Does my Family Qualify as a Low or Middle Income Family?
The Canada Student Grants Program uses two standard measurements of income to determine eligibility for grants for students from low- or middle-income families:
- Low-Income Threshold: Low-income thresholds are levels below which a family of a given size will devote a larger share of income to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than that of an average family.
- Middle-Income Threshold: The middle-income threshold is a measurement of the cost of living that accounts for how much money families of various sizes will need to pay for shelter, food, household operation, child care, furnishings and equipment, clothing, transportation, health and personal care, and other miscellaneous expenses.
To find out if your family qualifies as a low- or middle-income family, have a look at the following tables:
To use these tables:
- Select the column for your province or territory of permanent residence.
- Select the row for the number of people in your family:
- If you are a dependent student, this includes you, your parents and any of your siblings who are also dependants.
- If you are an independent student, this includes you and your spouse and dependent children, if applicable.
- Locate the cell where the column selected in step 1 intersects the row selected in step 2.
- Table A: If your family’s gross income is less than or equal to the number in this cell, your family qualifies as a low-income family.
- Table B: If your family’s gross income is less than or equal to the number in this cell, your family qualifies as a middle-income family.
Low-Income Thresholds (Table A) - Valid for 2009-2010 Academic Year
| Province/Territory | Family Size | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 or more | |
| AB | 22,436 | 27,932 | 34,338 | 41,691 | 47,286 | 53,329 | 59,374 |
| BC | 22,198 | 27,635 | 33,974 | 41,249 | 46,784 | 52,763 | 58,745 |
| MB | 22,241 | 27,689 | 34,040 | 41,329 | 46,875 | 52,866 | 58,859 |
| NB | 19,062 | 23,729 | 29,172 | 35,419 | 40,171 | 45,307 | 50,443 |
| NL | 19,266 | 23,984 | 29,485 | 35,800 | 40,603 | 45,794 | 50,985 |
| NS | 19,322 | 24,053 | 29,571 | 35,904 | 40,721 | 45,927 | 51,133 |
| NT | 22,198 | 27,635 | 33,974 | 41,249 | 46,784 | 52,763 | 58,745 |
| NU | 22,198 | 27,635 | 33,974 | 41,249 | 46,784 | 52,763 | 58,745 |
| ON | 22,241 | 27,689 | 34,040 | 41,329 | 46,875 | 52,866 | 58,859 |
| PE | 19,295 | 24,021 | 29,531 | 35,855 | 40,665 | 45,865 | 51,063 |
| QC | 22,198 | 27,635 | 33,974 | 41,249 | 46,784 | 52,763 | 58,745 |
| SK | 19,285 | 24,007 | 29,514 | 35,835 | 40,642 | 45,839 | 51,035 |
| YT | 22,198 | 27,635 | 33,974 | 41,249 | 46,784 | 52,763 | 58,745 |
Middle-Income Thresholds (Table B) - Valid for 2009-2010 Academic Year
| Province/Territory | Family Size | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 or more | |
| AB | 42,802 | 59,923 | 71,822 | 80,260 | 86,812 | 92,160 | 96,684 |
| BC | 38,478 | 53,870 | 69,984 | 81,412 | 90,275 | 97,520 | 103,647 |
| MB | 34,259 | 47,962 | 60,068 | 68,656 | 75,323 | 80,769 | 85,372 |
| NB | 30,871 | 43,220 | 53,633 | 61,023 | 66,755 | 71,436 | 75,397 |
| NL | 30,776 | 43,087 | 53,832 | 62,218 | 68,720 | 74,036 | 78,527 |
| NS | 35,114 | 49,160 | 61,171 | 69,688 | 76,298 | 81,700 | 86,265 |
| NT | 41,659 | 58,323 | 68,548 | 75,805 | 81,433 | 86,038 | 89,924 |
| NU | 41,659 | 58,323 | 68,548 | 75,805 | 81,433 | 86,038 | 89,924 |
| ON | 40,094 | 56,131 | 69,686 | 79,303 | 86,769 | 92,858 | 98,016 |
| PE | 32,016 | 44,822 | 56,982 | 65,613 | 72,303 | 77,772 | 82,393 |
| QC | 35,241 | 49,337 | 62,355 | 71,585 | 78,754 | 84,603 | 89,551 |
| SK | 33,892 | 47,449 | 59,430 | 67,925 | 74,516 | 79,905 | 84,457 |
| YT | 41,659 | 58,323 | 68,548 | 75,805 | 81,433 | 86,038 | 89,924 |
