Canada's federal and provincial governments have several benefit programs to provide financial aid to eligible citizens. The Alberta Seniors Benefit is sponsored and funded by the Government of Alberta to eligible, low-income earning seniors to help supplement the federal benefits they receive like the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), the Old Age Security (OAS), or the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
If you just turned 65 years, you can receive your Alberta Seniors Benefit payments retroactively for up to 11 months until the Alberta Seniors Benefit gets your completed application.
If your income is higher than the given threshold, you will not be eligible for the benefit. However, ensure that you file your income tax returns yearly to keep receiving the benefit payments.
The federal government has provided a ton of benefit programs to seniors, such as the Old Age Security (OAS), the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), as well as other federal financial assistance programs.
The Provincial Government of Alberta also makes provisions for several financial assistance programs for seniors in Alberta, such as:
- The Alberta Seniors Benefit
- The Special Needs Assistance for Seniors
- The Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program
- The Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program
- The Dental and Optical Assistance for Seniors Program
- The Coverage for Seniors Program
These programs are aimed at supplementing these federal financial assistance programs.
The Alberta Seniors Benefit is one of the senior financial assistance programs in Alberta aimed at providing income support to eligible individuals aged 65 years or older or seniors and every year, a large number of seniors living in Alberta apply to receive the benefit.
What Is The Alberta Seniors Benefit?
The Alberta Seniors Benefit is a financial assistance program sponsored by the Provincial Government of Alberta and designed to provide non-taxable monthly income support to eligible Alberta seniors to help them offset the costs of living necessities.
The program's financial provision is aimed at supplementing the income of low-income or moderate-income earning seniors living in their own homes in Alberta.
The Alberta Seniors Benefit also provides the Supplementary Accommodation Benefit to seniors living in long-term home care facilities, or in any approved supportive care charging monthly accommodation fees.
Alberta Seniors Benefit: Payment Dates For 2023
Each benefit year for the Alberta Seniors Benefit runs from July 1 of each year and ends on June 30 of the next year.
If you are eligible to receive the Alberta Seniors Benefit in 2023 you will receive your payment on the following dates:
| Benefit Month | Payment date |
| January | January 25, 2023 |
| February | February 22, 2023 |
| March | March 27, 2023 |
| April | April 24, 2023 |
| May | May 25, 2023 |
| June | June 26, 2023 |
| July | July 25, 2023 |
| August | August 25, 2023 |
| September | September 25, 2023 |
| October | October 25, 2023 |
| November | November 24, 2023 |
| December | December 18, 2023 |
Alberta Seniors Benefit Eligibility Requirements
To start receiving the Alberta Seniors Benefit, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must be at least 65 years old.
- You must have been a resident of Alberta for at least three months before applying for the program.
- You must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
- You must be qualified for and receive the Old Age Security (OAS) pension from the federal government of Canada.
- You must be financially eligible.
If you are a new resident of Alberta, you may be eligible to start receiving your Alberta Seniors Benefit payments on:
- the month you turned 65 years.
- the first month of you becoming a permanent resident of Alberta.
Income Eligibility
The Alberta Seniors Benefit is an income-tested program meaning that the higher your income, the lower the benefit amount you receive, and the lower your income, the higher the Alberta Seniors Benefit amount you may receive.
The Alberta Seniors Benefit has specific income guidelines and thresholds that determine your eligibility for the program.
If You Are A Single Senior
To qualify for the Alberta Seniors Benefit, your annual income should not be more than $29,630.
If You Are Married Or Have A Common-Law Partner
The combined incomes of you and your spouse or partner should not be more than $48,120.
However, these income thresholds apply to seniors who also receive the full Old Age Security (OAS) pension.
Furthermore, if you or your spouse or partner delay or defer receiving your Old Age (OAS) pension, you will not be eligible for the financial assistance for seniors programs.
Alberta Seniors Benefit uses your previous year's income to determine your eligibility for each benefit year. However, there is an income exception for first-time recipients.
If you are receiving the Alberta Seniors Benefit for the first time, an estimated income is used to determine how much you may be eligible to receive for the benefit year.
At the end of the benefit year, the estimated income amount is then compared to the actual income reported in your income tax returns to the CRA.
If the estimated income amount was too high, the unpaid benefits will be paid out retroactively to you but if the estimated income was too low and you received benefit payments you were not eligible for, you will have to pay back the overpaid amount.
Alberta Seniors Benefit: How Much Can You Receive?
