How To Apply For Income Assistance in BC?
In this guide we will cover everything about applying for Income Assistance, where to consult, receive and how to apply. Follow the step by step instructions to complete the process.
Income Assistance British Columbia (Overview)
In BC with the income Assistance you can obtain:
- Coverage under a medical services plan.
- Prescription coverage with no deductible via PharmaCare.
- A monthly income support rate depending on your circumstances and family size.
For the benefit month, for example, you might get up to:
- If you are single, the money is $935.00.
- You and your spouse are both on welfare and have no children, you will get $1,525.00.
- If you are a single parent with one kid, you will obtain $1,280.00.
- You and your spouse are both on welfare and have one kid, you will get $1,720.00.
Other expenditures may be paid as well, depending on your circumstances. If you have children, you’ll be able to maintain your basic health insurance. This covers a full year of Medical Services Plan and 100% PharmaCare coverage once you leave income support for work.
Requirements to maintain Income Assistance
In order to continue receiving the benefit, the benefit must be maintained by performing certain actions.
Put your employment strategy into action
- If you receive government assistance and are able to work, you must complete an employment plan. If you are able, the actions in your plan will assist you in becoming self-sufficient.
- While receiving income assistance, you may not have to look for employment in certain conditions.
- Some persons are unable to work due to various and persistent impediments to employment.
Report on a monthly basis
- You must complete the monthly report form each month if you receive income assistance. The “cheque stub” is another name for this shape. Each month’s payment is due on the fifth of the month.
- The monthly report is a legal document that informs the government that you continue to need assistance. We’ll double-check the data with private, provincial, and federal organizations. This information will then be used to assess your eligibility or the amount of your next assistance check.
- You may use My Self Serve to submit your monthly report. Alternatively, you may fill out the manual monthly report (PDF) and send it off or mail it in each month.
Who is eligible to apply for income assistance?
If you find yourself in any of the following scenarios, you may be eligible:
- You’re unemployed or earning insufficiently to cover your fundamental demands.
- You’re waiting for money from other sources to come.
- You are unable to work in any capacity.
- You need immediate food, shelter, or medical assistance.
Only those who match the ministry’s qualifying requirements may receive available resources.
Evaluating your eligibility
If you are unable to get employment throughout your job search, you will be required to undergo an eligibility evaluation. A worker will do the following in person or over the phone:
- Please double-check the information you’ve given.
- Find out whether you’re eligible for government aid.
- Check to see whether you are presently renting or planning to rent a home.
If you rent, bring a copy of your lease or fill out the Shelter Information form (PDF). - Examine your employment preparedness.
- We’ll work with you to create a job strategy.
If you’re found to be qualified, you’ll start receiving help right away.
Apply for BC Income Assistance
There are 2 ways to apply for income assistance which are online and by contacting with some worker. For both forms of application you must have the following information available:
- You and your family will need identification.
- Your Social Security Number (SIN).
- How much do you spend in rent and utilities per month.
- The state of your bank account.
- If you own a car, how much do you owe on it.
- Employment Insurance (EI) or Worker’s Compensation funds are being paid to you or are being paid to you (WCB)
- If you have any outstanding warrants, please let us know.
- You were sponsored into Canada by a family member.
Apply Online Income Assistance BC
To apply for the benefit online you must go to: https://myselfserve.gov.bc.ca/. Once inside the portal we will log in with our account, if you do not have one you can create it right there.
When we enter the My Self Serve portal, we locate in the left menu the Service Request option, and from there we begin to create our request.
Then we confirm our request by adding supports if necessary, entering the PIN we have when creating our account and click Submit Request.
Afterwards we can check the status of our requests in Service Request and also create more if necessary.
When the request is approved, more options such as Monthly Reports, Employment Plans and Check Info will appear in our account.
Other way to Apply BC Income Assistance
When you are unable to apply for Income Assistance online you can also try the following:
Report to an office to be guided through the process. (Here) you can use the BC Office Finder or Office Directory.
Contact the phone line 1-866-866-0800, selecting option 2, then 1 and then option 2. A ministry worker will assist you with the process.
Income Assistance British Columbia Payments Date
To find out when the next scheduled payments are due or if you have already been deposited you can check My Self Serve or call and ask. Below you can see the Schedule for the year 2022:
