Applying for Support

To receive income support, you must first apply for it. There are several things that you must include in your application. For your application to be successful, it is important to provide the necessary information. To apply, you must:

• be ordinarily present in Saskatchewan
• be 18 years of age or older
• meet the residency requirement
• provide your social insurance and health services numbers
• provide the social insurance and health services numbers of your spouse or partner
• provide the health services numbers of your children
• provide details of the money, property and benefits you have
• provide details about your living situation
• provide bank statements for all accounts in the name of you and your spouse

The residency requirement means that you are one of the following:

• a Canadian citizen
• a permanent resident
• a refugee

Some individuals, such as full-time post-secondary students and individuals who are in jail, are not eligible for SIS benefits.

If you have a spouse or partner, you must include them in the application. Under the SIS program, a spouse or partner means any of the following, someone who:

• you are married to
• you have lived with as a couple for three months or more
• is the other parent of your child

In deciding if someone is your spouse, Social Services considers things like:

• your living arrangements
• whether you share things like bank accounts or a phone number
• the relationship each of you have with any children living with you

You must provide your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and your Saskatchewan Health Services Number (HSN). If you have a spouse or partner, they must also provide these numbers. You must also provide the HSN of any dependent children.

If you do not have a SIN or HSN, you will need to confirm that you have applied to get them. Benefits under the program will not be issued without this confirmation. An application for a SIN or HSN will only be sufficient for 30 days after your application. After that, you need to provide an actual SIN or HSN. If you are unable to provide these documents within this timeframe, contact Social Services.

You will need to provide information about your income. Income includes all money that you and your spouse or partner have received in the 30 days before your application. This includes earned income, benefit payments, pension income, support payments, loans, inheritances, and cash gifts or donations. You must provide documents to verify your income, such as:

• pay stubs for current and previous month
• pension, employment insurance, workers’ compensation and child benefit statements
• record of employment (if you quit or were laid off from a job)
• self-employment income records and expenses
• child or spousal support orders or agreements

Unless exempted, the net value of any assets owned by you or your spouse or partner is considered available income. You must provide documents for any property you own and money that you have on hand including:

• mortgage and house title documents
• vehicle registrations
• current bank statements for all accounts
• receipts for a pre-paid funeral
• certificates for any investments such as RRSP’s, bonds or annuities

Your primary residence is an exempt asset. This includes the home and the land or the home quarter if the home is a farm residence. All other real property is non-exempt.

Personal items and one vehicle per household are also generally exempt. You must convert the following to cash within 180 days of your application:

• any real property like houses other than your primary residence
• any vehicles with a value of more than $5,000 other than your primary vehicle

In the case of farmland, you have 24 months to convert it to cash. The market value of the assets you have will be considered for the purposes of determining eligibility.

If you are renting a place to live or are sharing accommodation, provide a copy of your rental agreement. If one is not available, provide a current receipt for rent.

Homeowners will need to provide a copy of the title to the property. If a copy of the title is not available, provide a copy of the current house insurance policy and a property tax notice in your name.

Once your application is received and you have provided all required documents, your application for assistance will be approved or denied. If your application is approved, you will be notified about the amount of your benefits and how the amounts were determined. You will also be told what is needed to remain eligible for benefits. If your application for benefits is denied, the decision will explain why.

You have the right to appeal a decision respecting your benefits. This may be because you believe your application was improperly denied or that you should receive more benefits. You must file your appeal within 15 days after receiving the decision.