The Saskatchewan Drug Plan's Special Support Program sets an income-based deductible and copayment for each calendar year. Apply on the Side A or Side B form with income documentation.
Applies in: Saskatchewan
Written November 13, 2026
Apply for the Special Support Program, the income-tested part of the Saskatchewan Drug Plan, by completing the Special Support application form with income documentation and sending it to the Drug Plan by mail, fax, or email. The Government of Saskatchewan describes the Special Support Program as a voluntary income-tested program that helps eligible Saskatchewan residents with drug costs in relation to their income. A deductible is established based on total family income, a copayment is calculated based on total family income and total family drug costs, and coverage is determined for a calendar year.
This guide is about the Drug Plan application itself. It is a different program from Saskatchewan Supplementary Health Benefits, which attach to income support programs such as Saskatchewan Income Support and Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability and have no stand-alone application of their own. If you are looking for those benefits, start with the income support program instead.
This guide covers the application process only. It gives no advice on whether you qualify.
The Ministry of Health determines eligibility for the Special Support Program based on two things the Saskatchewan page names: your eligible prescription drug history, and the total income reported on line 15000 of your income tax return with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Once you are in the program, you pay for prescription drugs listed on the Saskatchewan Formulary, or approved under Exception Drug Status, according to your deductible and copayment. Exception Drug Status is the route for drugs that need individual approval: the Saskatchewan page advises asking your physician or pharmacist whether your medications may qualify.
Before applying, you can run your own numbers through the Special Support Estimate Calculator, which estimates a Special Support deductible and copayment from the income and drug cost information you enter. The estimate is a planning tool. The deductible and copayment that apply to you are the ones in your confirmation of benefits letter.
The page names these groups as able to apply for the Special Support Program:
One exclusion is stated plainly: individuals or families with coverage through federal government programs, such as the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits Program or Veterans Affairs, are not eligible for the Special Support Program.
The application comes in two versions, and the choice affects every year after this one.
Side A is the consent form — here is the Side A application form. By completing it, you give your consent to the Canada Revenue Agency to release specific income information, line 15000, to the Ministry of Health, Drug Plan and Extended Benefits Branch. With Side A in place, no annual application is required. Your coverage is automatically renewed each year, as long as your income tax return is filed each year. The province encourages applicants to complete Side A for automatic annual renewal and to prevent a lapse in coverage.
Side B is for people who do not file income tax, or who would rather submit an application with income documentation each year — here is the Side B application form. On Side B, a renewal application is mailed to you in the fall, with instructions on how to renew your coverage, and you submit a complete application with supporting income documentation each year.
Both forms are also linked from the Drug Cost Assistance page.
Mail, fax, or email your application to the Drug Plan's Special Support Program. Two timing rules matter:
For renewals, the Side A letters for the 2027 coverage period will be available after December 1, 2026. Your pharmacy will be aware of your 2027 coverage when your first prescription is filled after January 1, 2027. If you need a letter and did not receive one within seven days through the online request process, the province directs you to call the Drug Plan at 1-800-667-7581.
Special Support does not replace the other Saskatchewan drug programs, and you do not pay twice. The province's rule is that you pay the lesser amount where programs overlap. Its own examples: a medication that is $25 per prescription under the Children's Drug Plan but $11 under Special Support stays at $11, and a medication that is $25 under the Seniors' Drug Plan but $11 under Special Support also stays at $11.
Seniors may also apply for the Seniors' Drug Plan itself, under which eligible seniors pay $25 for prescriptions listed on the Saskatchewan Formulary or approved under Exception Drug Status.
Some coverage does not change at all when Special Support is added. The Saskatchewan page lists no change in coverage for people who have drug coverage under Saskatchewan Aids to Independent Living (SAIL), palliative care programs, or the Seniors' Income Plan while residing in a long-term care facility.
Drug costs and income rarely stay flat for a full calendar year. If your annual income or medication costs change during the coverage period, you may send a written request for a reassessment of coverage to the Ministry of Health's Drug Plan and Extended Benefits Branch, Special Support Program. The request must include documentation of the income changes. A reassessment request without that documentation is not complete, on the province's own wording.
The Saskatchewan Drug Cost Assistance page states the deductible and copayment design, the Side A and Side B routes, and the $25 Seniors' Drug Plan amount, but it does not publish a formula or percentage from which an individual deductible or copayment can be calculated by hand, a processing time for a first application, or a fee to apply, so this guide gives none of those. It also does not state a minimum or maximum family income for the Special Support Program.
| Special Support Program | A deductible based on total family income, then a copayment based on total family income and total family drug costs, set for a calendar year |
|---|---|
| Seniors' Drug Plan | Eligible seniors pay $25 for prescriptions listed on the Saskatchewan Formulary or approved under Exception Drug Status |
| Where two programs both apply | You pay the lesser amount — the province gives the example of a $25 Seniors' Drug Plan prescription costing $11 under Special Support, so you pay $11 |
Coverage under the Special Support Program applies to prescription drugs listed on the Saskatchewan Formulary or approved under Exception Drug Status.
The application described here is for the Special Support Program, the income-tested part of Saskatchewan drug coverage. The Ministry of Health sets a deductible based on total family income and a copayment based on total family income and total family drug costs, and coverage is determined for a calendar year.
Complete the Special Support application form and provide income documentation, then mail, fax, or email it to the Drug Plan's Special Support Program. Use the Side A form to consent to the Canada Revenue Agency releasing your line 15000 income information to the Ministry of Health, or the Side B form if you do not file income tax or prefer to submit income documentation each year.
Coverage begins on the date the Drug Plan receives your complete application, including income documentation. You receive a confirmation of benefits letter when the initial application is processed, mailed to the address on your Saskatchewan Health Card file.
Not on Side A. With the Side A consent, no annual application is required and coverage is automatically renewed each year as long as your income tax return is filed each year. On Side B, you re-apply each year with a complete application and supporting income documentation, and a renewal application is mailed to you in the fall.
Individuals or families with coverage through federal government programs, such as the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits Program or Veterans Affairs, are not eligible for the Special Support Program. The Ministry of Health determines eligibility based on eligible prescription drug history and the total income on line 15000 of your income tax return.
Yes. If your annual income or medication costs change during the coverage period, you may send a written request for a reassessment of coverage to the Ministry of Health's Drug Plan and Extended Benefits Branch, Special Support Program. You must include documentation of the income changes.