The Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) is a financial and health benefit available to Alberta residents with a permanent medical disability that prevents them from working.
AISH benefit payments are paid out monthly, typically on the first day of the month or the last business day of the previous month if the first day falls on a weekend or holiday.
The benefit amount varies depending on the recipient’s income, assets, and the number of dependent children.
This article covers the AISH payment dates in 2024, amounts, and application process.
Key Takeaways
- The AISH program’s financial benefits include a monthly living allowance of $1,787 monthly (if you rent or own a house) and child benefits. The health benefits include prescription drugs, dental services, and other health-related services.
- To qualify for AISH, you must be an 18-year-old Canadian citizen or permanent resident who lives in Alberta and has a severe handicap that significantly impacts your ability to work and earn an income.
- AISH recipients can still earn employment income without losing their AISH benefits, provided that their income stays within the allowable limits.
AISH Payment Dates 2024
The AISH payment dates in 2024 are on:
- December 2023 (payment for January 2024)
- February 1, 2024
- February 26, 2024
- March 25, 2024
- April 25, 2024
- May 28, 2024
- June 28
- July 25
- August 27
- September 24
- October 28
- November 26
Payment for AISH occurs four business days before the first of the month. If you receive your benefits via cheque, they are sent within 3 business days of the payment date.
AISH payments are made via direct deposit to your bank account. To sign up for a direct deposit, you need to complete a Direct Deposit Registration Form and provide it to AISH along with a void cheque.
You can also receive payments via cheque.
How Much AISH Will You Get?
The basic living allowance is $1,787.
If you are living in an approved hospital or nursing home, the accommodation rate is paid as per the Nursing Homes Operation Regulation, and you receive a personal monthly allowance of $342. The maximum accommodation room rate payable is $2,201 or $72.35 per day.
AISH recipients with dependent children receive $200 monthly for the first child and $100 for each additional child.
You are encouraged to work and earn income while on AISH.
As a single individual, you can earn up to $1,072 in employment income per month without impacting your AISH payments. Income between $1,072 and $2,009 is 50% exempt.
Income exceeding $2,009 per month is clawed back at a rate of 1:1 from your AISH payment.
For a family, up to $2,612 in employment income is exempt when determining your AISH eligibility. Income between $2,612 and $3,349 is 50% exempt, and income exceeding $3,349 is subject to a 1:1 clawback of AISH benefits.
AISH recipients can also qualify for additional emergency and personal benefits. Click here for the updated list.
What is AISH?
The AISH program provides a mix of health and financial benefits to Albertans who are unable to earn a living as a result of a debilitating or permanent medical condition.
The financial benefits include the following:
- Monthly living allowance
- Child benefits
If you rent or own a house, you may qualify for a living allowance of $1,787 per month.
For those living in an approved nursing home or auxiliary hospital, a modified living allowance comprising a personal allowance rate ($342) and accommodation rate (up to $2,201) is provided.
The monthly benefit for dependent children is $212 for the first child and $106 for each additional child.
A variety of health benefits are also available through AISH, including:
- Prescription drugs
- Dental services
- Optical services
- Diabetic supplies
- Ambulance services
Eligible individuals can access these benefits using their AISH Health Benefits Card.
Who Qualifies for AISH Benefits?
To qualify for AISH, a combination of factors are assessed, and you must meet specific age, residency, financial and medical requirements.
Age: You must be at least 18 years of age and not be eligible for Old Age Security (OAS).
Residency: You must be a resident of Alberta and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. In addition, you cannot be incarcerated or live in a mental health facility.
Medical: You must have a severe handicap that significantly impacts your ability to work and earn an income. In general, you should have an impairment that:
- Affects your mental and/or physical functioning
- Limits your ability to earn a living
- Will likely continue to permanently hamper your ability to earn a living
While receiving AISH benefits, you are expected to continue to look for work and utilize available rehabilitation, training, and medical treatment that can help you take on gainful employment.
Financial: Your income and that of your spouse or partner impact your eligibility for AISH. Income is treated as either exempt, partially exempt, or non-exempt for the purposes of determining your eligibility for AISH.
Exempt income includes income tax refunds, Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) payments, death benefits, cash gifts, and Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) payments.
Non-exempt income includes the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), employment insurance, pension annuities, spousal payments, and Workers’ Compensation Board benefits.
Partially-exempt income includes employment income, self-employment income, passive business income, retirement allowance, spousal income from the CPP, EI, OAS, Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), and more.
Your assets and investments are also considered. However, assets such as your primary residence and means of transportation (e.g. a car) are excluded.
To qualify for AISH, your non-exempt assets, such as cash, TFSA, RRSP, and savings, cannot exceed $100,000.
What Disabilities Qualify for AISH?
A medical report is part of the AISH application and is completed by a physician. Some of the medical conditions listed on the physicians’ guide are:
Neurological disorders: Multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, paraplegia, muscular dystrophy, brain injury, dementia, learning disabilities, quadriplegia, cerebrovascular disease, Parkinson’s, and other neurological disorders.
Multi-systemic disorders: Cancer, AIDS, connective tissue disorders (e.g. lupus), and other multi-systemic disorders.
Cardiovascular disorders: Including heart disease, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism.
Respiratory disorders: Including respiratory diseases, e.g. COPD, asthma, and sleep disorder.
Musculoskeletal disorders: Arthritis, amputation, fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease, low back pain syndrome, spinal stenosis, etc.
Gastrointestinal disorders: Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis.
Renal disorders: Kidney disease and chronic renal failure.
Endocrinology disorders: Cystic fibrosis, diabetes, obesity, and other endocrinology diseases
Sensory disorders: Blindness, visual impairment, deafness, hearing impairment, and other sensory disorders.
