In this section you will find:
Components of welfare incomes
In British Columbia, households that qualify for basic social assistance payments also qualify for:
- Recurring additional social assistance payments from the province,
- Federal and provincial child benefits for households with children, and
- Federal and provincial tax credits or benefits.
Together, these components form a household’s total welfare income. Households may receive less if they have income from other sources, or more if they have special health- or disability-related needs.
In 2024, the two example households with children in British Columbia received additional payments from the provincial government related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation. These payments are included in the table below.
Table 1BC shows the value of the welfare income components of the four example household types in British Columbia in 2024. All four households are assumed to be living in Vancouver, receiving provincial social assistance starting January 1 and for the entire year, and earning no employment income. The child in the single-parent household is two years old and the children in the couple household are ten and 15. Other assumptions for calculating incomes are in the Methodology section.
Table 1BC: Components of welfare incomes for all example households in British Columbia, 2024
Total annual welfare incomes in 2024 ranged from $14,080 for the unattached single considered employable to $41,708 for the couple with two children. The unattached single with a disability received $19,845 and the single parent with one child received $29,084.
Basic social assistance: Three of the example households received Income Assistance while the unattached single with a disability received Disability Assistance. The Basic Support Allowance and Shelter Allowance amounts did not change in 2024.
Additional social assistance: All four households received additional social assistance benefits. All four received an annual Winter Supplement, which was $60 for the unattached single households, $140 for the single parent with one child, and $160 for the couple with two children. The couple with two children also received an annual School Start-Up Supplement, which was $120 for the ten-year-old and $210 for the 15-year-old. The unattached single with a disability received the $624 Transportation Supplement, which recipients could choose to receive as a bus pass issued through the BC Bus Pass Program or as a $52 per month payment intended to assist with transportation costs; the value of these amounts did not change in 2024.
Federal child benefits: Both households with children received the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which increased with inflation in July from $619.75 to $648.92 per month for a child under six years of age and from $522.92 to $547.50 per month for a child aged six to 17.
Provincial child benefits: Both households with children received the monthly BC Family Benefit. The single parent with one child received the first child amount of $145.83 per month while the couple with two children received the first child amount plus the second child amount of $91.67 for a total of $237.50 per month.
The single parent with one child also received the BC Family Benefit Single Parent Supplement, which was $41.67 per month, for a total of $500 per year.
In addition, both households with children received the BC Family Benefit Bonus for the last six months of 2024. The BC Family Benefit Bonus was a time-limited cost of living-related payment to families with children that provided an additional $36.50 per month for the first child and $22.81 per month for the second child starting in July.
Federal tax credits/benefits: All four households received the GST/HST credit, which increased with inflation in July. The unattached single households received $332.50 in basic GST/HST credit, while the single parent with one child received $665 and the couple with two children received $1,015.
Three households also received the GST/HST credit supplement. The unattached single considered employable received $17.02, the unattached single with a disability received $131.14, and the single parent with one child received the maximum amount of $175.
The federal Grocery Rebate, which was provided as a one-time GST/HST credit payment in response to high inflation in 2023, was not available in 2024.
Provincial tax credits/benefits: All four households received the BC Sales Tax Credit, the BC Climate Action Tax Credit (BCCATC), and the new BC Renter’s Tax Credit.
The BC Sales Tax Credit base amount was unchanged at $75 per adult. However, because of the credit’s very low reduction thresholds, three households received reduced amounts due to their 2023 net incomes: the unattached single with a disability received $20.28, the single parent with one child received $50, and the couple with two children received $60.40.
The two BCCATC payments for the first half of 2024 totalled $223.50 for the two unattached single households, $335.25 for the single parent with one child, and $446.75 for the couple with two children. In the second half of 2024, BCCTAC payments were increased due to increased revenue from the BC carbon tax: the two unattached single households received $252, the single parent with one child received $378, and the couple with two children received $504.
