In this section you will find:
Components of welfare incomes
In the Yukon, households that qualify for basic social assistance payments also qualify for:
- Recurring additional social assistance payments from the territory,
- Federal and territorial child benefits for households with children, and
- Federal and territorial 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 the Yukon received additional payments from the territorial government related to the increased cost of living due to high inflation. These payments are included where applicable in the table below.
Table 1YT shows the value of the welfare income components of the four example household types in the Yukon in 2024. All four households are assumed to be living in Whitehorse, receiving territorial 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 1YT: Components of welfare incomes for all example households in the Yukon, 2024
Total annual welfare incomes in 2024 ranged from $23,281 for the unattached single considered employable to $64,761 for the couple with two children. The income of the unattached single with a disability was $26,935 and that of the single parent with one child was $43,655.
Basic social assistance: The Yukon’s basic social assistance rates are indexed to inflation with automatic increases taking effect on November 1 each year. [Note that our calculations for both basic and additional social assistance reflect benefits provided by the Government of Yukon; there may be differences with those provided through CIRNAC (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada).]
Additional social assistance: All households received the following additional benefits, all of which remained unchanged in 2024:
- The Special Christmas Allowance of $30 annually per person.
- The Winter Clothing Allowance of $75 annually for people under 14 years old and $125 for people 14 years or older.
- The Telephone Allowance of $37 per month per household, paid to those who have been receiving assistance for at least six consecutive months, or paid immediately (without a six-month wait) to those who are excluded from the labour force.
- The Transportation Expense Allowance of $62 per month per adult, paid to those who have been receiving assistance for at least six consecutive months, or paid immediately (without a six-month wait) to people who are excluded from the labour force, and $40 per month for each dependent child between the ages of two and 18 (paid immediately).
- The Laundry Service Allowance of $10 per month per person, paid to those who have been receiving assistance for at least six consecutive months, or paid immediately (without a six-month wait) to those who are excluded from the labour force and to children.
The unattached single with a disability also received the Yukon Supplementary Allowance of $250 per month, and the couple with two children received a one-time School Supply Allowance of $115. These amounts were unchanged in 2024.
All four households also received a time-limited inflation relief payment in the amount of $100 per month for each individual in the household, including children. The two unattached single households received $1,200, the single parent with one child received $2,400, and the couple with two children received $4,800.
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.
Territorial child benefits: Both households with children received the Yukon Child Benefit. Between January and June, the maximum benefit was $73 per child per month and between July and December the maximum benefit was $76.50 per child per month, reduced by a percentage of prior years’ family net income above $35,000. The single parent with one child received the maximum amounts, for a total of $897 in 2024. The couple with two children received reduced monthly amounts of $122.60 between January and June and $108.17 between July and December, for a total of $1,384.65. The amount for the second half of the year is less than for the first half because the amount of the benefit reduction is growing faster for this household than the benefit amount.
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.
Three households also received the GST/HST credit supplement. The unattached single households and the single parent with one child each 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.
Territorial tax credits/benefits: All four households received the Yukon Government Carbon Price Rebate, which was introduced in 2019 to help offset the cost of the federal carbon pollution pricing levy. In 2024, two payments of $93 per individual (including dependent children) were made in January and April and two payments of $77.50 per individual (including dependent children) were made in July and October. On an annual basis, this works out to $5 less per person than in the previous year. The unattached single households each received $341, the single parent with one child received $682, and the couple with two children received $1,364.
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, the Yukon 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, all four households received a time-limited inflation relief payment in the amount of $100 per month for each individual in the household, including children. The two unattached single households received $1,200, the single parent with one child received $2,400, and the couple with two children received $4,800.
See the Overview section for more information on cost-of-living payments.
Changes to welfare incomes
Figures 1YT and 2YT show how the total welfare incomes for each of the four example household types in the Yukon 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 the Yukon would have resulted in a slightly different trendline.
