In this section you will find:
Components of welfare incomes
In Saskatchewan, households that qualify for basic social assistance payments also qualify for:
- Recurring additional social assistance payments from the province,
- Federal 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 2023, all example households in Saskatchewan received additional payments from the federal government related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation. These payments are included where applicable in the table below.
Table 1SK shows the value of the welfare income components of the four example household types in Saskatchewan in 2023. All four households are assumed to be living in Saskatoon, 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 1SK: Components of welfare incomes for all example households in Saskatchewan, 2023
Total annual welfare incomes in 2023 ranged from $12,955 for the unattached single considered employable to $36,212 for the couple with two children. The unattached single with a disability received $17,148 and the single parent with one child received $26,370.
Basic social assistance: Three of the households received benefits from the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) program. The unattached single with a disability received benefits from the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program. SIS benefits increased in May 2023: Adult basic benefits increased by $30 per adult per month and shelter benefits increased by $30 per household per month. SAID Living Income benefits also increased by $30 per adult per month. Given that SAID pays either flat-rate or actual utilities amounts, our calculations include an average actual utilities amount for 2023 for the unattached single with a disability, as provided by the Ministry of Social Services.
Additional social assistance: The unattached single with a disability received $840 ($70 per month) in additional social assistance benefits through the Disability Income Benefit. This amount remained unchanged in 2023.
Federal child benefits: Both households with children received the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which increased with inflation in July 2023 from $583.08 to $619.75 per month for a child under six years of age and from $491.91 to $522.91 per month for a child aged six to 17.
Provincial child benefits: Saskatchewan does not currently have a child benefit program.
Federal tax credits/benefits: All four households received the GST/HST credit, which increased in July 2023 with inflation. The unattached single considered employable and the unattached single with a disability received $315.50 in basic GST/HST credit, while the single parent with one child received $631 and the couple with two children received $963.
Three households received the GST/HST credit supplement: the unattached single considered employable received $6.17, the unattached single with a disability received $97.57, and the single parent with one child received the maximum amount of $166.
All households received the Grocery Rebate, which was an additional one-time GST credit payment related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation, paid in July 2023. The unattached single considered employable received $157.01, the unattached single with a disability received $204.41, the single parent with one child received $386.50, and the couple with two children received $467.
All four households received the federal climate action incentive (CAI) payment. The two unattached single households received $647.50, the single parent with one child received $971.25, and the couple with two children received $1,295.25. All CAI benefit amounts received by these households increased in 2023.
Provincial tax credits/benefits: All four households received the Saskatchewan Low-Income Tax Credit (SLITC), which increased due to inflation indexing in July 2023. The previous annual amounts of $358 for an individual, an additional $358 for a partner or eligible dependant, and $141 per child (for up to two children) were increased to $380 for an individual, an additional $380 for a partner or eligible dependant, and $150 per child (for up to two children). Half of the amount for 2022 was delivered in two payments in between January to June 2023, and half of the amount for 2023 was delivered in two payments between July and December 2023.
The one-time Saskatchewan Affordability Tax Credit payment of $500 per adult in the household was no longer available in 2023.
Cost-of-living payments
As mentioned earlier, all four households received payments from the federal government related to the increased cost of living resulting from high inflation in 2023. The federal Grocery Rebate was paid in July 2023 and was equivalent to the two regular GST credit (and credit supplement if applicable) payments received in the first half of 2023. These amounts are included in, and are not in addition to, the benefits described in the Components section above.
Table 2SK: Cost-of-living payments for all example households in Saskatchewan, 2023
Changes to welfare incomes
Figures 1SK and 2SK show how the total welfare incomes for each of the four example household types in Saskatchewan have changed over time.
Note that the values are in 2023 constant dollars, not current dollars, 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 Saskatchewan would result in a slightly different trendline.
