New Brunswick Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit 2026: $629 and Every Other Program
October 31, 2026 · updated October 30, 2026 · 7 min read
Your mother in Miramichi gets her OAS and a little GIS, and the province owes her money she has never asked for. New Brunswick’s main payment for low-income seniors does not arrive on its own. It needs a form every year, and this year’s form closes on December 31.
The short answer: The New Brunswick Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit pays $629 once a year to seniors who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, or the federal Allowance at 60 to 64. You must apply for the 2026 payment by December 31, 2026. Seniors on GIS also get prescriptions for $9.05 each, capped at $500 a year, with no premium. At any income, a senior can claim 10 percent of up to $10,000 in safety renovations, a refundable credit worth up to $1,000.
Every figure below comes from gnb.ca or canada.ca, checked on October 29, 2026. Here is each program, what it pays and how to get it.
Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit: $629, apply by December 31
The Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit is a once-a-year payment of $629. It is the simplest money on this page, and the one most often missed, because it needs an application every year.
Your parent qualifies if they live in New Brunswick, are 60 or older, and receive one of these federal benefits:
- the Guaranteed Income Supplement, at 65 or older
- the Allowance, at 60 to 64
- the Allowance for the Survivor, at 60 to 64
A couple living together where both get GIS receives one benefit, not two. A couple living apart, for example when one spouse has moved into a nursing home, can each receive it. That detail is worth a phone call if it applies to your family.
Apply online at gnb.ca or on a paper form from any Service New Brunswick centre, by December 31, 2026. Questions go to 1-833-796-0944.
Prescriptions: the Seniors Drug Plan
New Brunswick has two drug plans for seniors, and which one your parent belongs on depends on GIS.
Seniors on GIS: $9.05 a prescription
The NB Prescription Drug Program Seniors Plan covers residents 65 and older who receive GIS and have no other drug coverage. There is no premium. Your parent pays $9.05 per prescription, up to $500 a year from January 1 to December 31, and nothing after that.
The province mails an application to every resident 60 days before they turn 65. To join, send the form with a Service Canada letter confirming GIS, or a printout from the CRA’s My Account showing the latest GIS payment. Each August the plan checks GIS status again, so answer any letter it sends, or coverage ends on October 31.
Seniors without GIS: the New Brunswick Drug Plan
Seniors who do not get GIS and have no other coverage can join the New Brunswick Drug Plan. Premiums depend on income, and members pay a 30 percent copayment up to a maximum per prescription. Call 1-800-332-3692 to get the premium for your parent’s income before deciding.
Seniors’ Home Renovation Tax Credit: up to $1,000
This is the program families overlook most, because it has no income test. Any New Brunswick senior 65 or older, or a family member living with them, can claim 10 percent of up to $10,000 in eligible renovations each year. The credit is refundable, so it pays out even if your parent owes no tax.
Eligible work includes grab bars, handrails, ramps, stair lifts, walk-in tubs, wheel-in showers, comfort height toilets, wider doorways, lever handles, non-slip flooring and extra lighting. Ordinary repairs, new windows, heating systems and devices like walkers do not count.
Claim it on CRA form 5004-S12 with the tax return, for work billed in that year. Keep the receipts. Federally, the Home Accessibility Tax Credit can cover the same work too, and our guide to aging-in-place renovations shows what each job costs.
Home repair and adaptation loans
For lower-income homeowners, Housing NB offers forgivable loans through Social Development:
- Home adaptations for seniors: up to $7,000, for low-income seniors who have trouble with daily activities at home
- Accessible modifications for a person with a disability: up to $15,000
- Homeowner Repair Program: up to $18,000 for major repairs, such as heating, plumbing, wiring or a failing structure
Your parent must own and live in the home. Call 1-833-733-7835 to check the income limits and apply.
Property tax: the seniors’ deferral
New Brunswick has no property tax rebate just for seniors, but it has a Property Tax Deferral Program for Seniors. If one owner is 65 or older and the home receives the Residential Property Tax Credit, your parent can stop paying each year’s increase over a base year and settle it when the home is sold or transferred.
