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Home owner grant for people with disabilities

Last updated on May 15, 2024

The home owner grant for people with disabilities reduces the amount of property taxes you pay each year on your principal residence.

You may be eligible for this grant if:

  • You are a person with a disability OR you are the spouse or relative of a person with disabilities, and that person with disabilities lives with you
  • Your property assessment is below the grant threshold
    • Properties assessed over the grant threshold may receive a partial grant
  • You meet certain requirements below

Are you 65 or older?

If you’re 65 or older in the current year, you can apply as a senior instead.

When you apply as a senior, you don’t need to provide documents showing that you are a person with a disability.

You must pay at least $100 in property taxes to help fund services such as road maintenance and police protection. 

If you own a property with an assessed value above the grant threshold, you may qualify for a low income grant supplement for people with disabilities. The low income grant supplement tops up the home owner grant if it’s been reduced or eliminated because of the high assessed value of your principal residence.

Find out:

Do I qualify?

To qualify for the grant you must:

Disability requirements

Option A: Provincial disability assistance

Option B: Person with disabilities       

You:

  • Receive provincial disability assistance, hardship assistance or a supplement under the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act

You, your spouse or relative:

  • Pay at least $150 per month during the calendar year for assistance with daily living activities

OR

  • Have spent at least $2,000 on structural modifications for the home, or
  • Purchased the home with qualifying modifications that cost at least $2,000                              

Learn more about Option A and Option B:

Expand All | Collapse All
 

Option A: Provincial disability assistance

Do you receive other assistance?

Qualifying for the additional home owner grant is separate from Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) disability or any other disability programs you may qualify for. Those programs do not qualify you for the additional home owner grant for persons with disabilities.

In addition to the qualifications above, you must also meet the following requirements:

  • You are designated as a person with disabilities by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction
  • You receive provincial disability assistance, hardship assistance or a supplement under the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act

Note: You don’t have to submit any supporting documentation unless we ask for it after you submit your home owner grant application.

After you apply, we may ask for a copy of your Confirmation of Assistance from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. If we ask, you can get a copy through My Self Service or by contacting the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction at 1-866-866-0800.

If you prefer, you can complete a Home Owner Grant Consent for Release of Information (FIN 81)(PDF, 161KB) instead and we will contact the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction for a copy of your Confirmation of Assistance on your behalf.

If you need to submit additional information, see Submit documents to support your home owner grant application.

 

Option B: Person with disabilities

In addition to the qualifications above, you must meet the following requirements:

  • You, your spouse or a relative who lives with you are a person with disabilities but the person with disabilities does NOT receive provincial disability assistance, hardship assistance or a supplement under the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act

AND

  • You or the person with disabilities pays at least $150 per month (or $1800 per calendar year) for assistance to help the person with disabilities with daily living activities. Assistance in your principal residence can be from:
    • Another person
    • An assistive device
    • An assistant animal

OR

  • You have spent at least $2,000 on a qualifying modification for the principal residence or purchased the residence with an existing qualifying modification that cost at least $2,000

Note: You don’t have to submit any supporting documentation unless we ask for it after you submit your home owner grant application.

Certificate of Health Professional and Property Owner (Form B)

After you apply, we may request a completed Certificate of Health Professional and Property Owner (Form B)(FIN 74, PDF, 216KB) and supporting documentation.

Supporting documentation can include but is not limited to:

  • Receipts
  • Invoices
  • Credit card statements
  • Bank statements

If requested, both the person with the disability and their health professional must complete the Form B to verify the person’s disability and that their disability is likely to continue for at least two years.

The Form B also verifies that the person with the disability either:

  • requires help with daily living activities OR
  • requires a qualifying modification to ensure mobility, safe access to or reduced risk of harm in their principal residence or on the land

Daily living activities must take place in the principal residence and include:

  • Preparing meals
  • Managing personal finances
  • Performing housework to keep the house in a sanitary condition
  • Moving about in the house
  • Performing personal hygiene and self-care
  • Managing personal medication
  • Making decisions about personal care or finances
  • Effectively relating to or communicating with others, or interacting with others

Or, if outside the principal residence, the help is to assist with moving about on the land where the principal residence is situated.

A Form B is needed only once per principal residence.

If you need to submit additional information, see Submit documents to support your home owner grant application.

Your principal residence

For the purpose of claiming the home owner grant, you and your spouse can have only one principal residence.

If you own more than one home, you can't designate which one is your principal residence.

Your principal residence is the usual place that you make your home. It’s where you live and conduct your daily affairs, like paying bills and receiving mail, and it’s generally the residence used in your government records for things like your income tax, medical services plan, driver's licence and vehicle registration.

To qualify for the home owner grant, your principal residence must be taxed as an improvement.

You must occupy your principal residence when you apply for the home owner grant, except in special circumstances. You may still be able to apply for the grant while away from your principal residence if:

Apply

You must apply for the home owner grant each year to receive it. Only one grant can be claimed for a property each year.

Find out when and how to apply for the home owner grant.

Claim last year's grant

If you qualified for the grant last year and didn’t apply, you may be able to claim the grant retroactively.

Low income grant supplement

If you own a property with an assessed value of more than the annual grant threshold and you have an adjusted net income of $32,000 or lower, you may qualify for a low income grant supplement for people with disabilities.

Contact information

Contact us if you have any questions about the home owner grant.

Toll Free
1-888-355-2700
Office
250-387-0555
Mailing
PO Box 9446 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9V6