Guaranteed Income Supplement 2026: Who Gets It, How Much, and the Mistake That Stops It

September 22, 2026 · 9 min read

Adult daughter helping her mother sort tax paperwork that renews her Guaranteed Income Supplement

Your mother’s July deposit came in $300 lighter and nobody phoned to explain. Or she has been living on Old Age Security alone for three years, and a neighbour just mentioned a supplement she has never heard of. Both stories end at the same place: the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the most valuable senior benefit in Canada and the one most often left on the table.

The short answer: GIS pays up to $1,123.17 a month, tax-free, to a single senior with income under $22,800 who already receives Old Age Security. It is paid on the same day as OAS and CPP, and the remaining 2026 dates are October 28, November 26 and December 22. It renews itself every July from your tax return, which is why an unfiled return is the number one reason it stops.

How much GIS pays right now

These are the maximums for the July to September 2026 quarter, the latest adjustment published by Service Canada. Which row applies depends entirely on marital status and on what your spouse receives.

Your situation	Maximum monthly GIS	Annual income must be under
Single, widowed or divorced	$1,123.17	$22,800
Spouse receives the full OAS pension	$676.09	$30,096 combined
Spouse receives the Allowance	$676.09	$42,144 combined
Spouse receives neither OAS nor the Allowance	$1,123.17	$54,624 combined

That fourth row surprises people. If your father is 67 and collecting OAS while your mother is 62 and not yet eligible for anything, the household can have up to $54,624 of combined income and he can still receive the full single-rate supplement. Couples in that situation routinely assume they earn too much and never apply.

There are two related benefits for the 60 to 64 age gap, and they are the ones families miss most:

Benefit, ages 60 to 64	Maximum monthly	Annual income must be under
Allowance, for the spouse of a GIS recipient	$1,428.06	$42,144 combined
Allowance for the Survivor, for a widow or widower	$1,702.34	$30,696

The Allowance for the Survivor is the single most overlooked payment in the system. A 61-year-old widow with little income can receive more than $1,700 a month, four years before she turns 65. Nobody enrols her automatically. She has to apply.

About the October increase

GIS and OAS are re-indexed every January, April, July and October. An October adjustment is due and will show up in the October 28 payment. As of today, Service Canada’s payment page still shows the July to September figures above, so those are the numbers on this page.

Several sites are already publishing October amounts. Those are calculated from the inflation data, not taken from a published table, and the government’s own figures are the only ones that will be correct to the cent. We update this page the day Service Canada posts them.

Who qualifies

Four conditions, all of them required:

You are 65 or older.
You receive the Old Age Security pension. GIS is a supplement to OAS, never a standalone benefit.
You live in Canada.
You are not under a sponsorship agreement, which affects some people sponsored as immigrants.

Because GIS rides on OAS, anything that delays OAS also delays GIS. That matters most for one decision covered further down: deferring OAS past 65.

What counts as income, and the break for seniors who work

GIS is calculated from your income in the previous calendar year, taken from your tax return. The OAS pension itself does not count against you, which is why the cut-offs above are lower than the total amount many seniors actually live on.

The rule worth knowing is the earnings exemption for seniors who still work:

The first $5,000 of employment or self-employment income is completely exempt. It does not reduce GIS at all.
Between $5,000 and $15,000, the supplement is reduced by 50 cents for every dollar earned.
Above $15,000, the exemption is used up.

So a parent doing part-time work can earn $5,000 a year with no penalty whatsoever, and the next $10,000 costs them only half. Seniors who quit a small job because someone told them it would wipe out their supplement usually gave up money they were allowed to keep. Note the exemption applies to employment and self-employment income specifically, not to RRSP or RRIF withdrawals, which count in full.

That last point is the planning trap. A large RRIF withdrawal or a capital gain in one year lands in the income that sets next July’s supplement, and the supplement runs out entirely by $22,800 for a single senior. Cashing out an RRSP at 66 can quietly cost a year of GIS. Anyone with room to spread withdrawals over several years, or to draw them down before 65, should talk to whoever prepares their return before making the move.

GIS payment dates 2026

GIS is not a separate deposit. It is combined with the OAS pension and arrives as one payment, on the same dates as OAS and CPP.

Month	Payment date
January	Wednesday, January 28, 2026
February	Wednesday, February 25, 2026
March	Friday, March 27, 2026
April	Tuesday, April 28, 2026
May	Wednesday, May 27, 2026
June	Friday, June 26, 2026
July	Wednesday, July 29, 2026
August	Thursday, August 27, 2026
September	Friday, September 25, 2026
October	Wednesday, October 28, 2026
November	Thursday, November 26, 2026
December	Tuesday, December 22, 2026

Payments go out on the third-to-last business day of the month, with December pulled forward so the money clears before the holidays. The full federal picture, including CPP, is on our OAS payment dates and CPP payment dates pages.

It renews itself every July, and one thing stops it

Every year Service Canada reviews the supplement using your federal tax return, and in July sends a letter saying whether it is renewed, changed or stopped. The new amount starts with the July payment.

The failure point is simple. File your taxes by April 30, every single year, even with zero income. GIS is tax-free, so a senior with only OAS and GIS owes nothing and may assume filing is pointless. It is not pointless. The return is the mechanism that renews the supplement. No return means no renewal, and the payment stops or shrinks in July.

If that has already happened, filing the missing return is the fix. This is also the most common explanation when an adult child calls us in August wondering why a parent’s deposit fell without warning.

