Summary of the Evaluation of the Guaranteed Income Supplement
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Summary of the Evaluation of the Guaranteed Income Supplement [PDF - 257 KB]
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The Guaranteed Income Supplement is a monthly benefit available to low-income Old Age Security pensioners residing in Canada. It provides a monthly non-taxable benefit to Old Age Security pension recipients who have a low level of income. For fiscal year 2018 to 2019, an average of 2 million seniors received Guaranteed Income Supplement payments in addition to their monthly Old Age Security pension, totaling $12.4 billion.
The evaluation examined barriers to take-up of the Guaranteed Income Supplement, with a focus on vulnerable populations and non-tax filers.
Key findings
- Among all seniors:
- barriers to take-up of the Guaranteed Income Supplement still exist for immigrants and those who live in rural areas, including language and difficulty understanding the application process
- Among non tax-filing seniors:
- only about 15% of eligible non-recipients have applied for the Guaranteed Income Supplement
- barriers to take-up among non tax-filing seniors relate to having difficulty accessing information about the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Barriers are experienced by seniors from all socioeconomic groups
Recommendation
The program should continue its efforts to better reach seniors and enhance take-up of the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
The full Evaluation of the Guaranteed Income Supplement – Phase 2 is now available.