British Columbians who have serious financial difficulties and cannot meet their basic needs may qualify for income assistance.
Individuals requiring financial support who have also been designated as a Person with Disabilities (PWD) may be eligible for disability assistance and supplemental support over and beyond what is available through income assistance.
The B.C Disability Benefit is paid monthly for eligible recipients, with payment dates varying throughout the month.
This article covers B.C.’s eligibility criteria for PWD, the disability benefit payment dates, and how much PWD recipients can receive from this benefit.
Key Takeaways
- Each B.C Disability Benefit payment is intended for the following month.
- To be eligible for British Columbia’s Disability Benefit, you must suffer from severe physical or mental impairment, meet specific financial eligibility, and be at least 18 years old.
- The welfare amount a PWD receives ranges from $983.50 to $1,728.50, depending on factors such as the size of the family and the number of people who have been designated as PWDs.
PWD Payment Dates 2025
Income and disability assistance payments in British Columbia fall on the same dates, and the BC PWD payment dates in 2025 are as follows:
- January 15, 2025 (for February 2025)
- February 19, 2025 (for March 2025)
- March 19, 2025 (for April 2025)
- April 16, 2025 (for May 2025)
- May 21, 2025 (for June 2025)
- June 25, 2025 (for July 2025)
- July 23, 2025 (for August 2025)
- August 27, 2025 (for September 2025)
- September 24, 2025 (for October 2025)
- October 22, 2025 (for November 2025)
- November 19, 2025 (for December 2025)
- December 17, 2025 (for January 2026)
You can receive your income assistance via direct deposit to your bank account. The deposit is completed by the date shown above.
Alternatively, you can pick up your cheque at your local ministry office or have it mailed to you.
B.C. disability cheque dates for 2025, i.e. when they are delivered to the office, are:
| Benefit Month | Cheque Payment Date |
| February | January 13, 2025 |
| March | February 17, 2025 |
| April | March 17, 2025 |
| May | April 14, 2025 |
| June | May 19, 2025 |
| July | June 23, 2025 |
| August | July 21, 2025 |
| September | August 25, 2025 |
| October | September 22, 2025 |
| November | October 20, 2025 |
| December | November 17, 2025 |
| January | December 15, 2025 |
- January 17, 2024
- February 14, 2024
- March 20, 2024
- April 17, 2024
- May 15, 2024
- June 19, 2024
- July 17, 2024
- August 21, 2024
- September 18, 2024
- October 23, 2024
- November 20, 2024
- December 18, 2024
Welfare payments occur in advance. For example, you receive payment for February 2025 in January 2025.
Related: B.C. Child Benefits Explained.
What are PWD Benefits?
A person with Disabilities (PWD) in B.C. who needs financial or health supports may qualify for disability assistance.
Your benefit amount varies depending on the size of your family and how many people have been designated as PWD.
Eligible individuals may also qualify for supplemental benefits, including:
General Supplements: Bus pass, clothing, Co-op housing share purchase, Christmas expenses, service dog, transportation, prenatal shelter, and security deposit costs.
Health Supplements: Dental, special diets, extended medical therapies, infant formula, medical supplies, nutritional supplements, orthotics, and more.
Related: BCTESG Grants.
Who Qualifies for B.C. PWD Benefits?
To qualify for PWD benefits in B.C., you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Meet the financial eligibility (explained further below)
- Suffer from a severe physical or mental impairment that will likely continue for two years or longer
- Be unable to perform daily living activities due to your disability
- Require assistance to perform daily living activities from a person, animal, or assistive device
PWD Income and Assets Eligibility
The PWD benefit is means-tested, and you must meet certain income and assets thresholds to qualify.
Assets that are exempt from deciding your eligibility include your primary residence, clothing, RDSP, one vehicle, business tools, prepaid funeral costs, GST credit, Canada Child Benefit, RESP funds, and some others.
The value of non-exempt assets is considered when assessing your eligibility for PWD benefits. That said, there are asset limits below which you may still qualify.
