How to Apply for Manitoba Pharmacare

The short answer

Enrol once: complete the Pharmacare Application and Consent Authorization Form, sign both the consent and declaration sections, and send it to Manitoba Health. The Government of Manitoba says one-time enrolment removes the need to submit an application form every year, and the benefit year runs from April 1 to March 31.

Pharmacare provides drug cost assistance to eligible Manitobans who do not have coverage under a federal or other provincial program. It is income based: a deductible is worked out from total adjusted family income, and once that deductible is reached, Pharmacare pays 100% of eligible prescription costs for the rest of the benefit year.

The deductible

A deductible is a set dollar amount you pay each year before Pharmacare coverage begins. The minimum deductible is $100, with no maximum. The deductible is based on Canada Revenue Agency income information from two years earlier. For the 2026/2027 benefit year, Pharmacare uses income information from the 2024 tax year, taken from line 150 of the Notice of Assessment.

Once your application is processed, Pharmacare sends a notification letter stating your deductible amount. The annual deductible is established on April 1 of each benefit year. The online Pharmacare Deductible Estimator on the Manitoba site can give you an estimate before you apply.

If a family's income falls by more than 10% in the current calendar year, the legislation allows the deductible to be adjusted. The Deductible Instalment Payment Program also exists for spreading deductible costs; its guide and forms are available from the program at 204-945-1733 in Winnipeg or 1-888-519-3492 toll free.

How to apply

• Complete the form. Fill out the Pharmacare Application and Consent Authorization Form and sign both the consent and declaration sections. With your consent, the Canada Revenue Agency electronically forwards your most recent income information to Manitoba Health.
• Send it in. Mail it to Manitoba Health, Non-Insured Benefits, 300 Carlton Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 3M9, or fax it to 204-786-6634. Phone 204-786-7141, toll free 1-800-297-8099, email pharmacare@gov.mb.ca.
• Apply by March 31. You can apply any time during the benefit year, but the application must be received on or before March 31 of the current benefit year. March 31, 2027 is the last day for the 2026/2027 benefit year.
• Keep the one-time enrolment, or withdraw in writing. Manitobans who choose to withdraw from one-time enrolment must do so in writing to the Pharmacare office.

If you have not filed taxes

Newcomers to Canada who have not yet filed a first income tax return apply with the same form plus a signed and dated written statement of total global income for 2024, meaning income from all sources inside and outside Canada.

Manitobans who are 18 and have not yet filed a first return apply with the same form plus a signed and dated written declaration of age and income for 2024.

In both cases, once the application is processed, Pharmacare sends a notification letter stating the deductible amount.

This guide covers enrolment only. It gives no advice on whether you qualify.

What the opened pages do not state

The Manitoba pages state the minimum deductible of $100 and that there is no maximum, and they point to an estimator that applies percentage rates to adjusted family income bands, but they do not state one deductible amount that applies to every family, so this guide gives no universal amount. The pages also do not state a processing time for a first application, so this guide gives none.

Related guides:

• How to Apply for the Manitoba 55 Plus Program — Manitoba's quarterly supplement for lower-income Manitobans 55 and over.
• How to Apply for the Manitoba Child Benefit — Manitoba's monthly payment for low-income families with children.
• How to Apply for Manitoba Rent Assist — Manitoba's rent supplement for low-income households.
• How to Apply for Manitoba Employment and Income Assistance — Manitoba's income assistance program for people who cannot meet basic needs.
• How to Start Getting Your Prescription Drugs Covered in Canada — the national picture of public drug coverage and where each province's plan fits.

Sources

• Government of Manitoba, Applying for Pharmacare — one-time enrolment, signing the consent and declaration sections, the Canada Revenue Agency income transfer, the April 1 deductible date, the April 1 to March 31 application window and March 31, 2027 deadline, the newcomer and first-filer statements, and the office address, phone, fax, and email.
• Government of Manitoba, General Pharmacare Questions — what Pharmacare is, the income-based deductible, the $100 minimum and no maximum, payment of 100% of eligible costs after the deductible, income from two years earlier, and the adjustment when income falls by more than 10%.