Figure 1YT: Welfare incomes for example unattached single households in the Yukon 1986–2024, in 2024 constant dollars
The welfare incomes of the two unattached single households followed a similar pattern: increasing gradually across the time series but with steeper rises in 1997 and 2008–2009. A period of relative stagnation followed between 2009 and 2019. Although the increase in 2020 was partly due to benefit indexation, it was primarily the result of federal COVID-19 pandemic-related payments. The decline in 2021 was primarily due to the loss of those pandemic-related payments, and the additional decline in 2022 was largely due to the impact of high inflation. The increases in 2023 and 2024 were primarily the result of time-limited inflation-related social assistance payments.
In 2024, the welfare income of the unattached single considered employable was $23,281, which is a 3 per cent increase compared to 2023, and a 77 per cent increase since the start of the time series, in constant 2024 dollars. The welfare income of the unattached single with a disability was $26,935, which is a 2 per cent increase compared to 2023, and a 57 per cent increase since the start of the time series, in constant 2024 dollars.
Figure 2YT: Welfare incomes for example households with children in the Yukon 1986–2024, in 2024 constant dollars
The total welfare incomes of the two households with children followed a similar pattern across the time series. Characterized by a general increase, the incomes were punctuated by steep rises and periods of both gradual decline and gradual increase. Sizable increases in 1997 and 2008–2009 were followed by gradual declines. Steady increases from 2011 to 2018–2019 were largely the result of additional social assistance benefits and federal child benefit changes. In 2020, the welfare incomes of both households increased, largely due to federal COVID-19 pandemic payments. The decline in 2021 was primarily due to the loss of these pandemic-related payments, and the additional decline in 2022 was largely due to the impact of high inflation. The increases in 2023 and 2024, which were largely due to time-limited inflation-related social assistance payments that began partway through 2023, brought both households to their highest recorded incomes at the end of the time series.
In 2024, the welfare income of the single parent with one child was $43,655, which is a 3 per cent increase compared to 2023, and a 66 per cent increase since the start of the time series, in constant 2024 dollars. The welfare income of the couple with two children was $64,761, which is a 3 per cent increase compared to 2023, and a 56 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. The Market Basket Measure (MBM) was adopted as Canada’s Official Poverty Line in 2018; however, to recognize the specificity of various aspects of life in the North, the Government of Canada subsequently designated the Northern Market Basket Measure (MBM-N) as the official Poverty Line for the territories.
We use two measures of poverty to assess the adequacy of total welfare incomes in the Yukon:
- The Northern Market Basket Measure (MBM-N), Canada’s Official Poverty Line for the territories, 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-N-DIP) threshold identifies households in the territories whose disposable income is less than 75 per cent of the MBM-N.
Note that MBM-N thresholds vary by territory and community size. As such, we use the thresholds for the territory’s largest city, Whitehorse, in the analysis below.
Note also that although we use the Low Income Measure (LIM) and the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) for adequacy comparisons in the provinces, they do not appropriately reflect life in the North and, as such, such Statistics Canada does not produce LIM or LICO thresholds for the territories. Thus, as in past reports, we do not provide adequacy comparisons for households in the territories using these measures.
As well, note that none of the poverty 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 the Yukon with the two poverty thresholds is available for download.
Poverty threshold comparisons
In 2024, the welfare incomes of three of the four example household types in the Yukon were below Canada’s Official Poverty Line (MBM-N) in 2024, meaning that three of the four households were living in poverty. The income of one of the four households was also below the Deep Income Poverty threshold (MBM-N-DIP), which means that one household was living in deep poverty in 2024.
Figures 3YT and 4YT compare 2024 welfare incomes of the four example household types to the 2024 MBM-N and MBM-N-DIP thresholds for Whitehorse.
Figure 3YT: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example unattached single households in the Yukon, 2024
The unattached single considered employable had the least adequate income relative to the poverty thresholds. Their income was $900 below the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $8,960 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 96 per cent of the MBM-N-DIP and 72 per cent of the MBM-N.
The unattached single with a disability had an income that was $2,754 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold but $5,306 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 111 per cent of the MBM-N-DIP but 84 per cent of the MBM-N.
Note that the poverty experienced by people with disabilities is underrepresented because neither the MBM-N nor the MBM-N-DIP accounts for the additional costs associated with disability. See the Methodology section for more information.
