Nova Scotia's Heating Assistance Rebate Program pays $400 per household for the 2026–27 heating season. Apply online or by mail by 31 March 2027.
Applies in: Nova Scotia
The Heating Assistance Rebate Program pays $400 per household for the heating season you apply for — not a year-round benefit. For the 2026–27 heating season, you can apply from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. The Government of Nova Scotia runs the program for low-income Nova Scotians who pay for their own home heat, and there is no cost to apply.
You must pay for your own home (residential) heat, and meet one of the income or benefit conditions below. The rebate is one $400 payment per household.
Eligible home heating costs include heating oil, electric heat, natural gas heat, wood, wood pellets, coal, and other heating sources.
These do not count:
The program publishes a home heating costs fact sheet with detailed rules on home heating costs and heating bill requirements. If you are unsure whether your heating counts, read that fact sheet before you apply.
You can apply online or on paper:
The steps the province lists are: apply online for the rebate, check the application for details on all required supporting documents, submit your completed application and any supporting documents, and check your application status online if you applied online.
Before you start, make sure you have:
You may need to provide extra supporting documents, including your 2025 Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment for you and any other adults in your home, a Canada Child Benefit form, proof of a change in marital status, or proof of death (a death certificate) for your spouse or partner, if applicable.
The program may ask you to provide a heating bill or receipt, and your application cannot be processed until that information is provided. To avoid a delay, include a heating bill or receipt when you apply if this is your first time applying, you moved since you last received the rebate, or you live in a multiple-unit dwelling. Heating bills and receipts need to include your name and home address, the date of the home heating purchase or delivery, details of the home heating cost, the cost itself, and the name and address of the person or business providing the home heating.
To qualify, you need to pay for your own home heat and meet one of these criteria:
If your personal or financial situation has changed significantly since you filed your income tax for 2025, you still may qualify. Contact the Department of Service Nova Scotia to find out.
This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify. That decision sits with the program, based on your application and documents.
It should take eight weeks to get your rebate. It can take longer if more information is needed or if your application has not been filled in correctly. If more information is required, the program may contact you by mail or email.
If your income tax refund is direct deposited, your heating assistance rebate is too. If not, your rebate is mailed to you.
You can also apply to the Seniors Care Grant for help with the cost of home heating. That is a separate program with its own application, covered in our How to Apply for the Nova Scotia Seniors Care Grant guide.
The Nova Scotia page states the $400 rebate, the 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 window, the income thresholds, and the eight-week timing, but it does not publish an exact payment date beyond the eight-week estimate, a rule for late applications after 31 March 2027, or a contact phone number in the page text, so this guide gives none of those. The page also does not state whether a household that received the rebate in a past season can skip the heating-bill step, so this guide assumes nothing and repeats the program's own recommendation to include a bill or receipt in the three cases listed above.
You can receive $400 if you qualify for the Heating Assistance Rebate Program. It is one rebate of $400 for each household, and there is no cost to apply.
You can apply from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. If you apply by paper form, your completed application must be postmarked no later than 31 March 2027.
You need a 2025 net income of $30,000 or less if you live alone with no kids or dependents. The limit is a combined 2025 net household income of $45,000 or less if you live with kids, dependents, or other adults. A benefit can qualify you instead of income. Income Assistance qualifies you. So do the Guaranteed Income Supplement and the Allowance. Single parents need to receive the Canada Child Benefit to qualify under the household limit.
Oil, electric heat, natural gas, wood, wood pellets, coal, and other heating sources are covered. Heat that comes with your rent is not covered, and electricity use under 5,000 kWh per year is not covered either.
It should take eight weeks to get your rebate. It can take longer if more information is needed or if your application has not been filled in correctly. If your income tax refund is direct deposited, your rebate is too; if not, it is mailed to you.
No. The rebate is a single $400 payment for the heating season you apply for, not a monthly or year-round benefit. The 2026-27 application window runs from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, and you need to apply by 31 March 2027.