If income just dropped, do not wait for next July

This is the lever almost nobody uses. GIS normally runs a year behind, on last year’s income. If your parent has just retired, lost a pension or seen income fall for another reason, Service Canada can set the benefit using an estimate of this year’s income instead of last year’s. You call and ask.

The difference is real money. Someone who worked until March and then retired would otherwise wait until the following July for the supplement to reflect their new reality. A phone call can start it months earlier.

Applying: usually automatic, but check

Most people are enrolled without lifting a finger. A letter arrives shortly after the 64th birthday confirming OAS enrolment and saying Service Canada will try to enrol you for GIS automatically. Watch for two exceptions:

The letter asks you to apply. Then you must. Automatic enrolment only happens when the government already holds enough information.
No letter arrived at all and it has been a month since the 64th birthday. Call Service Canada and ask whether an application is needed.

To apply, sign in to My Service Canada Account, or use the paper form: ISP-3550 covers OAS and GIS together, and ISP-3025 is for GIS alone when OAS is already in place. Back payments before the application date are limited, so an application that has been sitting on the kitchen table for months is costing real money. Send it.

Three traps that cost people the supplement

Deferring OAS past 65. Delaying OAS raises the pension by 0.6 percent a month, up to 36 percent at 70. But GIS cannot be paid at all during the deferral, and it does not grow. For a senior who qualifies for the full supplement, deferring trades more than $1,100 a month now for a modestly larger pension later. It is almost always the wrong call for a low-income parent. The maths is laid out on our OAS page.
Being away more than six months. OAS and GIS can both stop if your parent is outside Canada longer than six months and does not meet the residence rules. An extended winter with family abroad catches people every year.
Assuming the household earns too much. The cut-off depends on which of the four situations applies. A couple where only one spouse receives OAS has a $54,624 limit, more than double the single figure. Check the right row before deciding not to apply.

Provincial supplements stack on top

Most provinces add their own top-up for seniors already receiving GIS, paid separately and on a different schedule. GIS is usually the gateway: qualify for it and the provincial payment often follows without a separate income test. The Alberta Seniors Benefit pays a few days before the federal deposit. Ontario’s GAINS, British Columbia’s Senior’s Supplement and Saskatchewan’s Seniors Income Plan each run on their own calendars. Amounts, eligibility and how to apply are in our provincial guides for Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Every federal benefit on one calendar is on our seniors’ benefit payment dates page.

Frequently asked questions

How much is GIS per month in 2026?

For the July to September 2026 quarter, up to $1,123.17 a month for a single senior with income under $22,800, and up to $676.09 for someone whose spouse receives the full OAS pension. A senior whose spouse receives neither OAS nor the Allowance can also receive up to $1,123.17, with a combined income limit of $54,624. Amounts are re-indexed in October.

Is the Guaranteed Income Supplement taxable?

No. GIS is a tax-free payment and you owe no tax on it. You still have to file a tax return every year, because the return is what renews the supplement each July.

Why did my GIS stop in July?

Almost always an unfiled tax return. Service Canada reviews the supplement each year using the return and sends a letter in July with the result. No return means no renewal. Filing the missing return restores it. The other possibility is that last year’s income rose above the cut-off for your situation.

Can I work and still receive GIS?

Yes. The first $5,000 of employment or self-employment income is fully exempt, and earnings between $5,000 and $15,000 reduce the supplement by 50 cents on the dollar. The exemption does not apply to RRSP or RRIF withdrawals, which count in full.

Do I have to apply for GIS?

Usually not. A letter arrives shortly after your 64th birthday saying Service Canada will try to enrol you automatically. If that letter asks you to apply, or if no letter arrives within a month of turning 64, contact Service Canada. Form ISP-3550 covers OAS and GIS together; ISP-3025 is for GIS alone.

What is the Allowance for the Survivor?

A monthly payment of up to $1,702.34 for a widow or widower aged 60 to 64 with annual income under $30,696. It bridges the gap until OAS starts at 65. It is not automatic and has to be applied for, which is why so many people never receive it.

Where to get help

Service Canada: 1-800-277-9914 for OAS, GIS and the Allowance. TTY 1-800-255-4786
From outside Canada: 1-613-957-1954, collect
My Service Canada Account: to apply, check status or update banking details
Community Volunteer Income Tax Program: free tax filing for low-income seniors, which is what keeps the supplement running. Dial 211 to find a clinic

Find senior services near your parent

Once the income is sorted, the next question is usually who can help at home. Browse home care, home modification and other aging-in-place services:

Sources

Maximum amounts and income cut-offs for GIS, the Allowance and the Allowance for the Survivor: Old Age Security payment amounts and Guaranteed Income Supplement pages, canada.ca, read September 21, 2026, showing the latest payment adjustment for July to September 2026. Eligibility conditions, automatic enrolment, forms ISP-3550 and ISP-3025: Guaranteed Income Supplement eligibility and apply pages, canada.ca. Annual July review, the April 30 filing requirement, the tax-free status, the six-month absence rule and the option to have benefits set on estimated current-year income: Guaranteed Income Supplement, receiving your benefit, canada.ca. The $5,000 full earnings exemption and the 50 percent exemption between $5,000 and $15,000: canada.ca Allowance application page and the Old Age Security program toolkit. Payment dates: Service Canada benefits payment calendar. OAS deferral figures: OAS when to start, canada.ca. Amounts change every quarter, so the date on this page tells you when it was last checked.