There is no income limit. The deferred amount carries interest: 3.949 percent a year when household income is under $124,178, and 8.949 percent above that. Apply by December 31 of the first year you want to defer, online, by mail or at Service New Brunswick. Questions go to 1-800-669-7070.
It is a good fit for a parent who is house-rich and cash-poor and plans to stay put. It is a poor fit if the house needs to pass to family without a bill attached.
Help staying at home
Extra-Mural Program
The Extra-Mural Program is New Brunswick’s public home health care service: nursing, therapy, palliative care and help after a hospital stay, delivered at home. Your parent, their doctor or a family member can request it at extramuralnb.ca.
Home support through Social Development
For ongoing help with bathing, meals and housework, the Long Term Care Program at Social Development assesses what your parent needs and what they can pay. The financial assessment counts income only, not assets, so owning the house does not raise the bill. Call 1-833-733-7835 to start. For private rates if you need more hours, see our guide to what senior home care costs in Canada.
New Brunswick has no provincial caregiver payment. If you support a parent, the federal Canada Caregiver Credit is the one to claim.
The federal layer underneath
Every program above sits on top of federal pensions. For October to December 2026:
- Old Age Security: up to $762.50 a month at 65 to 74, and $838.75 at 75 and over
- Guaranteed Income Supplement: up to $1,138.90 a month for a single senior
- Next payment dates: November 26, then December 22
In New Brunswick, GIS is the key that opens the $629 benefit and the $9.05 drug plan. If your parent is not getting it, read our GIS guide first. All the deposit days are in our seniors’ benefit payment calendar, and our Nova Scotia guide covers the province next door.
Your first four calls
If you only have one afternoon, do these in order:
- Apply for the Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit at gnb.ca or Service New Brunswick, before December 31.
- Move your parent onto the Seniors Drug Plan if they get GIS. Call 1-800-332-3692.
- Call Social Development at 1-833-733-7835 about home support and the home adaptation loan.
- Gather renovation receipts for the tax return. Our year-end tax checklist for seniors covers what to do before December 31.
Useful numbers:
- Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit: 1-833-796-0944
- NB Drug Plans: 1-800-332-3692
- Social Development and Housing NB: 1-833-733-7835, for home support and repair loans
- Service Canada: 1-800-277-9914, for OAS, GIS and CPP
Frequently asked questions
How much is the New Brunswick Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit?
It is $629 a year for 2026. Seniors who receive GIS, or the federal Allowance or Allowance for the Survivor at 60 to 64, qualify, and the application deadline is December 31, 2026.
Do I have to apply for the Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit every year?
Yes. It is not paid automatically. Each year’s benefit needs its own application, online or at Service New Brunswick, by December 31.
How much do prescriptions cost for seniors in New Brunswick?
Seniors on GIS pay $9.05 per prescription, up to $500 a year, with no premium. Seniors without GIS can join the income-based New Brunswick Drug Plan, which has a premium and a 30 percent copayment up to a maximum per prescription.
Can seniors in New Brunswick defer property tax?
Yes. Owners 65 and older can defer each year’s property tax increase on their principal residence, with interest, until the home is sold or transferred. There is no income limit. Apply by December 31 of the first year you want to defer.
What is the New Brunswick Seniors’ Home Renovation Tax Credit?
It is a refundable credit of 10 percent of up to $10,000 in eligible accessibility renovations, worth up to $1,000 a year. Seniors 65 and older, or family members living with them, can claim it at any income.
Find senior services in New Brunswick
Browse home care, home modification contractors and other aging-in-place services near your parent:
Sources
Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit 2026 news release, NBPDP Seniors Drug Plan (Plan A) policy, NB Drug Plans eligibility and enrolment pages, Seniors’ Home Renovation Tax Credit, home repair programs, Property Tax Deferral Program for Seniors, Extra-Mural Program and Long Term Care Program: gnb.ca. OAS and GIS amounts for October to December 2026: canada.ca. All checked October 29, 2026. The Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit amount changes each year, and OAS and GIS change each quarter.
