The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) isn't just another benefit your clients hear about in passing. It can add hundreds of dollars each month on top of Old Age Security, and in some cases more than a thousand dollars. For some of your clients, that difference can determine whether their retirement budget feels tight or manageable.
In this article, Wealth Professional Canada will explore Guaranteed Income Supplement, how it works, who can receive it, and which types of income affect eligibility. We'll also include the latest Guaranteed Income Supplement news at the bottom, so feel free to scroll to the bottom!
The Guaranteed Income Supplement is a monthly payment that provides extra support to low-income Old Age Security pensioners. GIS is focused on those with lower incomes, so the amount is tied closely to what your clients earned in the previous year.
Some features are especially important when you are building retirement projections:
The government reviews GIS amounts four times a year in January, April, July, and October. These reviews look at changes in the cost of living using the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
If prices rise, GIS can be increased. If prices fall, your clients' GIS amount does not decrease. This gives an extra layer of stability in their income planning.
For the period from October to December 2025, here are the maximum GIS payments:
| Situation | Maximum Monthly Amount | Income Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| single, divorced, or widowed | up to $1,105.43 per month | annual income below $22,440 |
| spouse/common-law partner receives the full old age security pension | up to $665.41 per month | combined income below $29,616 |
| spouse/common-law partner receives the allowance | up to $665.41 per month | combined income below $41,472 |
| spouse/common-law partner does not receive old age security or the allowance | up to $1,105.43 per month | combined income below $53,808 |
These figures show how closely GIS is linked to both marital status and combined income. Small variations in income can shift your clients between higher and lower benefit amounts.
Your clients can qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement if they:
Income thresholds vary based on marital status and the Old Age Security or Allowance status of any spouse or common law partner, as outlined above.
These are essential when you assess how much Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) withdrawals, pension income, or employment earnings clients can afford to take without losing GIS.
When your clients apply for the Guaranteed Income Supplement, they must report their income in a detailed way. For couples, this includes both partners' income. This reported income is what the government uses to calculate whether they qualify and how much they receive.
Income that must be included covers:
The government usually uses income information from your clients' federal income tax return to decide GIS amounts for the upcoming benefit year.
If your clients' income in the current year is lower than what appears on the last tax return, they can contact Service Canada. Their income might be lower because they retired or had pension benefits reduced or stopped.
In those cases, the benefit can be set using an estimate of the current year's income rather than last year's income. This is a valuable planning point when your clients are going through a major income change.
Not all cash inflows affect GIS. Some payments are excluded entirely from the income calculation. This can help protect your clients' entitlement. Amounts that are not treated as income for GIS purposes include:
For working clients who receive GIS, there is also an earnings exemption. Employment or self-employment income up to $5,000 does not reduce the GIS amount. For earnings between $5,000 and $15,000, only half of that additional income is used to reduce GIS.
The most practical way to think about timing is to look at the sequence your clients go through:
In many cases, people approaching 65 receive a letter from Service Canada the month after they turn 64. This letter can confirm that they will receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement or ask them to apply.
If your clients get a letter asking them to apply, or if the information in the letter is incorrect, they need to complete an application. If they already receive Old Age Security but never received GIS and did not get a letter, they should contact Service Canada. Advise them to ask whether they should apply.
Your clients can apply online or by paper. To apply online, they must be at least one month past their 64th birthday and must not have a legal representative on their account. They need a My Service Canada Account and a personal access code to complete registration.
Once they start the online GIS application, sessions time out after 20 minutes of inactivity, and the application cannot be saved partway through.
For paper applications, there are two choices:
After processing, Service Canada sends a letter with a decision or a request for more information. The decision letter outlines:
If your clients disagree with the decision, they can request a reconsideration within 90 days of receiving the letter. A different staff member reviews the file, and this process can take several months.
If they still disagree after reconsideration, they can appeal to the Social Security Tribunal through its website or through My Service Canada Account.
Watch this to learn how your clients can maximize their GIS benefits:
Want to be one of the best financial advisors in Canada? You need to be knowledgeable about government benefits such as the GIS to provide top-notch service to clients.
Once your clients begin receiving GIS, it is vital to understand situations that can cause payments to stop, since interruptions can create cash flow stress. GIS can stop if:
If a payment stops unexpectedly in July, your clients should contact Service Canada immediately. They should be ready with last year's income information for themselves and their spouse or partner.
Travel and residency require special attention. Clients who plan to be outside Canada for more than six months need to call Service Canada before leaving to avoid overpayment.
Service Canada compares information with the Canada Border Services Agency and can recover amounts that were paid while someone was outside Canada too long. When your clients return, they need to contact Service Canada to restart payments.
Changes in marital status also affect GIS. Marriage, the start of a common law relationship, separation, divorce, or the death of a spouse or partner all need to be reported. This is because the benefit calculation depends heavily on marital status and combined income.
Finally, if your clients or their spouse or partner are in a federal prison for at least two years, GIS payments for that person stop. On release, they must notify Service Canada in writing so that payments can start again in the month of release.
For low-income older adults, the Guaranteed Income Supplement can be the difference between barely covering fixed costs and having a modest, sustainable retirement budget. As a financial advisor, your role includes more than just calculating amounts. It involves guiding your clients on which income they must report, and which payments are excluded.
You can also watch for changes in marital status, time spent outside Canada, or immigration sponsorship that might interrupt payments if they are not reported properly. When you integrate GIS into your clients' retirement plans, you support a more stable and realistic income strategy in their later years.
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