AISH and ADAP in Alberta: amounts, eligibility and how to apply

What AISH and ADAP are

AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) is a monthly income for adults whose severe disability permanently prevents them from working. Since July 2, 2026 there is also ADAP (Alberta Disability Assistance Program), for adults whose severe disability substantially limits their ability to work, continuously or from time to time.

You apply once, with a single application, and the program decides which of the two fits your situation. Both include health benefits for you, your spouse or partner and your dependent children.

How much you get

• People who moved from AISH to ADAP on July 2, 2026 get an extra $200 a month transition benefit until December 31, 2027, so they keep the same total as before.
• Child benefit: $300 for the first child, $117 second, $88 third, $59 fourth, $30 for the fifth and each additional child.
• Living in an approved continuing care home: the accommodation charge (up to the legal maximum for a private room) plus a $373 personal allowance.
• Remote communities: $48 a month for the client and each dependent child.

Who qualifies

General

• Be at least 18, live in Alberta, and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Not be eligible for an Old Age Security pension.
• Not live in a correctional facility or a mental health facility.
• Apply for every other income you may be entitled to (CPP, Canada Disability Benefit, EI, workers' compensation).

Medical

Three things must be shown by your medical report: the disability causes substantial impairment of mental or physical functioning and is permanent or expected to last at least two years; it has been formally diagnosed and supported by medical or psychological reports; and all relevant treatment that could lessen it has been completed with no improvement expected.

Money

• Non-exempt assets (cash, savings, investments, TFSAs, second properties) cannot total more than $100,000.
• Exempt assets that do not count: the home you live in, a main vehicle (and a second vehicle adapted for a disability), and money in a Registered Disability Savings Plan.
• The assets and income of your spouse or partner count; those of your parents or your children do not.

Income and work: what counts

Income falls into three groups.

• Exempt (not counted): cash gifts, income tax refunds, child support for a dependent child, RDSP and RRSP payments, scholarships and bursaries, education grants, awards, death benefits, rent-supplement payments, money for home repairs from governments.
• Counted in full, dollar for dollar: spousal support, Canada Disability Benefit, CPP disability, retirement and survivor pensions, Employment Insurance, workers' compensation, employer pensions.
• Partly counted: wages, self-employment income, interest, dividends, rental income and similar.

Earnings

• AISH: you can earn $350 a month without any effect. Above that, every dollar is deducted from your living allowance.
• ADAP: a single person can earn up to $700 a month fully exempt, and someone with dependents up to $1,100. Above that, deductions start very small (less than one cent per dollar) and rise gradually from about 2% to over 50%. A single ADAP client's benefit only reaches zero at $45,240 of net annual employment income.

Worked example (AISH)

An AISH client living alone earns $800 net in a month: $800 − $350 exempt = $450 counted. Living allowance: $1,940 − $450 = $1,490. Total: $2,290.

Only income after mandatory deductions (income tax, CPP, EI, union dues) is considered. Voluntary deductions count as income. An online benefit estimator is available on alberta.ca.

Health and other benefits

• Prescription drugs on the Alberta Drug Benefit List and some over-the-counter items.
• Dental: check-ups, cleaning, x-rays, fillings, extractions, dentures. If you also qualify for the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan, claims go to the federal plan first and AISH pays the remaining eligible costs.
• Optical: one eye exam and one pair of glasses every 2 years for adults, every year for dependent children.
• Diabetes supplies including continuous glucose monitors for those who qualify; emergency ambulance to the nearest emergency room; no cost share on items approved by Alberta Aids to Daily Living.
• Personal benefits for needs above the living allowance: medical equipment up to $2,351, medical supplies up to $473 a month, a service animal $63 a month, special diets $26 to $132 a month, funeral costs up to $4,601.

Personal benefits require no more than $5,000 in non-exempt assets (or financial hardship), a demonstrated need, and no other program that covers it.

If your CPP disability or work income becomes too high for AISH, you may still qualify for health benefits through the Alberta Adult Health Benefit until the end of the benefit year (June 30).

How to apply

1. Apply online for AISH and ADAP (one application), or complete the paper Disability Income Assistance application if you cannot use the online form.
2. Ask your doctor or nurse practitioner to complete the Disability Assistance Medical Report. The health professional may charge a fee, which you pay. If you are on Income Support, ask your worker whether that cost can be covered.
3. Include your Notice of Assessment and the other required documents, and keep copies.
4. Submit online or by fax (1-877-969-3006) or mail (AISH and ADAP, PO Box 17000 Station Main, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4B3). Status: 1-877-759-6810.

If approved, you get a call and a letter, a meeting with a worker is scheduled, and your benefits are backdated to the month the program received all the information it needed. If refused, the letter explains why and how to appeal. While you wait, you can apply for Income Support and health benefits. If you left AISH or ADAP less than two years ago for a reason other than a medical change, your file can be reopened.

Help: Alberta Supports Contact Centre, 1-877-644-9992.

Mistakes to avoid

• Report every change: relationship status, medical condition, address, number of children, a job starting or stopping, income or assets of you or your partner, more than 30 days outside Alberta. Unreported changes cause overpayments you must repay.
• Your health card is valid in Alberta only. Tell your worker at least one week before leaving the province.
• Medical eligibility can be reviewed again later: keep your medical information up to date.
• If managing money is hard, a financial administrator can be added to your file; they must spend the allowance on you and keep records.