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 (description)
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 those relying on social assistance, 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 of 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 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 just under 179,780 cases (family units and unattached single adults) and about 238,270 beneficiaries (individual claimants, their partners, and dependent children) in British Columbia’s social assistance programs during 2023-24.
Among cases, 32 per cent (58,200) received Income Assistance (also known as Temporary Assistance) and 68 per cent (121,578) received Disability Assistance. And among beneficiaries, around 38 per cent (90,212) received Income Assistance and just over 62 per cent (148,059) received Disability Assistance.
The total number of social assistance cases increased by 9,626 in 2023-24. Both programs saw increases, but Income Assistance accounted for over 64 per cent of new cases. Similarly, the total number of beneficiaries increased by 13,892 in 2023-24, and Income Assistance accounted for slightly over 70 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 were up significantly in 2023-24. The number of Income Assistance cases rose by about 6,240 to reach 58,200, and the number of beneficiaries rose by about 9,778 to 90,212.
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 90s and early 2000s.
Figure 1BC – Yearly cases and beneficiaries of Income Assistance in British Columbia, 1996-97 to 2023-24
Disability Assistance
In 2023-24, there was an average of about 121,580 cases in British Columbia’s Disability Assistance program, and nearly 148,060 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 2023-24
What proportion of the population receives social assistance?
In 2023-24, on average, 5.4 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 2023-24.
The proportion of Income Assistance beneficiaries decreased steeply from 1996-97 to 2006-07, going 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, and in 2023-24 stood at 2.0 per cent.
Note: The total population under 65 is estimated on July 1 of the fiscal year (e.g. July 1, 2023, for 2023-24), whereas social assistance beneficiary data is a fiscal year average (April 1 to March 31).
Figure 3BC – Yearly beneficiaries of Income Assistance and Disability Assistance as a proportion of the under-65 population of British Columbia, 1996-97 to 2023-24
Who is receiving social assistance (disaggregated data)?
This section examines disaggregated data on cases and beneficiaries by household type, and cases receiving employment income.
Household type
In 2023-24, unattached singles comprised the majority of households for both Income Assistance and Disability Assistance, both in terms of cases and beneficiaries. For Income Assistance, unattached singles accounted for 41,991 cases, representing over 72 per cent (of cases), and 47 per cent of beneficiaries. In the case of Disability Assistance, unattached singles represented 106,272 (87 per cent of cases and 72 per cent of beneficiaries, respectively).
For both programs, single parents were the second largest number of cases and beneficiaries. With 13,247 cases (23 per cent), and 37,237 beneficiaries (41 per cent) for Income Assistance; and 8,950 cases (7 per cent), and 23,008 beneficiaries (16 per cent) for Disability Assistance.
Figure 4BC: Cases and beneficiaries of Income Assistance by household in British Columbia, 2020-21 to 2023-24
Cases
Beneficiaries
Figure 5BC: Cases and beneficiaries of Disability Assistance by household in British Columbia, 2020-21 to 2023-24
Cases
Beneficiaries
Employment income
In British Columbia, employment income is defined as any money or value received in exchange for work or the provision of a service.
In 2023-24, on average, 6.1 per cent of Income Assistance cases had employment income. Cases receiving Disability Assistance are more likely to have employment income at 11.1 per cent.
Figure 6BC: Percentage of Income Assistance and Disability Assistance cases with employment income in British Columbia, 2020-21 to 2023-24
Additional disaggregated data on gender and age is available for download below.
It’s important to note that 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.
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;
- Adults beneficiaries by age category; 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.
- Click here for more 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