The Social Assistance Summaries series tracks the number of recipients of social assistance (welfare payments) in each province and territory.
In this section you will find:
British Columbia’s social assistance program
Social assistance is the income program of last resort. It is intended for households who have exhausted all other means of financial support. Every province and territory has its own social assistance program(s), and no two are the same. For the total incomes available to social assistance recipients, visit the Welfare in Canada report.
In British Columbia, basic support and shelter benefits are provided through the British Columbia Employment and Assistance (BCEA) program, which is both income- and asset-tested.
BCEA clients are divided into two main streams of assistance:
- Income Assistance (also called Temporary Assistance); and
- Disability Assistance.
Those who are not eligible for Income or Disability Assistance, such as those awaiting income, or those completing the work search required to receive one of the main streams of assistance, may be able to access support for essential needs through BCEA Hardship Assistance. Hardship Assistance is provided on a temporary basis for one month at a time.
Income Assistance
Income Assistance consists of a support allowance and a shelter allowance. The support allowance is intended to cover the cost of food, clothing, and personal and household items for the family. The shelter allowance is intended to pay for actual shelter costs. Families are guaranteed a minimum shelter allowance and can receive up to a maximum amount based on their costs. The maximum amount of support allowance varies on family size and composition (e.g., adults and children) and the minimum/maximum shelter allowance available varies by family size.
To be eligible for Income Assistance, individuals must meet eligibility requirements and fit the criteria of one of four groups:
- Recipients with Employability-Related Obligations;
- Recipients with Employability-Related Obligations: Recipients with short-term medical issues;
- No Employability-Related Obligations: numerous categories (e.g., single parents with a child under three and seniors); and
- Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers: individuals with long-term health conditions and an additional barrier that seriously impedes their ability to search for, accept, or continue in employment.
Disability Assistance
The Disability Assistance stream of BCEA recognizes that persons with disabilities (PWD) may require additional supports to meet the challenges of daily living through a higher assistance rate, an annual earnings exemption, supplementary assistance, and specialized employment supports.
The BC Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act defines PWD as an individual who is at least 18 years of age, with a severe physical or mental impairment that is expected to continue for at least two years, and who:
- Is significantly restricted in their ability to perform daily living activities; and
- Requires assistance with daily living activities.
This definition also includes individuals with episodic illnesses that restrict daily living activities continuously or periodically for extended periods.
The BC Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act also allows individuals approved for another prescribed government program or benefit (e.g., Canada Pension Plan disability benefit) to be designated as a PWD without going through the standard application process.
Once individuals qualify for Disability Assistance, they keep their PWD designation after they leave assistance (for employment or other income support programs) and may maintain their medical assistance.
BCEA Supplements
Along with assistance for everyday living and shelter costs, recipients may also qualify for General Supplements and Health Supplements through BCEA. These are intended to offset certain additional costs that some families face, such as the extra costs associated with a child’s schooling or the transportation costs associated with essential medical treatment.
How many people claim social assistance?
On average, there were 191,654 cases (family units and unattached single adults) and 255,463 beneficiaries (individual claimants, their partners, and dependent children) in British Columbia’s social assistance programs during 2024-25.
Among cases, 35 per cent (66,563) received Income Assistance (also known as Temporary Assistance) and 65 per cent (125,091) received Disability Assistance. Among beneficiaries, 40 per cent (102,833) received Income Assistance and about 60 per cent (152,631) received Disability Assistance.
The total number of social assistance cases increased by 11,876 in 2024-25. Both programs saw increases, but Income Assistance accounted for over 70 per cent of new cases. Similarly, the total number of beneficiaries increased by 17,192 in 2024-25, and Income Assistance accounted for slightly over 73 per cent of new beneficiaries.
To access data on cases and beneficiaries of social assistance in British Columbia, including disaggregated data, download the spreadsheet here.
Income Assistance
The average number of Income Assistance cases and beneficiaries in British Columbia was up significantly in 2024-25. The number of Income Assistance cases rose by about 8,363 to reach 66,563, and the number of beneficiaries rose by about 12,621 to 102,833.
