How to Apply for the Yukon Seniors Income Supplement

The short answer

There is no separate Yukon Seniors Income Supplement application. The supplement is a monthly top-up for low-income seniors in Yukon who receive Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). You apply for OAS and GIS through Service Canada. The Government of Canada calculates your monthly Yukon Seniors Income Supplement from your GIS amount and sends the names and addresses of Yukoners who should receive the supplement to the Government of Yukon. If you already receive OAS and GIS in Yukon, you do not fill in another form for this supplement.

The supplement increases your monthly income by up to $323.26. The exact amount depends on your GIS amount, which is worked out from the income declared in your previous year's tax return. That means the amount can change from year to year as your reported income changes.

Who can receive it

You will receive the supplement if you are:

• a Yukon resident;
• 65 years of age or older;
• receiving Old Age Security;
• receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement; and
• receiving the GIS in Yukon.

You can also receive it if you are a spouse between 60 and 64 and receive the Spouse's Allowance or the Survivor's Allowance. 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.

How to apply for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement

Because the Yukon supplement 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 Yukon is your province of residence. The supplement is for people receiving GIS in Yukon. If you move out of Yukon, tell Service Canada and the Yukon government so your payments are not delayed or overpaid.

There is no Yukon form to chase after the federal application. Once Ottawa sends your name to the Yukon government, the supplement is paid to you. If you receive OAS and GIS in Yukon and the supplement has not started, phone Health and Social Services at 867-667-5674, or toll free at 1-800-661-0408, extension 5674.

Keeping the supplement 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 Yukon supplement follows from the GIS amount. 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 supplement, OAS, or GIS.

If you receive more than $500 per calendar year from the supplement, you will receive a T5007 slip. Include that amount as income when you file your taxes.

This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify. That decision sits with Service Canada for OAS and GIS, and with the Yukon government for the supplement.

What the opened pages do not state

The Yukon page states the maximum monthly amount ($323.26) and that the amount is calculated from the GIS amount, but it does not publish the formula that turns a GIS amount into a supplement amount, or an income threshold for the supplement itself, so this guide states neither. The page also does not publish a payment date for the supplement, so this guide gives none. The plot-time instruction to walk a separate Yukon seniors' benefits application was not followed: the opened Yukon page says there is no separate application and the federal government sends eligible names to the Yukon government.

Related guides:

• How to Apply for the Guaranteed Income Supplement — the federal benefit the Yukon supplement is calculated from, with the full application steps.
• How to Apply for Old Age Security in Canada — the federal pension you must receive before GIS and the Yukon supplement.
• How to Apply for the Saskatchewan Seniors Income Plan — Saskatchewan's monthly top-up for low-income seniors receiving GIS.
• How to Apply for the Alberta Seniors Benefit — Alberta's income-tested seniors benefit, which does need its own application.
• How to Apply for the BC Seniors Supplement — British Columbia's monthly top-up for low-income seniors receiving GIS.
• How to Apply for the Yukon Child Benefit — Yukon's child benefit, also assessed from the Canada Child Benefit application with no separate form.

Sources

• Government of Yukon, Apply for a low-income senior's income supplement — the up-to-$323.26 monthly amount, the GIS-based calculation, the federal government sending eligible names to Yukon, the eligibility list, the annual tax-filing requirement, the T5007 rule, and the contact numbers.