Government Benefits and Programs

Here is a list of some of the government benefits and programs available for families and seniors.

Families and Children:

• Cadets Program – Gives youth ability to develop leadership skills, increase their physical fitness and make new friends. There is no cost to join Cadets and uniforms are provided free of charge.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/cadets.shtml
• Canada Child Tax Benefit – Tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising children under age 18.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/cctb/menu-eng.html
• Child Disability Benefit – Tax-free benefit for families who care for a child under age 18 with a severe and prolonged impairment in mental or physical functions.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/cdb.shtml
• Universal Child Care Benefit – Taxable $100 monthly payment to families for each child under the age of six.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/universal_child_care.shtml

Education Savings

• Canada Education Savings Plan – Money that the Government of Canada will add to your child’s savings in a registered education savings plan (RESP). Families in Alberta will receive additional grants if child was born in 2005 or later. The basic Canada Education Savings Grant will give you 20 per cent on every dollar of the first $2,500 you save in your child’s RESP each year. Depending on your net family income, you could receive an extra 10 per cent or 20 per cent on every dollar of the first $500 you save in your child’s RESP each year.
• Canada Learning Bond – $500 is offered by the Government of Canada to help start saving now for your child’s education after high school. Plus, you child could get $100 every year until he or she turns 15 years old to a maximum of $2,000. There are low income eligibility requirements that must be met.

Savings Plans

• Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) – is a retirement savings plan that you establish with a financial institution and to which you or your spouse or common-law partner contribute. Deductible RRSP contributions can be used to reduce your taxable income. Any income you earn in the RRSP is usually exempt from tax as long as the funds remain in the plan.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/rrsp-reer/rrsps-eng.html

• Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) – A flexible, registered general-purpose savings vehicle that allows Canadians to earn tax-free investment income to more easily meet lifetime savings needs. The TFSA complements existing registered savings plans like the RRSP and RESP. Canadian residents age 18 or older who has a social insurance number, can contribute up to $6,000 annually to a TFSA, beginning in 2008. Withdrawals from a TFSA are tax-free. Unused TFSA contribution room is carried forward and accumulates in future years.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.tfsa.gc.ca/thingstoknow-eng.html

For Seniors:

• Allowance Program – A monthly benefit for low-income seniors (aged 60- 64) whose spouse or common-law partner is eligible for, or currently receiving, Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/oas/allowance/allowance.shtml

• Canada Pension Plan (CPP) – A monthly taxable benefit to retired contributors.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/cpp/retirement/canadapension.shtml

Click here for payment rates
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/isp/pub/factsheets/rates.shtml

• Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)– A monthly non-taxable benefit to low income Old Age Security recipients
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/oas/gis/guaranteeddincomesupplement.shtml

• Old Age Security (OAS)– A monthly benefit to individuals 65 years of age and over who meet the residence requirements.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/oas/pension/oldagesecurity.shtml

Click here for the OAS premium rates
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/isp/oas/oasrates.shtml

• Allowance for the Survivor Program – A monthly non-taxable benefit to low-income widowed spouses who are not yet eligible for the Old Age Security (OAS) pension.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/oas/allowance/survivorallowance.shtml

• Government of Alberta Senior’s Benefit
  Click here for more information
  http://www.seniors.gov.ab.ca/financial_assistance/seniors_benefit/index.asp

• Canada Pension Plan Death Benefit – A one-time payment to, or on behalf of, the estate of the deceased contributor, maximum of $2,500.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/cpp/deathpension.shtml

• Canada Pension Plan Survivor’s Benefit – A monthly pension to the surviving spouse, common-law partner or children of a deceased contributor.
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/isp/cpp/survivor.shtml

• Prescription Drug Coverage for Seniors (Alberta) – Premium-free drug coverage for Alberta seniors (aged 65 and older) and their dependents.
  FREE (780) 427-7164
  Click here for more information
  http://www.health.alberta.ca/AHCIP/drugs-seniors.html

• What to do following a death?
  Click here for more information
  http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/lifeevents/loss.shtml

For more information on all Federal Government programs, please click here
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/home.shtml

For a full list of all Federal and Provincial Government Benefits, please click here:
http://www.canadabenefits.gc.ca/f.1.2cl.3st@.jsp?lang=eng&geo=2&catid=11&searchallcats=52,53