The Alberta Seniors Benefit payment amount you may be eligible to receive is dependent on:
- Your income.
- The combined incomes of you and your spouse or partner.
- If you are a recipient of the federal Old Age Security (OAS) pension.
- If you have been a resident of Canada for 10 years.
- The type of residence you live in.
- Your marital status.
Based on these factors, the maximum Alberta Seniors Benefit amount you may be eligible to receive if you're single is as follows:
| Type of accommodation unit | Maximum annual benefit amount received if non-deductible income is $0 | Phase-out rate (if non-deductible income is greater than $0) |
| Homeowner, renter, lodge resident | $3,431 | $0.154 per $1 of income greater than $0 |
| Long-term residential care facility or designated supportive living family | $11,771 | N/A |
| Other accommodation or residence types | $2,390 | $0.108 per $1 of income greater than $0 |
If you're married or have a common law partner, the amount you may be eligible to receive as well as the phase-out rate is as follows:
| Type of accommodation unit | Maximum annual benefit amount received if non-deductible income is $0 | Phase-out rate (if non-deductible income is greater than $0) |
| Homeowner, renter, lodge resident | $5,146 | $0.155 per $1 of income greater than $0 |
| Long-term residential care facility or designated supportive living family | $15,202 | N/A |
| Other accommodation or residence types | $4,779 | $0.144 per $1 of income greater than $0 |
The phase-out rate shows a gradual decrease in the benefit amount received by an individual when their income is over the threshold.
How To Apply For The Alberta Seniors Benefit
To apply for the Alberta Seniors Benefit, you must first familiarize yourself with the program by reading the Seniors Financial Assistance information booklet.
You can complete your application package online, or by downloading and printing the Seniors Financial Assistance application form.
If you have not filed your income tax return for the previous year, you can complete the Income Information form. You may also need to apply for direct deposit if you haven't already.
If needed, you must include your date of birth validation for yourself and your spouse or partner as well as a photocopy of one of the following documents:
- Canadian birth certificate
- A valid Canada-issued driver's license
- A valid Alberta ID card
- Your passport
- Canada Entry Documents (where applicable)
- Canadian Citizenship Document
- Both sides of your permanent residence card.
After completing your application, you can submit it together with the supporting documents online or by mailing it to:
- Alberta Seniors and Housing, Seniors Financial Assistance, P.O Box 3100, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4W3.
You can also send it by fax to 780-422-5954.
After submitting your application package, Alberta Seniors and Housing will review your application and send you a letter informing you of your eligibility status for the Alberta Seniors Benefit.
For any additional inquiries or help completing your application, contact the Alberta Supports Center toll-free at 1-877-644-9992.
Your Alberta Seniors Benefit payments stop after the month you leave Alberta to reside permanently in another province or country or the next month after a recipient's death. Hence, you must update the government on your current situation so as not to receive any benefits you may have to pay back.
Alberta Seniors Benefit payments will be made to you retroactively for up to 11 months before the Alberta Seniors Benefit receives your application package.
However, these retroactive payments will not be paid to you before you have resided permanently in Alberta for three months or before your 65th birthday.
Supplementary Accommodation Benefit
The Supplementary Accommodation Benefit provides financial assistance to eligible seniors and Alberta Seniors Benefit recipients who live in a long-term residential care facility or designated supportive living arrangement with monthly accommodation fee charges.
The Supplementary Accommodation Benefit is aimed at helping seniors offset the costs of the monthly accommodation fee charges and is issued together with the Alberta Seniors Benefit every month.
The amount you may be eligible to receive is dependent on:
- the combination of your income (found on Line 15000 of your income tax return for the previous year) with your spouse's or partner's income.
- the Alberta Health-approved maximum monthly accommodation fee charge in designated supportive living and long-term care.
- the monthly minimum disposable income of $322.
If you are a low-income earner living in designated supportive living and long-term care facilities and are not eligible for the federal Old Age Security (OAS) pension, you may be eligible to receive the Supplementary Accommodation Benefit.
How Your Alberta Seniors Benefit Is Calculated
For every benefit year, the Alberta Seniors Benefit uses your income from the previous year to determine how much Alberta Seniors Benefit you are entitled to for the year.
Your total income found on Line 15000 of your income tax return or the combined incomes of you and your spouse or partner is used to calculate your benefit amount.
