can expect to receive the maximum amount. The average benefit payment is lower, because most people have some other source of income as well.
Note: If you and your spouse or common-law partner are living apart for reasons beyond your control (for example, if one of you has to live in a hospital or nursing home), you can each be considered as a single person if that gives you a higher monthly payment.
| GIS |
Maximum monthly benefit (January 2006) |
Maximum income* (January 2006) |
|---|---|---|
| Single person | $593.97 | $14,256 |
| Couple receiving only one OAS pension | $593.97 | $34,368 |
| Couple receiving two OAS pensions | $389.67 | $18,720 |
| Couple receiving one OAS pension and one Allowance benefit |
$389.67 | $34,368 |
* You cannot receive the GIS if you earn more than the maximum income shown above. Do not include your OAS pension as income when applying for GIS benefits.
The Allowance?
You can apply for the Allowance if you meet the following conditions:
- You are between 60 and 64 years of age,
- You have a low income,
- You have lived in Canada for at least 10 years since the age of 18, and
- Your spouse/common-law partner is entitled to receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
The Allowance for the survivor?
You can apply for the Allowance for the survivor if you meet the following conditions:
- You are between 60 and 64 years of age,
- You have a low income,
- You have lived in Canada for at least 10 years since the age of 18, and
- Your spouse/common-law partner has died and you have not remarried or started another common-law relationship.
Residence requirements
To qualify for either of the Allowance benefits, you must be a Canadian citizen or legal resident (if you are living outside the country, you must have been a Canadian citizen or legal resident when you last lived in Canada). If you have not lived in Canada for at least 10 years since you turned 18, but have lived or worked in a country that has a social security agreement with Canada, you may still qualify. Call us for more information.
| Maximum benefit amount (January 2006) |
|
|---|---|
| Allowance | $874.30 |
| Allowance for the survivor | $967.24 |