POLICY

“Income” is money that is available to a household unit during a benefit period of assistance. Money is typically not considered to be available to an applicant or recipient until it has been received.

Note:
For payments that have not been received, but are subject to repayment, see the Overpayments as a Result of Retroactive Payments policy.

There may be circumstances where money an applicant or recipient receives is not considered income as it is not available to them. In these circumstances, the money is not included in a determination of eligibility and benefits as long as the applicant or recipient can provide appropriate substantiation.

Example 1:
A recipient receives money from his/her roommate that is intended to pay the monthly rent. The roommate electronically transfers the funds to the recipient, with the expectation that it will be used to pay the landlord his/her share of the rent.

If the recipient can substantiate that the funds belong to the roommate and are destined for the landlord, the amount is not considered income and is excluded from a determination of eligibility and benefits.

Example 2:
A recipient receives funds from a GoFundMe account. The fund was set-up by a colleague to help the recipient pay for a specific personal expense.

Even though these funds have a specific intended purpose, they do belong to the recipient and are available to spend on their expenses. The amount is considered income and it is included in the determination of eligibility and benefits.

Example 3:
A recipient pays out-of-pocket for supplies for a fundraising event for a not-for-profit organization. The organization provides a cheque to the recipient to cover the cost of the supplies. This reimbursed amount shows up on the recipient’s bank statement.

If the recipient can substantiate that the funds in the bank account were a reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses for the event, the amount is not considered income and is excluded from a determination of eligibility and benefits.

Example 4:
A recipient raises funds for a charitable cause (e.g., collects funds as part of a walk for cancer research or creates a GoFundMe account to raise funds for a sick friend). The purpose of collecting these funds is to provide them to the person or organization the funds are intended to assist.

If the recipient can substantiate the intended purpose of these funds, the amount is not considered income and is excluded from a determination of eligibility and benefits. Once the fundraising is complete, the recipient should provide substantiation that the funds were provided to the intended recipient.