In this section you will find:
Components of welfare incomes
In New Brunswick, 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 and/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, all example households in New Brunswick received additional payments from the provincial governments related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation. These payments are included where applicable in the table below.
Table 1NB shows the value of the welfare income components of the four example household types in New Brunswick in 2024. All four households are assumed to be living in Moncton, 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 1NB: Components of welfare incomes for all example households in New Brunswick, 2024
Total annual welfare incomes in 2024 ranged from $11,061 for the unattached single considered employable to $33,383 for the couple with two children. The total welfare income of the unattached single with a disability was $14,130 and that of the single parent with one child was $25,604.
Basic social assistance: The Basic Household Rate (BHR) in both the Transitional Assistance (TA) and Extended Benefits (EB) programs increased with inflation as of April 1. The BHR rates before and after the inflationary increase for each of the example households were: unattached single considered employable (TA) – $637 and $660; unattached single with a disability (EB) – $886 and $918; single parent with one child (TA) – $999 and $1,035; couple with two children (TA) – $1,123 and $1,164.
Additional social assistance: All households received the Household Supplement, a new benefit intended to help with the rising cost of food and shelter, which came into effect in February 2024 in the amount of $200 per month.
As well, the two households with children received the Income Supplement Benefit of $1,224 (an average of $102 per month), an amount that remained unchanged in 2024.
The one-time Emergency Food and Fuel Benefit, which provided $225 to individuals and $450 to families in 2023, was not available 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 New Brunswick Child Tax Benefit of $250 per child ($20.83 per child per month). This amount remained unchanged in 2024.
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, the single parent with one child received $665, and the couple with two children received $1,015. The single parent with one child also received the GST/HST credit supplement 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.
All four households received the federal Canada Carbon Rebate (CCR), previously known as the climate action incentive (CAI) payment. Both unattached single households received $377, the single parent with one child received $566, and the couple with two children received $754. These amounts reflected an increase over 2023.
Provincial tax credits/benefits: All four households received the New Brunswick Harmonized Sales Tax Credit ($300 per year for the unattached singles, $600 for the single parent with one child, and $800 for the couple with two children). In addition, the household with two children received the School Supplement tax credit of $100 per child per year. These amounts remained unchanged in 2024.
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, New Brunswick was one of only four provincial or territorial jurisdictions that continued to provide these payments. Federal inflation-related cost-of-living payments were discontinued in 2024.
As noted above, all four households received the new $200 per month Household Supplement starting in February ($2,200 total). This benefit was intended to help with the rising cost of food and shelter.
See the Overview section for more information on cost-of-living payments.
Changes to welfare incomes
Figures 1NB and 2NB show how the total welfare incomes of the four example household types in New Brunswick have changed over time.
Note that the values are in 2024 constant dollars, not current dollars, and are calculated using the Canada Consumer Price Index (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 New Brunswick would have resulted in a slightly different trendline.
Figure 1NB: Welfare incomes for example unattached single households in New Brunswick 1986–2024, in 2024 constant dollars
The total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable was relatively stable between 1986 and 2009. A significant increase occurred in 2010 due to a policy change that made unattached singles eligible for higher benefits through Transitional Assistance. From 2010 to 2019, their total welfare income gradually declined. An increase in 2020 was largely due to COVID-19 pandemic-related payments. The decline in 2021, mainly due to the loss of those payments, was followed by two years of slight increases. Their income significantly increased in 2024, which was primarily due to the new Household Supplement and higher payments from the Canada Carbon Rebate. Overall, the total welfare income of this household increased by 24 per cent between 2023 and 2024, and by 90 per cent across the entire time series, in constant 2024 dollars.
The total welfare income of the unattached single with a disability started the time series at $16,000 and declined until 1993, after which it fell by more than $3,000. Thereafter, their welfare income stayed relatively stable, hovering at around $12,000. The increase in 2020 was largely due to COVID-19 pandemic-related payments, and the decline in 2021 was mainly due to the loss of those payments. Another slight decrease in 2022, primarily due to high inflation, was followed by a slight increase in 2023. Like the unattached single considered employable, the total welfare income of this household increased significantly in 2024, which was primarily due to the new Household Supplement and higher payments from the Canada Carbon Rebate. Overall, the total welfare income of this household increased by 18 per cent between 2023 and 2024 but decreased by 12 per cent across the time series in constant 2024 dollars.
Figure 2NB: Welfare incomes for example households with children in New Brunswick 1986–2024, in 2024 constant dollars
The total welfare income of the single parent with one child saw three successively higher plateaus in the years between 1986 and 2012, with notable increases in 1995 and 2007 followed by relatively flat periods. A generally increasing trend between 2012 and 2017, primarily due to changes in federal child benefits, was followed by two years of declines. A significant increase in 2020, largely due to COVID-19 pandemic-related payments, was followed by a slight decline in 2021 as most of those payments ceased, and a larger decline in 2022, resulting from the loss of the last remaining COVID-19 payment and the impact of high inflation. A slight increase in 2023 was followed by a more significant increase in 2024, which was primarily due to the new Household Supplement and higher payments from the Canada Carbon Rebate. Overall, the total welfare income of this household increased by 9 per cent between 2023 and 2024 and by 27 per cent across the entire time series, in constant 2024 dollars.
