The Social Assistance Summaries series tracks the number of recipients of social assistance (welfare payments) in each province and territory.
For the total incomes available to those relying on social assistance, visit the Welfare in Canada report.
Program details
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.
In Saskatchewan, there are two social 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. SIS clients are nominated for Supplementary Health benefits administered by the Ministry of Health.
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 gives Saskatchewan citizens with significant and enduring disabilities access to long-term 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 the SAID program is determined by verification of financial eligibility, medical confirmation of an enduring disability and assessment of the impact of disability.
SAID benefits include a Living Income benefit for basic needs, a Disability needs benefit, and an Exceptional Needs benefit. As well, SAID recipients may also receive utility, laundry, and telephone benefits if applicable. SAID clients are also nominated for Supplementary Health Benefits through the Ministry of Health.
Statistics
How many people claim social assistance?
On average, there were 33,025 cases (families and single adults) and 51,424 beneficiaries (individual claimants, their partners, and dependent children) in Saskatchewan’s social assistance programs during 2021-22.
Among cases, about 39 per cent (12,906) received support through the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS), over 53 per cent (17,632) received support through the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID), around six per cent (1,990) received support through the Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP), and the remaining less-than-two per cent (497) received support through the Transitional Employment Allowance (TEA).
The total number of social assistance cases in Saskatchewan fell for a second year in a row in 2021-22, although it had previously been rising since 2011-12.
SAP and TEA ended in August of 2021, so their total numbers in 2021-22 were calculated as averages over the fiscal year (12 months) while the programs were operational for five months (April to August).
Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS)
SIS was launched on July 15, 2019, and has gradually replaced SAP and TEA as they ceased in August 2021. In 2021-22, there were 12,900 cases in the SIS program and 24,600 beneficiaries, an average increase of 61 per cent (4,900) for cases and 80 per cent (10,900) for beneficiaries.
Figure 1SK – Yearly cases and beneficiaries of Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS), the Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP) and Transitional Employment Allowance (TEA), 1996 to 2022
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID)
During 2020-21, on average, there were over 17,600 cases in the SAID program and almost 21,700 beneficiaries. These numbers rose sharply in the two years after eligibility was expanded in 2012 and have risen at a slower pace since then.
Figure 2SK – Yearly cases and beneficiaries of Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID), 2009 to 2022
What proportion of the population receives social assistance?
In 2021-22, on average, 5.2 per cent of people in Saskatchewan under 65 received one of Saskatchewan’s social assistance programs, which is one in 19. The proportion of recipients receiving social assistance has followed a similar pattern as the total number of recipients.
Since it was introduced in 2019-20, the proportion of Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) beneficiaries has increased rapidly, reaching 2.5 per cent in 2021-22. The number of Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) recipients relative to the under 65 population has increased consistently since 2009-10, with a high of 2.2 per cent in 2021-22.
On the other hand, the proportion of Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP) and Transitional Employment Allowance (TEA) beneficiaries further decreased to lows of 0.4 and 0.1 per cent respectively in 2021-22.
Note: The total population under 65 is estimated on July 1 of a given year, whereas social assistance beneficiary data is a fiscal year average (April to March).
Figure 3SK – Yearly beneficiaries of social assistance as a proportion of the under-65 population of Saskatchewan, 1996 to 2022
Who is receiving social assistance?
In 2021-22, on average, unattached singles were the majority household of social assistance cases for both Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) with about 61 per cent and Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) with almost 87 per cent. Single parents had the second largest percentages of cases in each program: over 32 per cent for SIS and over seven per cent for SAID.
Single parent households were, on average, the majority of beneficiaries for SIS in 2021-22, with 54 per cent, followed by unattached singles, with 32 per cent. For SAID, unattached singles were the majority beneficiaries with over 71 per cent, followed by single parent households with 16 per cent.
In 2021-22, males, on average, made up the majority of the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability beneficiaries, with nearly 53 per cent. Female-led households made up the majority of Saskatchewan Income Support cases, with 58 per cent.
Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS)
Figure 4SK – Cases and beneficiaries of the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) by household, 2020-21 and 2021-22
A. Cases
B. Beneficiaries
Figure 5SK – Cases of the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) by gender of primary applicant, 2020-21 and 2021-22
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID)
Figure 6SK – Cases and beneficiaries of the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) by household, 2020-21 and 2021-22
A. Cases
B. Beneficiaries
Figure 7SK – Beneficiaries of the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) by gender, 2020-21 and 2021-22
Data
Figure 8SK – Yearly social assistance data for Saskatchewan, 1996 to 2022
Figure 9SK – Social assistance data by household for Saskatchewan, 2020-21 and 2021-22
Figure 10SK – Social assistance data by gender for Saskatchewan, 2020-21 and 2021-22
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. The intake of new SAP and TEA applications was suspended on July 15, 2019.
- SAP and TEA were closed on August 31, 2021.
Notes on program data
- For 2002-03, the average cases and beneficiaries for TEA and the overall average (Totals) were calculated as average over the fiscal year (12 months) while the program was operational for two months.
- For 2009-10, the average cases and beneficiaries for SAID and the overall average (Totals) were calculated as average over the fiscal year (12 months) while the program was operational for five months.
- For 2019-20, the average cases and beneficiaries for SIS and the overall average (Totals) were calculated as average over the fiscal year (12 months) while the program was operational for nine months.
- For 2021-22, the average cases and beneficiaries for SAP and TEA and the overall average (Totals) were calculated as average over the fiscal year (12 months) while the programs were operational for five months.
General data notes
- The data reflects the average number of cases and beneficiaries over the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
- The subtotals may not add up to equal the total number of Cases and Beneficiaries due to rounding.
- 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. On average, 38 cases of SIS in 2020-21 and 69 cases of SIS in 2021-22 chose this option. - Data for cases by gender reflects the gender of the primary applicant.
- Click here for more information about how the data is gathered