The number of Income Assistance cases and beneficiaries fell substantially in the late-1990s and early-2000s. They rose somewhat in the late-2000s following the recession, dropped slightly and plateaued in the 2010s, and are now rising again. However, recent caseloads have remained much lower than in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Figure 1BC – Yearly cases and beneficiaries of Income Assistance in British Columbia, 1996-97 to 2024-25
Disability Assistance
In 2024-25, there were an average of about 125,091 cases in British Columbia’s Disability Assistance program, and nearly 152,631 beneficiaries. Both numbers have been steadily rising over the last 26 years.
Figure 2BC – Yearly cases and beneficiaries of Disability Assistance in British Columbia, 1996-97 to 2024-25
What proportion of the population receives social assistance?
In 2024-25, on average, 5.6 per cent of people in British Columbia under 65 received Income Assistance or Disability Assistance.
The proportion of people under 65 receiving Disability Assistance has increased consistently since 1996-97, reaching 3.3 per cent in 2020-21 and maintaining that level for four consecutive years until increasing to 3.4 in 2024-25.
The proportion of Income Assistance beneficiaries decreased steeply from 1996-97 to 2006-07, dropping from 8.9 per cent to 1.6 per cent. The proportion increased slightly to 2.3 per cent following the recession of the 2010s. Following a modest decline in 2014-15 and a subsequent period of stability, the proportion began to increase again in 2023-24 and rose further in 2024-25, reaching 2.3 per cent.
Figure 3BC: Yearly beneficiaries of Income Assistance and Disability Assistance as a proportion of the under-65 population of British Columbia, 1996-97 to 2024-25
Who is receiving social assistance?
This section examines disaggregated data on cases by household type and adult beneficiaries by age group.
Household type
In 2024-25, unattached singles comprised the majority of households for both Income Assistance and Disability Assistance, in terms of cases. For Income Assistance, unattached singles accounted for 48,497 cases, representing about 73 per cent. For Disability Assistance, unattached singles represented 109,312 cases (over 87 per cent).
For both programs, single parents were the second-largest household, with 14,239 cases (around 22 per cent) for Income Assistance and 9,461 cases (around 8 per cent) for Disability Assistance.
Additional disaggregated data on the number of beneficiaries by household type for each program is available for download here.
Figure 4BC: Cases of Income Assistance by household in British Columbia, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 5BC: Cases of Disability Assistance by household in British Columbia, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Age of adult beneficiaries
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the 30-54 age group was, on average, the most common among both Income Assistance and Disability Assistance beneficiaries. The share of this age group among Income Assistance recipients remained steady over the period, while it showed an upward trend among Disability Assistance beneficiaries.
Those aged 18-29 were the second most frequent age group among Income Assistance beneficiaries, with a stable share over time. The second most frequent age group receiving Disability Assistance was 55-65, and its share slightly decreased during the period of analysis.
The 55-65 age group represented the third largest group among Income Assistance beneficiaries, remaining relatively stable over time. In contrast, the third-largest group among Disability Assistance beneficiaries was 18-29, and its share declined slightly. Those aged 65 and over represented the smallest age group for both Income Assistance and Disability Assistance, with an upward trend observed for the former and a steady trend for the latter.
Figure 6BC: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of Income Assistance by age group in British Columbia, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 7BC: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of Disability Assistance by age group in British Columbia, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Access to data
The data on social assistance recipients in British Columbia is available for download, including:
- Total number of cases and beneficiaries;
- Percentage of beneficiaries relative to the total under-65 population;
- Cases and beneficiaries by household type;
- Beneficiaries by gender;
- Single households by gender;
- Adult beneficiaries by age group; and
- Percentage of cases receiving employment income.
Data notes
- The data reflects the average number of cases and beneficiaries over the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
- The numbers do not include First Nations living on reserves.
- Gender for beneficiaries is estimated as information is not available for all recipients.
- While the gender distribution of Income Assistance or Disability Assistance is typically balanced between males and females, the gender of single households reveals a more pronounced gender pattern. Typically, unattached singles are predominantly male, while single parents are primarily female.
- In British Columbia, employment income is defined as any money or value received in exchange for work or the provision of a service.
- From 2024-25 onward, age groups were redefined as 18-29, 30-54, 55-65, and over 65. Previous data on adult beneficiaries by age group was revised to maintain consistency across reporting years.
- Information about how the data is gathered.
Resources
- Download the all-Canada report as a PDF
- Download the data for British Columbia
- Download the data for all of Canada
- Further breakdowns on social assistance data in British Columbia can be found on the province’s website