Mental health: Psychosis, depression, bipolar mania, anxiety, personality disorder, substance use disorder, PTSD, and other mental illnesses.
The list also includes various cognitive and developmental disorders.
Having one or more of these disabilities/disorders is not a guarantee that you are eligible for AISH. Your medical history, level of impairment, potential treatment options, and prognoses may impact your final assessment.
How To Apply for AISH
To apply for the AISH benefit, complete Part A of the AISH application form and have your physician complete the medical report in Part B.
Submit your completed application form and other documents to AISH by either mailing them to P O Box 17000 Station Main, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4B3 or faxing them to 1-877-969-3006.
You can appeal it in writing within 30 days if your application is not approved.
Will AISH Increase This Year?
As part of the Alberta Affordability Action Plan, AISH increased in 2023 by 6% and will be indexed to the cost of living (inflation) in the future.
The Living Allowance increased from a maximum of $1,685 monthly to $1,787, and the modified living allowance increased from $322 to $342. Child benefits also increased.
Other Alberta Disability Programs
Other programs in Alberta for those with disabilities include Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL), the Residential Access Modification Program (RAMP), and the Alberta Grant for Students with Disabilities.
Programs similar to AISH in other provinces include the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID).
Related reading
- GST Payment Dates
- Canada Disability Benefits and Payments
- CPP Survivor and Death Benefits
- CPP and OAS Benefits After Death
AISH Benefit FAQs
AISH recipients can work and earn employment income without losing AISH benefits. Employment income up to $1,072 is fully exempt for single individuals and up to $2,612 for a family unit.
At age 65, AISH recipients automatically become enrolled for provincial seniors benefits when AISH ends. Recipients may qualify for OAS, GIS, and CPP benefits.
The maximum living allowance for 2024 is $1,787 per month.
AISH increased by 6% in 2023. Eligible recipients also received an additional $100 in monthly Affordability Payments for six months between January and June 2023.
How much are aish recipients allowed to have in bank or investments
What is the point of commenting here, if there is no replies here?
Also can Aish Recipients gain CSB (Canada Savings Bonds)?
with all honesty I’d like this to have been part of the program.
@Joseph: The CSB program is no longer available. See here: https://www.csb.gc.ca/
I agree with everything you’ve said and I do Is believe the people on aish Should receive a increase in their aish payments. I also agree that we should be getting at least $2500 a month To coincide with the cost of living.
So the government keeps on making all these new taxes, and depending where you live in Canada you get to pick heat this month or food? I live in beautiful Grande Prairie Alberta ( Don’t give a shit what you say about this town it’s my home and I love it here. One of the shitty things about living here is the rent I have 2 bedrooms and that comes to $1000.00, than you have to pay power $80-$120 a month. Everyone has a cell phone which runs about $90-$130 a month, plus these other bills like Credit Cards, Cable, Internet, Insurance, Anyways you get my point, After I pay my rent and all my bills I have $70 left for food I can’t even give my daughter money to do whatever with her friends, Tell her to get a job well she has one it’s called going to school and getting amazing grades and she’s only in grade 4. They need to increase that Shitty amount cause people were going to be homeless or starve cause my daughter needs the food way more than I do. Thank you for reading I know how hard it is, Keep your head up, Stay Safe, Warm and I hope one day it gets better for everyone on Aish..
I am on aish, so you know what my income is my rent is $1500.00 per month try living on that. MY son lives with me he is Bi-Polar and has
been trying to get on aish for 3 years. I cannot works because of my disabilities, my son has tried it just doesn’t work out. I think we should
be receiving at least $2500.00 a month. I tried living in Calgary housing and got attacked by a bunch of native women those places are dirty and unsafe. I now live out in Strathmore, I have lived in the same place for 7 yrs yes my rent is high but all utilities are included and it’s safe. my son and I always have problems with food. I must admit I have shoplifted and yes I have got caught. But we have to eat. Yes, we go to the food bank too. But I have so many allergies it’s hard, I know that’s not an excuse. I remember when aish was under a thousand a month. It’s very difficult right now I hope my son heres soon so we have more income and can split the rent I just claimed Bankruptcy. I lost everything.
As an AISH recipient since 2008, I have a constant feeling of foreboding regarding current and future financial matters. Before the pandemic, before the war and before all the other matters that were driving up prices, the monthly allowance was insufficient to provide for a reasonable standard of living. It saddens me that I need to accept money from my family in order to rent a decent place to live. And to not be able to afford to buy meat. And to live in fear about my rent or utilities going up and, of course, everything else.
I realize that the government and ultimately the taxpayers are financially stressed, but what we don’t want are a bunch of homeless sick AISH recipients.
I am so incredibly grateful for the financial help and medical insurance that I receive and I am very fortunate that I have such a generous family – most of us are not that lucky. I would have given anything to be able to work like my peers but that was not to be. I would certainly be out in the workforce if I could be but due to my various issues, I’m unfit for even a part-time job to supplement my AISH allowance. That is my problem, not the government’s, but surely it is reasonable that rising costs be factored into budgeting for AISH? How can vulnerable citizens deal with rising costs with a static income?
I believe that this situation exists because the AISH program is so unpopular with the general public. Since I was approved, it’s been very apparent to me that taxpayers and even medical professionals think of those on social assistance – no matter what the reason – as being a drain on society. And I guess we are. But I doubt if there are many of us that deliberately set out to be in this position. I certainly thought I never would but the truth is, anyone can end up here.
These are my thoughts on the matter. I fondly hope that the next government consider the plight of those most in need. Please.