The BC Renter’s Tax Credit is a refundable credit for individuals and families living in rental housing who have low incomes, introduced for the 2023 tax year. In 2024, each of the four example households received the maximum annual credit of $400 per household. Given that our example households are assumed to be living in rental accommodation (see the Methodology section for more information), we assumed that they met the eligibility criteria of occupying a rental unit in BC for a total of at least six one-month periods and paid rent for that unit.
Cost-of-living payments: Several jurisdictions, including the federal government, provided additional payments in 2022 and 2023 related to the increased cost of living resulting from high inflation. In 2024, British Columbia was one of only four provincial and territorial jurisdictions that continued to provide these payments. Federal inflation-related cost-of-living payments were discontinued in 2024.
As noted above, both households with children received the BC Family Benefit Bonus for the last six months of 2024 in the amount of $36.50 per month for the first child and $22.81 per month for the second child.
See the Overview section for more information on cost-of-living payments.
Changes to welfare incomes
Figures 1BC and 2BC show how the total welfare incomes for each of the four example household types in British Columbia have changed over time.
Note that the values are in 2024 constant dollars, not current dollars, and are calculated using the Canada CPI. Using constant dollars takes into account the effect of inflation given that inflation reduces current dollar values over time. Also note that using the CPI for British Columbia would have resulted in a slightly different trendline.
Figure 1BC: Welfare incomes for example unattached single households in British Columbia 1986–2024, in 2024 constant dollars
Total welfare incomes for the unattached single households followed a similar pattern across the time series. A generally increasing trend between 1986 and 1994 was followed by a decline until the mid-2000s. After a slight increase, another period of gradual decline followed into the mid-2010s. Increases through to 2019, particularly for the unattached single with a disability, were followed by a significant increase in 2020, which was primarily due to COVID-19 pandemic-related payments, especially those provided by the province. Declines in 2021 and 2022 were due to a combination of the loss of those payments and the effects of high inflation. The slight increase in 2023 was primarily due to one-time or time-limited payments intended to address high inflation as well as increases in basic and additional social assistance benefits. Although the households lost several one-time inflation-related payments in 2024, the slight increases were due to the introduction of the BC Renter’s Tax Credit and increased BCCATC amounts.
In 2024, the unattached single considered employable received $14,080 in total welfare income, which is a 6 per cent increase compared to 2023 and a 27 per cent increase since the start of the time series, in constant 2024 dollars. The unattached single with a disability received $19,845 in 2023, which is a 4 per cent increase over 2023 and a 22 per cent increase across the time series, in constant 2024 dollars.
Figure 2BC: Welfare incomes for example households with children in British Columbia 1986–2024, in 2024 constant dollars
The total welfare incomes of the households with children also followed a similar pattern across the time series. Increases through the mid-1990s were followed by a period of gradual decline until the mid-2000s. Small increases through 2010 were followed by another period of gradual decline until 2014. Increases between 2015 and 2019 were largely due to changes to child benefits. In 2020, welfare incomes rose sharply, primarily due to COVID-19 pandemic-related payments from both provincial and federal programs. Declines in 2021 and 2022 were due to a combination of the loss of those payments and the impact of high inflation. Small increases in 2023 were mostly due to one-time or time-limited payments intended to address high inflation increases to and new child-related benefits from provincial programs, as well as increases in basic and additional social assistance benefits. Although the households lost several one-time inflation-related payments in 2024, the slight increases were due to the introduction of the BC Renter’s Tax Credit, increased BCCATC amounts, and the temporary inflation-related increase to the BC Family Bonus.
In 2024, the single parent with one child received $29,084, which is a 4 per cent increase compared to 2023 and a 29 per cent increase since the start of the time series, in constant 2024 dollars. The couple with two children received $41,708 in 2024, which is a 2 per cent increase compared to 2023 and a 28 per cent increase across the entire time series, in constant 2024 dollars.
Adequacy of welfare incomes
The adequacy of a household’s total welfare income can be assessed by comparing it to established thresholds of poverty and/or low income.
