Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped Act, sections 3.2
Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped General Regulation, section 2.01(1)(d), Schedule 2, section 1

INTENT

To define how the value of assets is assessed when determining eligibility.

POLICY

The total market value of all non-exempt assets of the applicant, client, and their cohabiting partner are calculated to determine eligibility for AISH, the child benefit and personal benefits.

The market value of the asset will be reduced by any outstanding debt against that asset, evidenced by a written agreement. 

If an applicant, client, or their cohabiting partner disposes of an asset for less than fair market value to establish or maintain their eligibility, it will still be included in determining the value of their assets.

Jointly or Communally Owned Assets

Jointly or communally owned assets are equally owned by each owner unless a written document establishes the percentage of ownership of each owner. When determining the value of the equally owned asset of an AISH applicant/client residing on a communal operation, the AISH program divides the value of the assets by the number of adults residing on the communal operation.

Annuities

Annuities are valued at their present value in accordance with generally-accepted accounting practices.

Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs)

An RESP is an education savings account that is registered with the Government of Canada and allows savings for education to grow tax-free. In addition, the government may also add monies to the plan through the Canada Education Savings Grant and the Canada Learning Bond.

A subscriber is the person who creates the plan and who makes contributions to the plan. A beneficiary is the person who will receive Educational Assistance Payments (EAPs) from the RESP. The chart below shows how AISH treats RESPs as assets in various situations.

Note
If a third party is the subscriber (e.g. AISH Client’s parents or grandparents), the RESP would not be considered an asset for determining eligibility.

Business Assets

Larger incorporated businesses may know and publish the value of their shares. In this scenario, the value of the asset is the value of the share multiplied by the number of shares owned by the client or cohabitating partner.

The value of smaller incorporated businesses and its share may not be known. In this situation, the incorporated business’ assets may need to be considered in order to determine the approximate value of the incorporated business and its shares. The value of the incorporated business and its shares should be re-evaluated regularly as their value could change significantly over time.

A non-incorporated business, such as a sole proprietorship, is considered an extension of the business owner. The owner of a non-incorporated business also owns the assets of the business. The assets belonging to a non-incorporated business owned by the client and/or their cohabitating partner are considered a household asset and therefore included in the calculation of the applicant’s or client’s asset limits.