Your eligibility or non-deductible income is determined by making the following deductions from your total income:
- Old Age Security (OAS) pension (found on Line 11300)
- Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) income (found on Line 12500)
- Social Assistance payments (found on Line 14500)
- Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) allowance and other federal supplements (found on Line 14600)
- Registered Pension Plan deduction (found on Line 20700) registered
- Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) deduction (found on Line 20800)
- Employment Income and other employment expenses (found on Line 10100 and Line 22900)
- Canada Pension Plan death benefit payment (T4 slip must be given)
- Heroes' Compensation Act lump-sum payment.
After all these deductions are made from your total income, the remaining amount is used to determine your non-deductible income and your eligibility. If your non-deductible income falls within the given thresholds or limits, you may be eligible to receive the Alberta Seniors Benefit.
The minimum non-deductible income threshold is $0.
If your non-deductible income is determined to be $0, you will receive the maximum Alberta Seniors Benefit payment amount based on your type of residence or marital status.
However, if your non-deductible income is greater than $0, the maximum Alberta Seniors Benefit payment amount you may be entitled to be decreased by a phase-out rate for every dollar of your non-deductible income.
Other Seniors Financial Assistance Benefits In Alberta
Aside from the Alberta Seniors Benefit and the Supplementary Accommodation Benefit, the Seniors Financial Assistance Program in Alberta provides other assistance programs to seniors in Alberta.
Dental And Optical Assistance For Seniors Programs
This is a two-in-one program made up of the Dental Assistance for Seniors Program and the Optical Assistance for Seniors Program.
The Dental Assistance for Seniors Program offers coverage for basic dental services such as dental examinations, fillings, removals, and dentures to eligible seniors.
The Optical Assistance for Seniors Program provides coverage to seniors for the costs of prescription eyeglasses. Eye examinations are covered under the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) once every year.
Your income as found in your income tax returns submitted to the CRA determines your eligibility to receive the Dental and Optical Assistance for Seniors Program.
The income thresholds as well as the benefit amounts you may be eligible to receive are given as follows:
| Total Family Annual Income for Single Senior | Total Family Annual Income for Senior Couple | Dental Benefit Amount | Optical Benefit Amount |
| $0 to $29,630 | $0 to $59,260 | 100% of the maximum benefit amount | Up to $230 |
| $29,631 to $31,675 | $59,261 to $63,350 | 10% to 99% of the maximum benefit amount (Partial coverage) | Up to $115 |
| Greater than $31,675 | Greater than $63,350 | Not eligible | Not eligible |
The percentages of the benefit amount are all contained in the Dental Assistance for Seniors Program Schedule of Procedures and Fees.
Special Needs Assistance For Seniors Program
The Special Needs Assistance for Seniors Program helps low-income earning seniors cover the costs of appliances as well as other health and personal benefits. The program provides financial assistance as a lump sum payment to eligible seniors.
The maximum benefit amount you may be eligible to receive per year is $5,105.
The eligibility criteria are the same as that of the Alberta Seniors Benefit. Also, your income or combined incomes of you and your spouse or partner and the expenses or items required are the determinants of how much you may be eligible to receive.
The program also has income guidelines and thresholds that must be met to be eligible to receive the benefit payments. The income thresholds are:
| Total Income Per Year for Single Senior | Total Income Per Year for a Senior Couple | Level of Funding |
| $25,230 or less | $39,920 or less | Primary and Secondary items |
| $25,231 to $29,630 | $39,921 to $48,120 | Primary items only |
| Over $29,630 | Over $48,120 | No funding |
The benefits or items you may be eligible to receive are classified into three categories:
- Health supports
- Personal supports
- Appliances or furniture.
Depending on your income, you could be eligible to receive either primary or secondary items.
For health support, the items that may be covered include:
- Supplies for diabetic patients
- Nutritional beverages
- Podiatry
- Prescription costs coverage
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine and other supplies.
For personal support, you may receive any of the following:
- Bed bug treatment
- Clothing
- Home cleanup
- Medical trips transportation coverage
- Utility bills
- Medication administration fees
- Housekeeping and yard maintenance coverage
- Respite care
- Coverage for relocation of washer and dryer
- Personal response service monitoring fee
- Wigs
- Celiac groceries
For appliances, only one appliance or furniture is funded for a single senior or senior couple for each benefit year, depending on your eligibility for either a primary or secondary item.
Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program
The Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program provides low-interest home equity loans to eligible senior homeowners who want to defer all or part of their property taxes.
