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
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 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 to address specific needs or circumstances.
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID)
SAID was designed in collaboration with members of the disability community. SAID is a needs-based income assistance program that offers 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 (such as shelter and living expenses), a Disability Income benefit, and Exceptional Need benefit(s). As well, SAID clients may also receive benefits to address the actual cost of basic utilities if applicable.
How many people claim social assistance?
On average, there were 38,188 cases (family units and unattached single adults) and 58,956 beneficiaries (individual claimants, their partners, and dependent children) receiving support through Saskatchewan’s social assistance programs during 2024-25.
Among cases, on average, about 52 per cent (19,904) received support through SIS, while the remaining 48 per cent (18,284) received support through the SAID. Among beneficiaries, about 61 per cent (36,186) received support through SIS, and 39 per cent (22,770) received support through SAID.
The total number of social assistance cases in Saskatchewan increased by 4.2 per cent (1,529) and beneficiaries increased by 3.9 per cent (2,206). SIS accounted for the majority of increases in both cases and beneficiaries, while SAID saw a slight decrease in cases.
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 2024-25, on average, there were 19,904 cases and 36,186 beneficiaries of SIS, an increase of 8.6 per cent (1,583) for cases and 6.4 per cent (2,167) for beneficiaries.
SIS was launched on July 15, 2019, and has seen increases in the number of cases and beneficiaries every year. 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 2024-25
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID)
In 2024-25, on average, there were about 18,284 cases and 22,770 beneficiaries receiving SAID, with the number of cases experiencing a modest decline and the number of beneficiaries slightly increasing when compared with 2023-24 figures. These numbers rose sharply in the two years after eligibility was expanded in 2012; after that, they rose at a slower pace until 2022-23. Since then, cases have decreased for two consecutive years.
Figure 2SK: Yearly cases and beneficiaries of SAID, 2009-10 to 2024-25
What proportion of the population receives social assistance?
In 2024-25, on average, 5.7 per cent of people in Saskatchewan under 65 received support from 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 grew rapidly until 2022-23. However, this growth has plateaued over the last two years, with the proportion reaching 3.5 per cent, on average, in 2024-25. The proportion of SAID beneficiaries consistently increased to 2.4 per cent until 2022-23. In 2024-25, it dropped slightly to 2.2 per cent, marking the second decrease in two years.
Figure 3SK: Yearly beneficiaries of SIS, SAID, SAP, and TEA as a proportion of the under-65 population of Saskatchewan, 1996-97 to 2024-25
Note: The total population under 65 is estimated on July 1 of the fiscal year (e.g., July 1, 2024, for 2024-25), whereas social assistance beneficiary data is a fiscal year average (April 1 to March 31).
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, on average, unattached singles were the majority household of social assistance cases for both SIS, representing 12,730 cases (64 per cent), and SAID, representing 15,800 cases (over 86 per cent). Single parents had the second-largest percentage of cases in each program, representing 5,785 cases (29 per cent) for SIS and 1,521 cases (8 per cent) for SAID.
Additional disaggregated data on the number of beneficiaries by household type for each program is available for download here.
Figure 4SK: Cases of SIS by household, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 5SK: Cases of SAID by household, 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 adult beneficiaries receiving SIS and SAID. The share of this age group among SIS recipients remained steady over the period, while it showed only a slight upward trend among SAID recipients.
Those aged 18-29 were the second-largest age group among SIS recipients, slightly decreasing their share over time. The second-largest group receiving SAID was 55-65 and its share stayed steady during the period of analysis.
The 55-65 age group represented the third-largest group among SIS recipients, increasing over time. In contrast, the third-largest group among SAID recipients was 18-29, and its share remained steady over time. Those aged 65 and over represented the smallest age group for both SIS and SAID, with a slight upward trend observed for SIS and steady for SAID over time.
Figure 6SK: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of SIS by age group in Saskatchewan, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 7SK: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of SAID by age group in Saskatchewan, 2020-21 to 2024-25
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 group; 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
- TEA was introduced in February 2003.
- SAID was introduced in 2009 and expanded in June 2012.
- SAP and TEA ended on August 31, 2021.
- SIS was launched on July 15, 2019, and replaced the SAP and TEA programs.
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. This is in part because 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.
- While the gender distribution of SAID and SIS 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.
- Adults by age is calculated as the average monthly number of adults falling within the specified age groups.
- 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.
- Note that program regulations and policies do not define “employment income.” These terms are based on the eligibility criteria and the types of employment income considered in the calculations.
- 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.
- Information about how the data is gathered.