The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) is a monthly benefit for Canadians who are over the age of 65 years old, who may already be getting Old Age Security (OAS) payments but overall receive an income below a certain threshold.
The amount of GIS you receive will depend on your income and won’t be taxable.
Guaranteed Income Supplement Eligibility
To qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement, you should meet all the following requirements:
- Be at least 65 years old
- Live in Canada
- Be receiving OAS payments already
- Have an income less than the prescribed amounts given your situation (described below)
There are a set of income requirements you must meet to be eligible for GIS.
If you’re single, widowed or divorced, you must have an income lower than $21,624.
If you’re married or in a common-law relationship, here are the income eligibility rules:
- If your partner (spouse or common-law) receives the full OAS pension, your joint income must be less than $28,560
- If your partner (spouse or common-law) doesn’t get OAS, your joint income must be less than $51,840
- If your partner (spouse or common-law) gets the Allowance benefit, your joint income must be less than $39,984
Key Insight
Even though the Guaranteed Income Supplement isn’t taxable, you still need to remember to file your taxes on time every year to avoid missing a GIS payment.
Guaranteed Income Supplement Benefit Amounts
The GIS benefit amounts are reviewed quarterly in January, April, July and October to ensure that they’re keeping up with any changes in the cost of living, as per the CPI.
But don’t fret, these changes will only ever benefit you – the GIS payments won’t decrease, even if the cost of living goes down.
Here are the benefit amounts for the period of January to March 2024:
| Your situation | Max. Payment Amount (Monthly) | Your annual income amount (plus that of your spouse/common-law partner) must be: |
|---|---|---|
| If you’re single, widowed or divorced | $1,065.47 | Less than $21,6240 |
| If your partner (spouse or common-law) receives the full OAS pension | $641.35 | Less than $28,560 |
| If your partner (spouse or common-law) doesn’t get OAS | $641.35 | Less than $39,984 |
| If your partner (spouse or common-law) gets the Allowance benefit | $1,065.47 | Less than $51,840 |
Source: Canada.ca
If you want an idea of how much your benefit might be, you can make use of this handy questionnaire.
How to Get the Guaranteed Income Supplement
Most of the time, Service Canada will automatically enroll you for GIS – other times, you’ll have to apply yourself.
If you need to apply, then in the month after you turn 64 years old you’ll receive a letter from Service Canada asking you to apply for GIS.
If you don’t receive one, or if the one you’ve received has incorrect information, you may need to apply.
To apply, you can either do it online through your My Service Canada account, or by mailing in the Application for the OAS and the GIS (ISP-3550) along with certified true copies of the required documents, or by submitting it in-person to a Service Canada office.
If you already receive OAS and only need to apply for GIS, then you can do the same steps but with the Application for GIS or Statement of Income (ISP-3025) form.
Keep in mind that when applying for the GIS, you will need to report all your income as well as the income of your spouse or common-law partner.
If you need help determining what counts as income and what is exempt, you can refer to this page.
Guaranteed Income Supplement Payment Dates
Here are the 2024 Guaranteed Income Supplement payment dates:
- January 29, 2024
- February 27, 2024
- March 26, 2024
- April 26, 2024
- May 29, 2024
- June 26, 2024
- July 29, 2024
- August 28, 2024
- September 25, 2024
- October 29, 2024
- November 27, 2024
- December 20, 2024
Old Age Security (OAS) vs. Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
Just like with the GIS, Old Age Security (OAS) is a monthly benefit for Canadians who are over the age of 65 years old.
For both, it doesn’t matter whether you’ve never worked before or whether you’re still working – you can still receive the benefit.
Both benefits are reviewed quarterly in January, April, July and October to ensure that they’re increasing with any changes in the cost of living, as per the CPI.
The main difference between the two is that the amount you could receive for the GIS depends primarily on your income, while the amount you could receive for the OAS depends on how much time you spent in Canada after the age of 18.
Also, the OAS is taxable, while GIS is not taxable.
