At Home Caregiver Benefit
🏛 Public serviceProvincial
A Government of Prince Edward Island benefit for seniors with high care needs who stay at home thanks to an unpaid family caregiver, friend, or neighbour. The person receiving care gets $250 to $1,500 a month depending on household income.
Verified by us 2026-08-06. Call 1-800-371-8245 to start; Home Care completes an assessment, then the Department of Social Development and Seniors enrols you and sets the monthly amount.
Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program
🏛 Public serviceProvincial
A Government of Prince Edward Island program that lets lower-income seniors stop paying property tax on their home for as long as they live there, with no interest charged on the deferred amount. The taxes are only repaid when the home is sold or from the estate.
Verified by us 2026-08-06. Send the application form to Taxation and Property Records with last year's Notice of Assessment for everyone in the home; call (902) 368-4070 with questions.
Seniors Independence Initiative
🏛 Public serviceProvincial
A Government of Prince Edward Island program that gives low-income seniors up to $1,800 a year to pay for practical help at home, such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, snow removal, grass cutting, transportation, internet, and a medical alert system.
Verified by us 2026-08-06. Apply online, download the form, or pick one up at Access PEI; call 1-877-569-0546 for help completing it, then staff visit to assess your needs.
Seniors Navigators
🏛 Public serviceProvincial
A free Government of Prince Edward Island service where two provincial navigators help seniors, family members, and caregivers figure out which programs they qualify for, fill in applications, and reach the right office. They also hold drop-in outreach sessions in communities across the Island.
Verified by us 2026-08-06. Call 1-866-770-0588 or email seniors@gov.pe.ca; you can also meet a navigator at a community outreach session or book an appointment.
Benefits Finder (canada.ca)
🏛 Public serviceNational
A free Government of Canada online tool that asks a few quick questions and builds a personal list of federal benefits, with filters for seniors and retirees aged 60 and over and for caregivers. It needs no account or personal identifying information, and it links to your province's own benefits page too.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. Use the tool online at benefitsfinder.services.gc.ca; for general help with federal programs call 1 800 O-Canada at 1-800-622-6232.
Tax credits for seniors and family caregivers (CRA)
🏛 Public serviceNational
Canada Revenue Agency credits that cut the tax bill for seniors and the relatives who support them, all claimed on the yearly tax return. They include the age amount for people 65 and older, pension income splitting with a spouse, the medical expense credit that covers attendant care and many home health costs, the Canada Caregiver Credit, the Home Accessibility Tax Credit for up to $20,000 a year of safety renovations, and the Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit, which refunds 14.5% of up to $50,000 spent adding a secondary suite for a senior.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. Claim these credits when filing the yearly income tax return, or ask a tax preparer or free tax clinic to check each one; call the CRA with questions.
Disability Tax Credit (DTC)
🏛 Public serviceNational
A Government of Canada tax credit that lowers income tax for people with a severe, long-term impairment, or for the family member who supports them. Long-term conditions that affect everyday life, such as dementia, may qualify. Once approved, the credit can be claimed for past years going back up to 10 years, which can mean a large refund.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. Apply using the CRA's digital DTC application or Form T2201 by mail; a medical practitioner completes the medical part, then the credit is claimed at tax time.
Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB)
🏛 Public serviceNational
A tax-free Government of Canada payment every three months for people with low and modest incomes, which replaced the GST/HST credit in July 2026 with a 25% higher amount. There is no application; filing your tax return each year, even with no income, automatically signs you up if you qualify.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. File a tax return every year to be enrolled automatically; call 1-800-387-1193 with payment questions.
Free tax clinics (Community Volunteer Income Tax Program)
🏛 Public serviceNational
Free tax clinics supported by the Canada Revenue Agency, where trained community volunteers complete tax returns for people with a modest income and a simple tax situation. Filing every year is what keeps benefits like the Guaranteed Income Supplement flowing, so these clinics matter even when no tax is owed. In Quebec the program runs jointly with Revenu Quebec as the Income Tax Assistance volunteer program.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. Find a nearby clinic with the Find a free tax clinic directory on canada.ca; clinic types and dates vary by community organization.
Allowance and Allowance for the Survivor (ages 60 to 64)
🏛 Public serviceNational
Tax-free monthly Government of Canada payments for people aged 60 to 64 with low income. The Allowance is for the spouse or common-law partner of a senior who gets the Guaranteed Income Supplement, and the Allowance for the Survivor is for someone whose spouse or partner has died. Apply 6 to 11 months before you turn 60, or right away if you are already in this age range.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. You must apply; call Service Canada or apply through My Service Canada Account.
Canada Pension Plan (CPP) retirement pension
🏛 Public serviceNational
A monthly taxable Government of Canada pension that replaces part of your income in retirement and is paid for life to people who contributed to the CPP while working. You can start it as early as 60 or wait until 70 for a larger amount. If you keep working while collecting before age 70, extra contributions earn a post-retirement benefit that raises your pension each year.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. You must apply; apply online through My Service Canada Account or call. If you worked in another country, international social security agreements may help you qualify.
CPP disability benefits
🏛 Public serviceNational
A monthly taxable Government of Canada benefit for people over 18 and under 65 who cannot work because of a severe and prolonged disability and who contributed to the CPP. People already collecting a CPP retirement pension who become disabled before 65 may qualify for the post-retirement disability benefit instead. At 65 it converts automatically to the regular CPP retirement pension.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. You must apply, and a health care professional completes the medical part of the application; apply through My Service Canada Account or by paper form.
CPP survivor's pension and death benefit
🏛 Public serviceNational
Government of Canada payments to the family of a CPP contributor who has died. The survivor's pension is a monthly payment to the legal spouse or common-law partner, and the death benefit is a one-time payment of up to $5,000 to the estate or the person who paid the funeral costs. Apply as soon as possible after the death, because the survivor's pension can only be back-paid for 12 months.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. Apply online through My Service Canada Account or by mail as soon as possible after the death.
EI caregiving benefits (family caregiver and compassionate care)
🏛 Public serviceNational
Employment Insurance benefits from the Government of Canada that replace part of your pay while you are away from work caring for someone. The family caregiver benefit covers up to 15 weeks for a critically ill or injured adult, and compassionate care benefits cover up to 26 weeks for a person who needs end-of-life care. You do not have to live with or be related to the person, and eligible caregivers can share the weeks.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. Apply online at canada.ca as soon as you stop work, with a medical certificate for the person you care for; call 1-800-206-7218 for help with a claim.
Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
🏛 Public serviceNational
A tax-free monthly top-up from the Government of Canada for seniors 65 and older who receive the OAS pension and have low income. It is worth checking even if you are not sure you qualify, and you must file your income tax return every year to keep the payments coming.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. Many seniors are enrolled automatically and told by letter; if no letter has arrived a month after your 64th birthday, call Service Canada or apply through My Service Canada Account.
Old Age Security (OAS) pension
🏛 Public serviceNational
A monthly Government of Canada pension for people 65 and older, based on how long you have lived in Canada after age 18, whether or not you ever worked. Many seniors are enrolled automatically and get a letter from Service Canada; if no letter has arrived a month after your 64th birthday, you may need to apply. Years spent in countries that have a social security agreement with Canada can help you qualify.
Verified by us 2026-08-05. Call Service Canada or apply online through My Service Canada Account; many seniors are enrolled in OAS and GIS automatically and get a letter in the mail around their 64th birthday.