Two measures of poverty are commonly used in Canada:
- The Market Basket Measure (MBM), Canada’s Official Poverty Line, identifies households whose disposable income is less than the cost of a “basket” of goods and services that represents a basic standard of living.
- The Deep Income Poverty (MBM-DIP) threshold identifies households whose disposable income is less than 75 per cent of the MBM.
There are also two commonly used measures of low income:
- The Low Income Measure (LIM) identifies households whose income is substantially below what is typical in society (i.e., less than half of the median income).
- The Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) identifies households that are likely to spend a disproportionately large share of their income on food, clothing, and shelter.
Note that MBM thresholds vary by province and community size, and LICO thresholds vary by community size. As such, we use the thresholds for the province’s largest city, Vancouver, in the analysis below. Note also that we use after-tax LIM and LICO thresholds, and that the LIM thresholds for 2024 are estimates based on increasing the 2023 thresholds to account for inflation.
Also note that none of the poverty or low-income measures currently in use in Canada accounts for the higher cost of living faced by people with disabilities, and that these additional costs are not reflected in our analysis.
More information about the thresholds is available in the Methodology section.
A table containing comparisons of the welfare incomes of the four example household types in British Columbia with all four poverty/low-income thresholds is available for download.
Poverty threshold comparisons
The welfare incomes of all four example household types in British Columbia were below Canada’s Official Poverty Line (MBM) in 2024, and all four were below the Deep Income Poverty threshold (MBM-DIP). This means that all four British Columbia households were living not only in poverty in 2024, but also in deep poverty.
Figures 3BC and 4BC compare 2024 welfare incomes for the four example household types to the 2024 MBM and MBM-DIP thresholds for Vancouver.
Figure 3BC: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example unattached single households in British Columbia, 2024
The unattached single considered employable had the least adequate income relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $8,325 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $15,674 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 63 per cent of the MBM-DIP and only 47 per cent of the MBM.
The unattached single with a disability fared better, with an income that was $2,470 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $9,909 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 89 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 67 per cent of the MBM.
Note that the poverty experienced by people with disabilities is underrepresented because neither the MBM nor the MBM-DIP accounts for the additional costs associated with disability. See the Methodology section for more information.
Figure 4BC: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example households with children in British Columbia, 2024
The income of the single parent with one child was $2,475 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $12,994 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 92 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 69 per cent of the MBM.
The income of the couple with two children was the most adequate relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $2,923 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $17,800 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 93 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 70 per cent of the MBM.
Low-income threshold comparisons
The welfare incomes of the example households were also below, and in some instances less than half of, the low-income thresholds, as shown in the table linked below.
The least adequate income relative to the thresholds was that of the unattached single considered employable, whose total welfare income was only 45 per cent of the LIM and 54 per cent of the LICO.
The income of the couple with two children was the most adequate relative to the LIM, at 67 per cent; their income was also 85 per cent of the LICO. The single parent with one child had an income that was the most adequate relative to the LICO, at 92 per cent; their income was also 66 per cent of the LIM.
The unattached single with a disability had an income of 64 per cent of the LIM and 77 per cent of the LICO.
The LIM and LICO thresholds used are for after-tax income, as noted above.
Changes to adequacy of welfare incomes
Figures 5BC and 6BC show the total welfare incomes of each of the four example household types in British Columbia as a percentage of the Market Basket Measure (MBM) for Vancouver, starting in 2002.
The black line at the top of each graph (i.e., the 100 per cent threshold) represents Canada’s Official Poverty Line. This means that the graphs show how far below the Poverty Line the four households’ total welfare incomes have been in each year over the past 23 years.
The grey line indicates the Deep Income Poverty threshold, which is 75 per cent of the MBM. The graphs therefore also show the relationship between total welfare incomes and deep poverty in each year over the past 23 years.
