How to apply for Nova Scotia Income Assistance: call the intake line at 1-877-424-1177 or visit a local office, what documents to have ready, the Standard Household Rates, and how decision reviews and appeals work.
Applies in: Nova Scotia
Income Assistance is Nova Scotia's income support program for people who are not able to financially support themselves or their family. It is part of Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA), run by the Department of Opportunities and Social Development. This guide covers the application mechanics only: how to apply, what to have ready, what the current rates are, and what happens after you apply. It gives no advice on whether you qualify — your caseworker decides that when your situation is assessed. All facts below come from the Government of Nova Scotia's Income Assistance How to Apply page, the Government of Nova Scotia's Income Assistance Eligibility page, the Government of Nova Scotia's Standard Household Rate page, and the Government of Nova Scotia's Decision Reviews and Appeals page.
There is no online application for Income Assistance. To apply, call 1-877-424-1177 or contact your local Community Services office. Interpretive Services are available to help you apply. You can also start your application ahead of time by filling out the Record and Register form and bringing a printed copy to your local office — completing the form in advance helps staff prepare and provide better support.
If you need financial assistance because of an emergency, call 1-877-424-1177 or contact your local office and let the caseworker know. They may be able to get you help faster. Examples of emergencies given by the province are: you have no money for food, your utilities (power or water) are going to be shut off, you might lose your home, or your health or safety, or your family's, is at risk.
When you call or visit an office to apply, have these items ready if you can:
Tell the caseworker if you have a disability. You may be eligible for Income Assistance if you need financial support to pay for your basic needs, and there are other supports and programs that may help you. Your caseworker may ask you to have your doctor confirm your disability.
You must always tell your caseworker about any money you receive. Depending on the source of your money, you may still receive Income Assistance if your situation shows that you still need help. You may still get Income Assistance if you are working.
When you call or visit, the caseworker asks you questions about your situation and gathers the information needed to decide if you qualify. Before you apply, the province asks you to first check whether you are eligible to apply on its Who can receive Income Assistance page. You can apply if you live in Nova Scotia, are 19 years old or over (sometimes 16 to 18), need financial help for your basic needs, and have tried to find work or other income, unless that is not possible for you at this time.
If you are 16 to 18, you may be eligible if your home is not safe for you to live in, if you and your parents or guardians have conflicts that mean you cannot go back to live in your home, or if you have no parent or guardian. Child, Youth and Family Supports must confirm you are in need of protective services. You must agree to go to school or take training for work, and live in a supervised home or apartment while you are on Income Assistance.
If you are an Indigenous person living off Reserve, you can apply the same as a non-Indigenous person. If you live on Reserve, you need to contact your Band for assistance.
If you need help with your basic needs, you get an allowance called a Standard Household Rate. The amount you get depends on the number of people in your family and your living situation. The Standard Household Rate is for basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, fuel, utilities, and personal items. You may also get help for any special needs you have.
Standard Household Rate — Rent/Own or Board, per month:
Standard Household Rate — Enhanced: $1,005 a month. You get this rate if you are an eligible single recipient who rents or owns a home and you either have a disability or a chronic mental, cognitive, or physical condition that limits participation in employment services, are age 55 or older, are age 16 to 18, or are fleeing an abusive situation.
Standard Household Rate — Essentials: $403 a month. You get this rate if you do not board, rent, or own a home and are temporarily in a homeless shelter, transition house, hospital, rehabilitation program, or unsheltered or without a fixed address. Each adult and each dependent child aged 18 to 20 in the family receives this rate.
You may be able to get more help for basic needs if you have dependents between the ages of 18 and 20 living with you, or if you or a family member has a physical disability or terminal illness and needs help with barrier-free access to, from, or within your home.
Your caseworker will review your situation regularly. They need to know if anything has changed in your life, if you are still eligible for Income Assistance, and if you have new needs they can help with. Active clients submit their monthly income statements online.
You and your caseworker decide when you are ready to take part in an employability assessment. Employment Support Services staff will help you explore programs and services that can help you access new opportunities in employment. You must take part in an employability assessment and work with your caseworker to make an action plan to build the skills and experience you need for work. The assessment looks at all your skills and experience to see what kind of work you can do, what training you may need, and if there are any barriers that make it hard for you to work.
If you disagree with a decision made about your case or your request for assistance, you can follow a process to have that decision reconsidered. This is called the right to appeal. You can also talk to your caseworker about the decision and ask any questions you have.
