How to Apply for the Nunavut Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit
No separate application: low-income Nunavut seniors who qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement receive it with their Old Age Security cheque.
How to Apply for the Northwest Territories Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit
No separate application exists: NWT seniors receiving Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement get $196 a month automatically.
Applies in: Northwest Territories
The short answer
There is no separate Northwest Territories Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit application. The benefit is a monthly payment of $196 for low-income seniors in the Northwest Territories who receive federal Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) or the Spouse's Allowance. NWT seniors who receive the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement automatically receive the Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit on the same cheque. If you already receive OAS and GIS in the Northwest Territories, you do not fill in another form for this benefit.
The payment helps offset the high cost of living in the North. In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment paid over $3.2 million in Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefits to 1,373 recipients.
Who receives it
You will receive the benefit if you are a low-income senior in the Northwest Territories receiving:
- federal Old Age Security benefits; and
- the Guaranteed Income Supplement or the Spouse's Allowance.
That is the full test as the opened government pages state it. To get OAS you must be 65 or older and meet Canadian legal status and residency requirements. To get GIS you must be 65 or older, be receiving OAS, have a low income, and live in Canada. The Spouse's Allowance is for a spouse aged 60 to 64 of a GIS recipient.
How to apply for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement
Because the territorial benefit follows from GIS, the application that matters is the federal one. The steps are in our How to Apply for the Guaranteed Income Supplement guide and our How to Apply for Old Age Security in Canada guide. In brief:
- Apply through Service Canada. You can apply for OAS and GIS online through My Service Canada Account, or by paper form. Service Canada can tell you which form fits your situation.
- Apply before you need the money. GIS is income-tested, so Service Canada needs your tax information. Filing your tax return on time each year keeps the calculation current.
- Check that the Northwest Territories is your place of residence. The benefit is for people receiving GIS in the Northwest Territories. If you move out of the territory, tell Service Canada so your payments are not delayed or overpaid.
There is no territorial form to chase after the federal application. Once you receive GIS, the $196 is included with that payment. If you receive OAS and GIS in the Northwest Territories and the benefit has not started, phone Income Security Programs at 1-866-973-7252 or visit your local Education, Culture and Employment Service Centre.
Keeping the benefit going
Two habits keep the payments coming:
- File your annual taxes every year. The GIS amount is worked out from the income on your previous year's tax return, and the territorial benefit follows from the GIS payment. A missed return can stall or stop the payment.
- Update your personal information when it changes. Tell the government about a change of marital status, address, or banking information so there are no delays in payments of the benefit, OAS, or GIS.
This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify. That decision sits with Service Canada for OAS and GIS, and with the Northwest Territories government for the benefit.
What the opened pages do not state
The opened government pages state the $196 monthly amount, the automatic inclusion with the GIS payment, and that the benefit goes to low-income seniors receiving OAS and GIS or the Spouse's Allowance. They do not publish a separate age threshold for the benefit itself, an income threshold for the benefit itself, or a separate payment date, so this guide states none of those. The GIS income test governs who receives it, and the GIS guide linked above carries the federal steps.
Related guides:
- How to Apply for the Guaranteed Income Supplement — the federal benefit the Northwest Territories benefit is included with, with the full application steps.
- How to Apply for Old Age Security in Canada — the federal pension you must receive before GIS and the territorial benefit.
- How to Apply for the Yukon Seniors Income Supplement — Yukon's monthly top-up for low-income seniors receiving GIS, also with no separate application.
- How to Apply for the Saskatchewan Seniors Income Plan — Saskatchewan's monthly top-up for low-income seniors receiving GIS.
- How to Apply for Income Assistance in the Northwest Territories — the territory's income assistance program, run by the same department.
- How to Apply for the Northwest Territories Child Benefit — the territory's child benefit, also included automatically with a federal payment.
Getting the Northwest Territories Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit, in five steps
- Apply for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income SupplementApply through Service Canada. The benefit starts with these two federal benefits.
- Service Canada works out your Guaranteed Income SupplementThe supplement is income-tested, so it is worked out from the income on your previous year's tax return.
- The territorial benefit is added to the same paymentIf you receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit is automatically included with that payment.
- You receive $196 a monthThe monthly payment is $196 for low-income seniors receiving Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement or the Spouse's Allowance.
- File your taxes every yearFiling each year keeps the calculation current, because the Guaranteed Income Supplement is worked out from your last tax return.
Questions people ask
Is there a separate application for the Northwest Territories Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit?
No. There is no separate form for the Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit. You apply for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement through Service Canada, and the benefit is automatically included with the Guaranteed Income Supplement payment received from the federal government.
How much is the Northwest Territories Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit?
It is $196 a month. The Government of the Northwest Territories raised the monthly amount to $196 on September 1, 2017, and the 2023-2024 Income Security Programs annual report still states a monthly payment of $196.
Who receives the Northwest Territories Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit?
Low-income seniors in the Northwest Territories who receive federal Old Age Security benefits and the Guaranteed Income Supplement or the Spouse's Allowance. The opened government pages do not publish a separate age threshold for this benefit, so this guide states none.
Do I have to file a tax return to keep the benefit?
Yes. File your taxes every year. Your Guaranteed Income Supplement is worked out from the income on your previous year's tax return, and the territorial benefit follows from that payment, so a missed return can stall or stop it.
When is the benefit paid?
It is included with the Guaranteed Income Supplement payment from the federal government, on the same cheque. The opened government pages do not publish a separate payment date for the territorial benefit, so this guide gives none.
Who do I contact with questions about the benefit?
Phone Income Security Programs at 1-866-973-7252, or visit your local Education, Culture and Employment Service Centre. For Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, phone Service Canada toll free at 1-800-277-9914.
Sources
- Government of the Northwest Territories, Supporting Children and Seniors in the NWT — the $196 monthly amount from September 1, 2017, GIS recipients automatically receiving the benefit on the same cheque, and the benefit being automatically included with the GIS payment.
- Government of the Northwest Territories, Income Security Programs 2023-2024 Annual Report — the $196 monthly payment to low-income seniors receiving OAS and GIS or the Spouse's Allowance, and over $3.2 million paid to 1,373 recipients in 2023-2024.
- Government of the Northwest Territories, Income Security Programs Vision and Principles — the Income Security Programs contact number 1-866-973-7252 and the local Service Centre route.