Beginning Wednesday, January 18, eligible Alberta parents and seniors can apply to receive $600 in affordability payments over six months. Residents can apply through an online portal or in person at any registry office in the province.
Families with household incomes below $180,000 are eligible to receive $100 per month for six months for each dependent child under 18. Seniors 65 or older who have household incomes below $180,000 and do not receive the Alberta Seniors Benefit can also apply for monthly payments.
Anyone who cannot easily go online can apply in person through any registry agent or Alberta Supports to receive support in 50 locations and over 100 languages during regular business hours.
Applications will be accepted any time between January 18 and June 30, 2023. Once the application process is completed, most Albertans will receive payments at the end of that month. The exact timing will vary.
To apply, eligible parents and seniors must have a confirmed or pending Verified Account, which allows Albertans to prove who they are online without paper documents or face-to-face visits.
Albertans will use the log-in information from their Verified Account to sign in and complete their online application. Applicants will be asked a series of questions to verify their eligibility, as well as banking information so that payments can be deposited directly into their bank account. Applicants without bank accounts can also select to receive their payments by mailed cheques.
In-person, online and call-in supports are also available for those who have difficulty applying online or need extra assistance.
Vulnerable Albertans will receive payments automatically
Many Albertans who qualify for the inflation relief direct payments are automatically enrolled and do not need to apply through the portal or in person. Everyone who receives benefits through Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), Income Support or the Alberta Seniors Benefit, or services through the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program are already registered and will automatically receive their $100 payments. Recipients of one of these programs with dependent children under age 18 need to apply to receive those payments through the portal.
Foster and kinship caregivers are also automatically registered and do not need to apply for children in their care.
The government is using 2021 tax data from the CRA to verify eligibility based on income.
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For more, call the Verified Account support line at 1-844-643-278
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Additional information, including a how-to video and answers to questions, is available online.