Figure 1SK: Welfare incomes for example unattached single households in Saskatchewan 1986–2023, in 2023 constant dollars
The total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable stayed relatively constant between 1986 and 2005, with some periods of fluctuation in the mid-1990s. The mid-2000s saw an increasing trend with an outlier peak in 2006 that resulted from increases to both general living allowances and utilities rates. This trend was followed by a gradual decline from 2008 to 2019. A sharp increase in 2020 was the result of new basic social assistance benefit amounts as well as the federal climate action incentive and COVID-19 pandemic-related payments. The decline in 2021 was primarily due to the loss of pandemic-related payments, while the slight increase in 2022 was the result of increases in basic social assistance benefits and new inflation-related benefits from both the provincial and federal governments. The slight decline in 2023 was the result of the loss of provincial inflation-related benefits and the impact of continuing high inflation. The total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable was $12,955 in 2023, which is a 0.2 per cent decrease compared to 2022 and a 27 per cent increase since the start of the time series in constant 2023 dollars.
The total welfare income for the unattached single with a disability who qualified for the SAID program has been tracked since the program became available to those living independently in 2013. After increases through to 2015 and declines thereafter until 2019, their income peaked in 2020 due to the introduction of the federal climate action incentive and COVID-19 pandemic-related payments, then declined over the following three years. These declines were largely due to the loss of pandemic-related payments and the impact of high inflation. The total welfare income for the unattached single with a disability was $17,148 in 2023, which is a 3 per cent decline compared to 2022 and a 4 per cent decline since 2013 in constant 2023 dollars.
Figure 2SK: Welfare incomes for example households with children in Saskatchewan 1986–2023, in 2023 constant dollars
The welfare incomes of both households with children followed a similar trajectory across the time series. Declines from 1986 through to 2005, with some fluctuations in the late 1990s, were followed by a general increase through to 2017; there were some sharper fluctuations between 2005 and 2009, including an increase in 2006 that resulted from increases to both general living allowances and utilities rates. Increases after 2015 were largely the result of changes to federal child benefits. After slight decreases from 2017 to 2019, the sharp increases in 2020 resulted from new basic social assistance benefit amounts, the federal climate action incentive, and COVID-19 pandemic-related payments. Declines in 2021 and 2022 were due to the loss of pandemic-related payments, as well as to the impact of high inflation. Incomes decreased slightly in 2023, which was largely the result of the loss of inflation-related payments.
In 2023, the welfare income of the single parent with one child was $26,370, which is a 0.3 per cent decrease compared to 2022 and a 12 per cent increase since the start of the time series in constant 2023 dollars. The welfare income of the couple with two children was $36,212, which is a 1 per cent decline compared to 2022 and a 5 per cent increase since the start of the time series in constant 2023 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, Saskatoon, in the analysis below. Note also that we use after-tax LIM and LICO thresholds, and that the LIM thresholds for 2023 are estimates based on increasing the 2022 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 Saskatchewan with all four poverty/low-income thresholds is available for download.
Poverty threshold comparisons
The welfare incomes of all four example household types in Saskatchewan were below Canada’s Official Poverty Line (MBM) in 2023, and all four were also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold (MBM-DIP). This means that all four households were not only living in poverty in 2023, but also in deep poverty.
Figures 3SK and 4SK compare 2023 welfare incomes for the four example household types to the 2023 MBM and MBM-DIP thresholds for Saskatoon.
Figure 3SK: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example unattached single households in Saskatchewan, 2023
The unattached single considered employable had the lowest income relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $7,404 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $14,191 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 64 per cent of the MBM-DIP and only 48 per cent of the MBM.
The unattached single with a disability had an income that was $3,211 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $9,997 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 84 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 63 per cent of the MBM.
Note that the poverty experienced by people with disabilities is underrepresented because neither the MBM nor the MBM-DIP account for the additional costs associated with disability. See the methodology section for more information.
Figure 4SK: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example households with children in Saskatchewan, 2023
The welfare income of the single parent with one child was highest relative to the Poverty Line among the four example households. Their income was $2,423 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $12,020 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 92 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 69 per cent of the MBM.
The welfare income of the couple with two children was $4,506 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $18,079 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 89 per cent of the MBM-DIP and 67 per cent of the MBM.