The total welfare income of the couple with two children followed a similarly plateaued trendline between 1986 and 2012, with a higher starting income and some larger increases. As with the single-parent household, the gradually increasing trend between 2012 and 2017 was primarily due to changes to the federal child benefit. Declines between 2017 and 2019 were followed by a steep increase in 2020 resulting from COVID-19 pandemic-related payments. A large decline in 2021, due to the loss of those payments, was followed by two years of fairly stable welfare incomes. The significant increase in 2024 was primarily due to the new Household Supplement and an increase to the Canada Carbon Rebate. The total welfare income of this household ended the time series at $33,383, which is a 7 per cent increase compared to 2023, and a 37 per cent increase since the start of the 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.
Two measures of low income are also commonly used:
- 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, Moncton, 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 New Brunswick with all four poverty/low-income thresholds is available for download.
Poverty threshold comparisons
The welfare incomes of all four example household types in New Brunswick were below, and in some cases very far below, Canada’s Official Poverty Line (MBM) in 2024. As well, all four were below the Deep Income Poverty threshold (MBM-DIP). This means that all four New Brunswick households were living not only in poverty in 2024, but in deep poverty.
Figures 3NB and 4NB compare welfare incomes of the four example household types to the 2024 MBM and MBM-DIP thresholds for Moncton.
Figure 3NB: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example unattached single households in New Brunswick, 2024
The unattached single considered employable had the least adequate income relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $8,464 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $14,972 below the Poverty Line. As such, their income was only 57 per cent of the MBM-DIP and only 42 per cent of the MBM.
The unattached single with a disability had an income that was $5,395 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $11,903 below the Poverty Line. As such, their income was 72 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 54 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 4NB: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example households with children in New Brunswick, 2024
The incomes of the two households with children were more adequate than the incomes of the unattached single households but nonetheless were below both poverty thresholds.
The single parent with one child had the most adequate income relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $2,008 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $11,211 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 93 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 70 per cent of the MBM.
The income of the couple with two children was less adequate compared to the single parent with one child, at $5,665 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $18,681 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 85 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 64 per cent of the MBM.
Low-income threshold comparisons
The welfare incomes of the example households in New Brunswick were well below the low-income thresholds. The data is available in the table linked below.
The least adequate income relative to these thresholds was that of the unattached single considered employable, whose total welfare income was only 36 per cent of the LIM and 50 per cent of the LICO. The most adequate was that of the single parent with one child, whose welfare income was 58 per cent of the LIM and 96 per cent of the LICO.
The unattached single with a disability had an income that was 46 per cent of the LIM and 64 per cent of the LICO. The income of the couple with two children was 54 per cent of the LIM and 81 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 5NB and 6NB show the total welfare incomes of each of the four example household types in New Brunswick as a percentage of the Market Basket Measure (MBM) for Moncton, 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 trends.
Figure 5NB: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for example unattached single households in New Brunswick, 2002–2024
Of the four example households, the welfare income of the unattached single considered employable was the least adequate relative to the Poverty Line across the time series. In 2002, their income was only 26 per cent of the Poverty Line and it remained at about that level through to 2008. After a significant improvement in 2010, their income hovered at around 40 per cent of the Poverty Line until 2018. A small decline after the 2018 rebasing left their income hovering between 33 and 35 per cent until 2024, when the Household Supplement was introduced. In 2024, their income rose to 42 per cent of the Poverty Line.
Overall, the income of the unattached single considered employable increased by 16 percentage points relative to the Poverty Line across the entire time series, from 26 to 42 per cent. Although this is an improvement, households in these circumstances would still have been living substantially below the Poverty Line in 2024. Given that their income was also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, households in these circumstances would have consistently lived in deep poverty for the last 23 years.
The welfare income of the unattached single with a disability started the time series at 60 per cent of the Poverty Line. After a gradual decrease relative to the Poverty Line after each MBM rebasing, their welfare income hovered between 45 and 48 per cent until 2024, when it ended the time series at 54 per cent of the Poverty Line.
Overall, the income of the unattached single with a disability declined by 6 percentage points relative to the Poverty Line across the time series. Given that their income was also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, households in these circumstances would have experienced a deepening of their already very deep poverty across the 23-year period.
Figure 6NB: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for example households with children in New Brunswick, 2002–2024
Of the four example households, the welfare income of the single parent with one child was the most adequate relative to the Poverty Line, starting the time series at 72 per cent. After some variation with each MBM rebasing, their income ended the time series at 70 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2024.
Overall, the income of the single parent with one child declined relative to the Poverty Line by 2 percentage points over the 23-year period, indicating a slight deepening of the poverty experienced by households in these circumstances. Given that their income was below the Poverty Line across the entire time series, and below the Deep Income Poverty threshold for most of the time series, households in these circumstances would have seen their incomes rise above deep poverty in only three of the last 23 years.
The welfare income of the couple with two children started the time series at 65 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2002 and increased to a high of 74 per cent in 2017. Their welfare income ended the time series at only 64 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2024.
Overall, the income of the couple with two children declined by 1 percentage point relative to the Poverty Line across the time series, indicating a very slight deepening of the poverty experienced by households in these circumstances. Given that their income was also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, households in these circumstances would have consistently lived in deep poverty for the last 23 years.
Access to data
The data for New Brunswick 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.