Three trendlines for each household are shown in the graphs. These lines illustrate the relationship between welfare incomes and changes made to the MBM due to “rebasing.” The two rebasings, occurring in 2008 and 2018, are indicated with a dotted vertical line. Rebasing updates the measure, including the items and costs included in the basket, to better reflect contemporary circumstances and typically creates a higher poverty threshold than that of a previous base. The trendlines demonstrate changes to household poverty levels within the years in which each base is applied. A trendline rise within those periods indicates an improvement in a household’s level of poverty while a decline indicates a deepening of their poverty. For the years in which rebasing took place (2008 and 2018), we include the percentage of welfare income relative to the MBM using both the previous and the new base to show how rebasing affects adequacy.
Note that fluctuations in the graph trendlines are due to a combination of changes in welfare incomes and the cost of living. Both factors must be considered when analyzing a trend.
Figure 5BC: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for example unattached single households in British Columbia, 2002–2024
The total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable was the least adequate relative to the Poverty Line of all the example households across the time series. In 2002, their income was only 44 per cent of the Poverty Line. After a period of general decline with some fluctuations, their income increased in 2020 to a high of 51 per cent of the Poverty Line, decreased to 44 per cent in 2023, and ended the time series in 2024 at 47 per cent.
Overall, the income of the unattached single considered employable ended the time series 3 percentage points higher relative to the Poverty Line than it started, indicating very little improvement since 2002. As well, the income of the unattached single considered employable was below the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, meaning that households in these circumstances would have consistently lived in deep poverty for the last 23 years.
The total welfare income of the unattached single with a disability started the time series at 66 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2002. Similar variations occurred across the time series, with a more notable increase in 2017. Their income reached a high of 74 per cent in 2020 but declined to 65 per cent in 2022. Their income ended the time series in 2024 at 67 per cent of the Poverty Line.
Overall, the total welfare income of the unattached single with a disability was only 1 percentage point higher in 2024 than it was in 2002; although their income was closer to the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series than that of the unattached single considered employable, their income remained below the threshold, which means that households in these circumstances would have been living at nearly the same, deep level of poverty in 2024 that they were in 2002.
Figure 6BC: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for example households with children in British Columbia, 2002–2024
The welfare income of the single parent with one child started the time series at 66 per cent of the Poverty Line and stayed at about the same level until an increase in 2007; it declined back to 66 per cent in 2008 and remained roughly the same until 2014, followed by increases through 2017. A decline after the 2018 rebasing was followed by significant improvements in 2020 and 2021, when their income reached its peak at 73 per cent of the Poverty Line. Those improvements were followed by another decline in 2022 and slight increases in 2023 and 2024, when their income ended the time series at 69 per cent of the Poverty Line.
Overall, the welfare income of the single parent with one child was 3 percentage points higher at the end of the time series than it was at the beginning, meaning that there would have been only very slight progress made on alleviating the poverty of households in these circumstances. Their income was also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, meaning that households in these circumstances would have consistently lived in deep poverty for the last 23 years.
The welfare income of the couple with two children started at the slightly lower level of 62 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2002, declining to 56 per cent in 2014, and rising through to 2018. The decline after the 2018 rebasing was followed by an improvement in 2020 to a high of 73 per cent. Two years of declines thereafter were followed by the slight increase in 2023 to 70 per cent of the Poverty Line, where their income remained in 2024.
The welfare income of the couple with two children was 11 percentage points higher in 2024 than in 2002, which indicates that the depth of poverty for households in these circumstances would have lessened over the time series. However, their income also remained under the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the time series, which means that despite improvements over the last two decades, households in these circumstances would have still lived in deep poverty for the last 23 years.
Access to data
The data for British Columbia is available for download, including:
- Components of welfare income for all households, with a breakdown of cost-of-living payments.
- Welfare incomes in 2024 constant dollars over time for all households.
- Welfare incomes in current dollars over time for all households.
- Adequacy of welfare incomes: a comparison of each household’s welfare income with all four poverty and low-income thresholds.
- Adequacy over time: each household’s welfare income relative to the Official Poverty Line (MBM) from 2002–2024.