Eligibility Requirements – Shelter Allowance Program
You may be eligible for the shelter allowance program if one of the following situations applies to you:
- You live alone and are 50 or older.
- You have a spouse and one of you is 50 or older.
- You are part of a low-income family with at least one dependent child.
Note that if you or your spouse lived in Québec on December 31, you must have filed your Québec income tax return to receive the shelter allowance.
Are you eligible for the shelter allowance?
When we calculate the amount of your allowance, we consider your family situation and your income for 2021. See the table below to find out if you are eligible.
| Family situation | Maximum eligible annual income |
|---|---|
| Individual aged 50 or over | $20,800 |
| Childless couple in which at least one of the partners is aged 50 or over | $29,400 |
| Couple with one child | $36,000 |
| Single-parent family with one or two children | $36,000 |
| Couple with two or more children | $41,600 |
| Single-parent family with three or more children | $41,600 |
For the purposes of the shelter allowance, your family income is your 2021 net income (line 275 of your income tax return) plus your spouse's net income (if applicable).
Child support payments affect your net income if you received more than $500 per month per child in 2021. To adjust your net income, add the part that exceeds $500 per child to your net income for each month.
In addition, if you made support payments for one or more children in 2021, you must deduct the payments from your net income.
You are not eligible for the shelter allowance program if:
- You live in a low-rental housing unit (HLM) or a government-funded health and social services centre.
- You receive a rent supplement.
- The total value of your (and your spouse's, if applicable) tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) and unregistered accounts exceeded $50,000 on December 31, 2021.