Skip to content
Huard & Co

The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)

Guaranteed Income Supplement

An amount added to for people 65 and older with a low income. It isn’t taxable.

The 2026 numbers

$1,123.17
Maximum per month, single person (July to September 2026)
$22,800
Maximum yearly income, single person, not counting OAS
$30,096
Maximum income for a couple where both get OAS

Numbers checked against the official sources on September 29, 2026.

What it’s for

  • Making sure seniors with little savings or pension income have a basic income.

Who it’s for

  • People who receive OAS and whose income, not counting OAS, is under the threshold.
  • A spouse aged 60 to 64 may get the Allowance (up to $1,428.06 a month).

How it works

  1. Single: up to $1,123.17 a month, if your yearly income, not counting OAS, is under $22,800.

  2. A couple where both get OAS: up to $676.09 each, under $30,096 of combined income.

  3. It goes down as your other income goes up: pensions, or withdrawals, interest.

  4. The first $5,000 of employment income doesn’t count, then 50% of the next $10,000.

  5. It’s recalculated every year from your tax return: filing on time matters.

An example

Mireille, 67, needs $10,000 more

She lives alone and gets OAS and GIS. Where the money comes from changes everything.

If she takes it from a RRIF
Income: her GIS goes down
If she takes it from a TFSA
Not income: her GIS doesn’t change

That’s why, when you expect a low income in retirement, the often comes before the RRSP.

Fictional example, round numbers.

Common mistakes

  • Not filing a tax return: without it, the GIS can stop.
  • Making big RRSP withdrawals just before or during your GIS years without checking the effect.
  • Assuming you don’t qualify without checking: the thresholds for a couple are higher than people think.

In Huard & Co

Read next

General information to help you understand, not personalized advice. Rules change: every number links to its official source.