Figure 4YT: Welfare incomes and poverty thresholds for example households with children in the Yukon, 2024
The income of the single parent with one child was $9,459 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $1,940 below the Poverty Line. This means their income was 128 per cent of the MBM-N-DIP but 96 per cent of the MBM-N.
The couple with two children had an income that was the most adequate relative to the poverty thresholds among the four households and the only one with a welfare income that exceeded the poverty line. Their welfare income was $16,400 above the Deep Income Poverty threshold and $280 above the Poverty Line. This means their income was 134 per cent of the MBM-N-DIP and very slightly over 100 per cent of the MBM-N.
Changes to adequacy of welfare incomes
Figures 5YT and 6YT show the total welfare incomes of each of the four example household types in the Yukon as a percentage of the MBM-N for Whitehorse, starting in 2018.
The black line at the top of the graphs (i.e., the 100 per cent threshold) represents the MBM-N, which is Canada’s Official Poverty Line for the North. This means that the graphs show the relationship between the four households’ total welfare incomes and the Poverty Line in each of the past seven years.
The grey line indicates the Deep Income Poverty threshold, which is 75 per cent of the MBM-N. The graphs therefore also show the relationship between total welfare incomes and deep poverty in each of the past seven years.
The trendlines in these graphs demonstrate changes in the example households’ level of poverty across the time series. A rise in the trendline indicates an improvement in their level of poverty while a decline indicates a deepening of their poverty.
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 5YT: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM-N for example unattached single households in the Yukon, 2018–2024
The total welfare income of the unattached single considered employable started the time series at 69 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2018. After some minor fluctuations in the years since, it ended the time series at a high of 72 per cent in 2024.
Overall, the income of the unattached single considered employable increased by 3 percentage points relative to the Poverty Line across the seven-year time series. This means that although households in these circumstances would have lived in poverty for the past seven years, the depth of their poverty would have improved slightly over that time. However, because their income would have been below the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, households in these circumstances would have lived in deep poverty for the entire time period.
The total welfare income of the unattached single with a disability started the time series in 2018 at the higher level of 83 per cent of the Poverty Line, increased to 86 per cent in 2020, declined to 81 per cent in 2022, and increased to 84 per cent at the end of the time series in 2024.
Overall, the income of the unattached single with a disability increased by 1 percentage point relative to the Poverty Line across the time series, indicating a very slight improvement in the depth of poverty experienced by households in these circumstances. In contrast to the income of the unattached single considered employable, the income of this household would have been above the Deep Income Poverty threshold across the entire time series, meaning that although households in these circumstances would have been living in poverty for the entire seven-year period, they would not have been living in deep poverty.
Figure 6YT: Welfare incomes as a percentage of the MBM-N for example households with children in the Yukon, 2018–2024
The total welfare income of the single parent with one child started the time series at 92 per cent of the Poverty Line, moved to a high of 97 per cent in 2020, declined in 2022 to 90 per cent, and increased to 96 per cent at the end of the times series in 2024.
Overall, the income of the single parent with one child increased by 4 percentage points relative to the Poverty Line over the seven-year period, which indicates a small improvement in the depth of poverty experienced by households in these circumstances. This household’s total income would have been above the Deep Income Poverty threshold in all seven years, which means that although households in these circumstances would have been living in poverty, they would not have been living in deep poverty.
The total welfare income of the couple with two children started the time series at 97 per cent of the Poverty Line in 2018, moved to 100 per cent in 2020, declined to 93 per cent in 2022, then increased again to 100 per cent at the end of the times series in 2024.
Overall, the income of the couple with two children increased relative to the Poverty Line by 3 percentage points over the seven-year period. In 2024, as in 2020, households in these circumstances would not have lived in poverty as defined by the MBM-N. It is notable that this household’s total income would have been above the Deep Income Poverty threshold for all seven years. This means that although households in these circumstances would have been living in poverty or just at the Poverty Line, they would not have been living in deep poverty.
Access to data
The data for the Yukon is available for download, including:
- Components of welfare income for all households, with a breakdown of cost of living-related 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: Comparisons of the welfare incomes of each household with the two poverty thresholds applicable in the North.
- Adequacy over time: Welfare income relative to the Official Poverty Line (MBM-N) for each household from 2018–2024.