The Alberta government takes on the responsibility of paying residential property taxes to the respective municipalities for each qualified or eligible senior.
Although monthly repayments are not required, you will have to pay off the loan with interest on an earlier date, if you can or when you sell off the house.
To be eligible for the Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program, you must:
- be at least 65 years old.
- be a permanent resident of Alberta for at least three months.
- be a residential property owner in Alberta.
- have at least 25% equity in your home.
Only residential properties can be qualified for the loan. Residents must also be your primary home.
Presently, the simple interest rate charged by the program for the loan is 2.45%. This rate is reviewed twice a year in April and October and regulated accordingly.
You will receive a loan and deference of your home property taxes if you have a minimum of 25% equity in your residential property.
Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program
The Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program offers eligible senior homeowners coverage of the cost of home repairs, maintenance, adaptations, and renovations by providing low-interest home equity loans.
The maximum loan amount you may be eligible to receive is $40,000. Although monthly repayments are not required, you will have to pay back the loan on an earlier date, if you can, or when you sell the house.
To be eligible to receive the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program loan, you must:
- be at least 65 years old.
- be a permanent resident of Alberta for at least three months.
- be a residential property owner in Alberta.
- have an annual family income of $75,000 or less.
- have at least 25% equity in your home.
Adaptations or repairs of the home may be considered if they provide energy efficiency or enhanced physical safety, mobility, independence, health, or well-being to the seniors.
Coverage For Seniors
The Coverage for Seniors program is funded by the Alberta government and provides premium-free coverage to eligible seniors to help cover the costs of prescription drugs and other health services and supports.
The program is administered by the Alberta Blue Cross while the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) controls the registration and eligibility process.
The Coverage for Seniors program offers the following benefits:
- Coverage for Prescription Drugs: The program provides coverage for prescription drugs listed in the Alberta Drug Benefit List. It provides financial support of up to $25 of the co-payment fee.
- Diabetes Supplies Coverage: Eligible seniors with diabetes will receive up to $2,400 per year to cover the costs of diabetes supplies purchased from a licensed pharmacy. Diabetes supplies that may be covered include test strips, needles, syringes, and lancets.
- Coverage for Ambulance Services: The complete costs of ambulance services are covered by the AHCIP for eligible Alberta seniors.
- Chiropractic Services Coverage: The program provides coverage for chiropractic services up to $25 for each visit and a maximum of $200 per benefit year.
The Bottom Line
The Alberta Seniors Benefit is sponsored and funded by the Government of Alberta to eligible, low-income earning seniors to help supplement the federal benefits they receive like the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), the Old Age Security (OAS), or the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
If you just turned 65 years, you can receive your Alberta Seniors Benefit payments retroactively for up to 11 months until the Alberta Seniors Benefit gets your completed application.
If your income is higher than the given threshold, you will not be eligible for the benefit. However, ensure that you file your income tax returns yearly to keep receiving the benefit payments.
Alberta Seniors Benefit Payment Dates FAQs
What is the maximum Alberta Seniors Benefit?
The maximum Alberta Seniors Benefit payment you may be eligible to receive depending on your type of residence is $3,431 if you are a single senior and own, rent your home or live in a lodge while a senior couple living under the same conditions gets a maximum amount of $5,146. However, if you live in a long-term care center or designated supportive living facility, you may receive up to $11,771 if you are a single senior or $15,202 if you are a senior couple. Seniors living in other residential arrangements may receive up to $2,390 if they're single or $4,779 if they are married.
What benefits are available for seniors in Alberta?
The benefit programs available for seniors in Alberta aside from the federal benefits programs include:
- Alberta Seniors Benefit
- Supplementary Accommodation Benefit
- Special Needs Assistance for Seniors
- Dental and Optical Assistance for Seniors
- Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program
- Coverage for Seniors
- Senior Homeowners Adaptation and Repair Program
When does the Alberta Seniors Benefit stop?
The Alberta Seniors Benefit payments stop the following month after a recipient's death or a month after the recipient relocated out of Alberta. Your Alberta Seniors Benefit payments can also stop if your annual income becomes greater than the maximum threshold.
Is Alberta Seniors Benefit taxable income?
No, the Alberta Seniors Benefit is not taxable income and you do not have to include it as income when filing your income tax returns. Also, you do not owe taxes deductible from the Alberta Seniors Benefit you receive. However, you should file your tax returns annually to keep receiving the benefits.