For example, a family that has one person with PWD designation can have up to $100,000 worth of non-exempt assets.
A couple who both have the PWD designation can have up to $200,000 and receive disability benefits.
Related: B.C. Income Tax Brackets.
How To Apply For B.C. Disability Assistance
You can start the process online using the My Self Serve portal. The site also includes a tool to check whether you meet the financial eligibility criteria.
Applicants must also complete the Persons with Disabilities Application.
This application form has a medical report section that must be completed by a doctor or nurse practitioner and an assessor report section completed by a prescribed professional.
For assistance, you can call 1-866-866-0800 toll-free or visit a Service BC location.
Ministry offices are available in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Thompson-Okanagan, and several other communities.
If you already have a program account with the B.C. government or are a teen (aged 17.5 to 19 years old) with an intellectual disability, you may be able to use a simplified application.
Related: Minimum Wage in Canada.
How Much PWD Benefit Will You Get?
The British Columbia government recently increased the amount of disability benefits and income assistance by $175 per month.
In general, how much you receive depends on your family’s size and how many family members are designated as Persons with Disabilities.
The rates as of August 2023 are:
| Unit Size | A | B | C | D | Max. Shelter Benefit |
| 1 | $983.50 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $500.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $1,378.50 | $1,853.50 | $1,133.50 | $1,628.50 | $695.00 |
| 3 | $1,478.50 | $1,953.50 | $1,133.50 | $1,728.50 | $790.00 |
| 4 | $1,478.50 | $1,953.50 | $1,133.50 | $1,728.50 | $840.00 |
| 5 | $1,478.50 | $1,953.50 | $1,133.50 | $1,728.50 | $890.00 |
| 6 | $1,478.50 | $1,953.50 | $1,133.50 | $1,728.50 | $940.00 |
| 7 | $1,478.50 | $1,953.50 | $1,133.50 | $1,728.50 | $990.00 |
The amounts in the table are paid out monthly. For example, a single person with PWD designation will receive a maximum of $1,483.50 (i.e. $983.50 + $500).
For a couple on disability assistance, the monthly benefit is $2,423.50 (assuming no children, i.e. $1,853.50 + $570).
Families with more than seven people get an extra $50 for each additional dependent.
Related:
- Sales Taxes in Canada
- ODSP Payment Dates
- Manitoba EIA Benefits and Amounts
- Saskatchewan SAID Benefits
- Alberta Disability Assistance Benefits
Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers to Employment (PPMB) Benefits
The Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers to Employment Benefit (PPMB) is different from disability assistance (PWD).
It is provided to individuals who are unable to work due to a health condition that has been present for one year and is likely to continue for two or more years, and other barriers to employment such as homelessness, domestic violence, a lack of education, etc.
This benefit may serve as a stopgap until the recipient is eligible for PWD benefits.
BC Disability Cheque Date FAQs
No. There is no information about a potential increase in the BC PWD rates in 2025. That said, there have been several calls to increase disability rates to account for inflation.
A single person who is eligible for PWD benefits can receive up to $1,483.50 per month. If you and your spouse qualify for PWD designation and have no children, the maximum PWD benefit is $2,423.50. You will receive $1,828.50 monthly if you are a single parent with one child.
This is completley unjust us that are on disability arent even able to sustain a healthy lifestyle due to the inflation every last penny goes to rent. Everyone gets the extra help and we arent even aknowledged when most of us are not able to work to make any extra money. Its crazy that addicts on the street get every extra and choose to buy drugs and thats ok but us on the disability cant even feed our familys or even ourselves. This is so wrong and thats just one example I could go on however whats the point no one in the government will do anything about it cause they would lose all their private vacation homes and planes ect. Take a look at the real world. We are in it too.
We are a couple with disability we applied for the bc housing in bc for more than 10 years and nothing yet and now we get a notice that the place will removed by bosa to build a high rise. So we will be a homeless .
how does a single person apply for a bc disability subsidy?