Low-income threshold comparisons
The welfare incomes of the example households were also below the low-income thresholds, with one exception, as shown in the table linked below.
The lowest income relative to these thresholds was that of the unattached single considered employable, whose total welfare income was 43 per cent of the LIM and 61 per cent of the LICO. The highest was that of the single parent with one child, whose welfare income was 62 per cent of the LIM and 101 per cent of the LICO.
The unattached single with a disability had a welfare income of 57 per cent of the LIM and 80 per cent of the LICO. The couple with two children had a welfare income that was 60 per cent of the LIM and 90 per cent of the LICO.
Changes to adequacy of welfare incomes
Figures 5SK and 6SK show the total welfare incomes of each of the four example household types in Saskatchewan as a percentage of the Market Basket Measure (MBM), 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 22 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 22 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 MBM thresholds vary by province and community size. The MBM thresholds used here are for Saskatoon. More information is in the methodology section.
Figure 5SK: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for example unattached single households in Saskatchewan, 2002–2023
The welfare income of the unattached single considered employable began the time series at 48 per cent of the Poverty Line; their income increased in 2006 before decreasing again in 2007. Through the 2008 to 2017 period, their income relative to the Poverty Line slightly declined. After a drop in 2018 due to rebasing, their income rose to 50 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2020 and ended the time series in 2023 at 48 per cent.
Overall, the welfare income of the unattached single considered employable ended the time series in 2022 at the same level — 48 per cent of the Poverty Line — as it started in 2002. This means no progress was made on improving their poverty across the time series. As well, their income was below the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, meaning that they would have consistently lived in deep poverty for the last 22 years.
The welfare income of the unattached single with a disability receiving Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability benefits started its abbreviated time series in 2013 (when the program became available to those living independently) at 77 per cent of the Poverty Line, increasing to a high of 82 per cent in 2017. With a decline after the 2018 rebasing, their income increased in 2020, then declined again, to end the abbreviated time series in 2023 at 63 per cent of the Poverty Line.
Overall, the welfare income of the unattached single with a disability was 14 percentage points lower relative to the Poverty Line in 2023 than it was in 2013, which represents a deepening of their poverty over 11 years. It is important to note that their income started the time series above the Deep Income Poverty threshold but fell below the threshold after 2018, meaning that they would have lived in deep poverty for the last six years.
Figure 6SK: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM for example households with children in Saskatchewan, 2002–2023
The welfare income of the single parent with one child started the time series at 71 per cent of the Poverty Line and decreased slightly until 2006, when it increased to 81 per cent; after the 2008 rebasing, their income hovered around the Deep Income Poverty threshold until 2017. After the 2018 rebasing, their income dropped before seeing a sharp increase in 2020 that was followed by three years of decline. The welfare income of this household ended the time series in 2023 at 69 per cent of the Poverty Line.
Overall, the welfare income of the single parent with one child was 2 percentage points lower in 2023 than it was in 2002 relative to the Poverty Line. This indicates a slight deepening of their poverty across the time series. Their income was also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold in all but eight of the last 22 years, meaning that they would have lived in deep poverty for the majority of the time series.
The welfare income of the couple with two children followed a similar trajectory, starting the time series at 74 per cent of the Poverty Line, increasing to 79 per cent in 2006, then hovering just under the Deep Income Poverty threshold from the 2008 rebasing until 2016. After the 2018 rebasing, their income dropped below the MBM-DIP again, followed by an increase in 2020 then three years of declines. The household ended the time series at 67 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2023.
Overall, the welfare income of the couple with two children ended the time series 7 percentage points lower than it was at the start. This indicates a deepening of their poverty across the time series. Their income was also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold in all but three of the last 22 years, meaning that they would have lived in deep poverty for almost all of the last two decades.
Access to data
The data for Saskatchewan is available for download, including:
- Components of welfare income for all households, with a breakdown of cost of living-related payments.
- Welfare incomes in 2023 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 2002–2023.