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:
Saskatchewan’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 modelling of total incomes available to social assistance recipients, visit the Welfare in Canada report.
In Saskatchewan, there are two core income assistance programs:
- Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS); and
- Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID).
Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS)
SIS was introduced on July 15, 2019. The SIS program supports people by meeting their basic needs as they work to become more self-sufficient to the best of their abilities. Basic benefits include the Adult Basic Benefit and Shelter Benefit; additional benefits may be available in some situations to address specific needs or situations.
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID)
SAID is a needs-based income assistance program that supports Saskatchewan citizens with significant and enduring disabilities access to income support, greater choice of services, and supports their participation in the community. It was introduced in 2009 for individuals in residential care settings and expanded in June 2012 to include people who live independently.
Eligibility for SAID is determined by verification of financial eligibility, medical confirmation of an enduring disability and assessment of the impact of disability on their daily living.
SAID benefits include a Living Income benefit for basic needs, a Disability Income benefit, and Exceptional Need benefit(s). As well, SAID clients may also receive utility, laundry, and telephone benefits if applicable.
How many people claim social assistance?
On average, there were 36,659 cases (family units and unattached single adults) and 56,750 beneficiaries (individual claimants, their partners, and dependent children) receiving Saskatchewan’s social assistance programs during 2023-24.
Among cases, on average, about 50 per cent (18,321) received support through the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS), while the remaining 50 per cent (18,338) received support through the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID). Among beneficiaries, about 60 per cent (34,019) received support through SIS, and 40 per cent (22,731) received support through SAID.
The total number of social assistance cases in Saskatchewan increased slightly by 2.2 per cent (784) and beneficiaries increased by about 2 per cent (1,168). SIS accounted for the overall increase in both cases and beneficiaries, while SAID saw a moderate decrease in both numbers.
To access data on cases and beneficiaries of social assistance in Saskatchewan, including Saskatchewan Assistance Program and Transitional Employment Allowance data, and disaggregated data, download the spreadsheet here.
Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS)
In 2023-24, on average, there were 18,321 cases and 34,019 beneficiaries of SIS, an increase of almost 6 per cent (1,005) for cases and 4.5 per cent (1,472) for beneficiaries.
SIS was launched on July 15, 2019, and has seen increases in the number of cases and beneficiaries every year since. This is in part because it has gradually replaced the Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP) and the Transitional Employment Allowance (TEA) as they ceased in August 2021. These programs’ historical numbers of cases and recipients are represented in figure 1SK below.
Figure 1SK: Yearly cases and beneficiaries of SIS, SAP, and TEA, 1996-97 to 2023-24
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID)
In 2023-24, on average, there were 18,338 cases and 22,731 beneficiaries receiving SAID, with both figures experiencing a modest decline. These numbers rose sharply in the two years after eligibility was expanded in 2012 and have risen at a slower pace since then until 2022-23.
Figure 2SK: Yearly cases and beneficiaries of SAID, 2009-10 to 2023-24
What proportion of the population receives social assistance?
In 2023-24, on average, 5.7 per cent of people in Saskatchewan under 65 received one of Saskatchewan’s social assistance programs, which is 1 in 18. This was the same as in the previous year.
Since it was introduced in 2019-20, the proportion of SIS beneficiaries has increased rapidly, reaching 3.4 per cent on average in 2023-24. The proportion of SAID beneficiaries increased consistently until 2022-23. In 2023-24, it slightly dropped to 2.3.
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 3SK: Yearly beneficiaries of SIS, SAID, SAP, and TEA as a proportion of the under-65 population of Saskatchewan, 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, on average, unattached singles were the majority household of social assistance cases for both SIS, representing 11,414 (62 per cent), and SAID, representing 15,883 (over 86 per cent). Single parents had the second largest percentage of cases in each program, representing 5,655 cases (31 per cent) for SIS cases and 1,460 (8 per cent) for SAID.
Single parent households were, on average, the majority of beneficiaries for SIS in 2023-24, representing 17,740 (52 per cent), followed by unattached singles, with 11,414 (33 per cent). For SAID, unattached singles were the majority beneficiaries with 15,883 (almost 70 per cent), followed by single parent households with 4,028 (more than 17 per cent).
Figure 4SK: Cases and beneficiaries of SIS by household, 2020-21 to 2023-24
Cases
Beneficiaries
Figure 5SK: Cases and beneficiaries of SAID by household, 2020-21 to 2023-24
Cases
Beneficiaries
Employment income
Note that program regulations and policies do not define “employment income.” We base these terms on the eligibility criteria and the types of employment income considered in the calculations.
In 2023-24, on average, 4.1 per cent of SIS cases had employment income, marking a steady increase since 2020-21. Cases receiving SAID were more likely to have employment income at 5.9 per cent, consistent with the figures from 2022-23.
Figure 6SK: Percentage of SIS and SAID cases with employment income in Saskatchewan, 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 SAID and SIS are 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 Saskatchewan 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 (SAID) and cases (SIS) by gender;
- Single households by gender;
- Adult beneficiaries by age category; and
- Percentage of cases reporting employment income.
Data notes
Acronyms
- SAP: Saskatchewan Assistance Program
- TEA: Transitional Employment Allowance
- SAID: Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability
- SIS: Saskatchewan Income Support
Key dates and timelines
- Transitional Employment Allowance was introduced in February 2003.
- Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability was introduced in 2009 and expanded in June 2012.
- Saskatchewan Income Support was launched on July 15, 2019 and replaced the SAP and TEA programs.
- SAP and TEA ended August 31, 2021.
General data notes
- The data reflects the average number of cases and beneficiaries for the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31). While these figures are averaged over the full fiscal year, some programs were operational for only a portion of the year. The following programs had shorter operational periods during the years specified:
- In 2002-03, TEA operated for two months.
- In 2009-10, SAID operated for five months.
- In 2019-20, SIS operated for nine months.
- In 2021-22, SAP and TEA operated for five months.
- The subtotals may not add up to equal the total number of cases (households), adults, and beneficiaries due to rounding errors or missing data.
- The numbers do not include First Nations living on reserves.
- SIS data disaggregated by gender is only available for cases, not beneficiaries as this data is not collected for children under the SIS program.
- SIS applicants and spouses/partners can choose not to specify gender, or select an option other than “male” or “female” as their preferred gender identity.
- Data for cases by gender reflects the gender of the primary applicant.
- Adults by age is calculated as the average monthly number of adults falling within the specified age groups.
- The percentage of cases reporting employment income is calculated as the distinct (unique) count of households within each quarter reporting incomes (self-declared) from employment, farming and/or self-employment divided by the total distinct (unique) count of households within each quarter.
- Click here for more information about how the data is gathered.