The appeal process has two parts. The first step is a decision review: Decision Review Services will review your request and the decision made about your case. To start the appeal process, you must submit a letter requesting a decision review within 30 business days of the date on the letter you received explaining the decision. You can fill out the form at the end of the province's appeals brochure or write your own letter. Your letter should include the decision you disagree with, why you disagree, any new information related to the decision, your name, address, phone number, date of birth, and signature, and your case number and the name of your caseworker if you know them. Drop the letter or form at your local office, mail it to the address on the decision letter the department sent you, or email a scanned copy to DecisionReview@novascotia.ca.
The second step is an appeal hearing, where a member of the Assistance Appeal Board reviews the decision. If you disagree with the decision review and want an appeal hearing, you must let the department know within 10 business days after you get the decision review letter. You do this by checking the "Yes, I want an appeal hearing" box at the bottom of the decision review letter and signing it, then mailing it, bringing it to your local office, or emailing a scanned copy to DecisionReview@novascotia.ca. If you have questions about appeals, talk to your caseworker or call Decision Review Services at 1-833-424-5124.
The Standard Household Rates in this guide are the figures published on the province's Standard Household Rate page; a 2026 rate increase reported on non-government sites could not be confirmed on the official page, so confirm the current rate with your caseworker before relying on it. The province's How to Apply page does not publish intake line hours, so this guide states no phone hours; call 1-877-424-1177 to confirm when the line is open. No official page states how long a decision takes after you apply or when first payments arrive, so this guide states no processing time or payment dates. Confirm all three points with your caseworker or at 1-877-424-1177 before relying on them.
There is no online application form. To apply, call 1-877-424-1177 or contact your local Community Services office. Interpretive Services are available to help you apply. You can also start ahead of time by filling out the Record and Register form and bringing a printed copy to your local office; completing it in advance helps staff prepare and provide better support. If you need help because of an emergency, call 1-877-424-1177 or contact your local office and let the caseworker know — they may be able to get you help faster.
You can apply if you live in Nova Scotia, are 19 years old or over (sometimes 16 to 18), need financial help for your basic needs, and have tried to find work or other income, unless that is not possible for you at this time. If you are 16 to 18, you may be eligible if your home is not safe to live in, if conflicts with your parents or guardians mean you cannot go back to live in your home, or if you have no parent or guardian; Child, Youth and Family Supports must confirm you need protective services, and you must agree to go to school or take training for work and live in a supervised home or apartment. If you live on Reserve as an Indigenous person, contact your Band for assistance; if you live off Reserve, you apply the same as anyone else.
When you call or visit an office to apply, have these items ready if you can: bank statements for all of your accounts, your Social Insurance Number (SIN), and any other information that can help the caseworker understand your situation. If you have a disability, tell the caseworker — there are other supports and programs that may help, and the caseworker may ask you to have your doctor confirm your disability.
If you need help with your basic needs, you get an allowance called a Standard Household Rate. The amount depends on the number of people in your family and your living situation. As published on the province's Standard Household Rate page, the Rent/Own or Board rate is $726 a month for one person with no dependent children who rents or owns ($644 if boarding), $1,018 for one person with one dependent child ($664 boarding), $1,072 for one person with two or more dependent children ($707 boarding), $1,419 for two recipients with no dependent children ($1,067 boarding), and $1,473 for two recipients with one or more dependent children ($1,110 boarding). A single recipient who rents or owns and has a disability or chronic condition limiting participation in employment services, is 55 or older, is 16 to 18, or is fleeing an abusive situation gets the Enhanced Standard Household Rate of $1,005 a month. If you do not rent, board, or own a home and are temporarily in a shelter, transition house, hospital, rehabilitation program, or unsheltered, you get the Essentials rate of $403 a month. You may also get help for special needs.
Examples of emergencies given by the province are: you have no money for food, your utilities (power or water) are going to be shut off, you might lose your home, or your health or safety, or your family's, is at risk. If any of these apply, call 1-877-424-1177 or contact your local office and let the caseworker know it is an emergency — they may be able to get you help faster.
You have the right to appeal. The first step is a decision review: you must submit a letter requesting a decision review within 30 business days of the date on the letter explaining the decision. Your letter should state the decision you disagree with, why you disagree, any new information, and your name, address, phone number, date of birth, signature, and case number and caseworker name if you know them. Drop the letter or form at your local office, mail it to the address on the decision letter, or email a scanned copy to DecisionReview@novascotia.ca. If you disagree with the decision review, you must ask for an appeal hearing within 10 business days after you get the decision review letter, by checking the 'Yes, I want an appeal hearing' box at the bottom of the letter and signing it. You can also talk to your caseworker about the decision, or call Decision Review Services at 1-833-424-5124.