Alberta seniors may apply for provincial and municipal grants.
For seniors who own a home in Alberta, Canada, provincial and municipal options lead to government money that they don't have to pay back. According to the Alberta Government's demographic records, the province was home to 385,000 people ages 65 years old and up, as of June 2009. Of those, 67 percent owned property. A government grant can ease the financial strain of homeownership in a person's golden years.
Alberta Seniors Benefits
Approximately 142,000 seniors collected Alberta Provincial Benefits in 2010.
Lower income senior homeowners--Canadian citizens or landed immigrants who have lived in the province for at least three months--can receive a monthly stipend from the Alberta government. As of July 2010, to qualify, single seniors cannot make more than $24,500 a year and couples cannot make more than $39,900 combined. In 2010, the benefit amount ranged from $3,360 to $5,040 a year, depending on income: The lower the income, the higher the benefit. Homeownership, marital status and other benefits received, such as an old age security pension, also determine the benefit amount.
Alberta Seniors Benefit Program
P.O. Box 3100
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4W3
800-642-3853
seniors.gov.ab.ca
Education Property Tax Assistance
Alberta seniors are exempt from education tax increases.
The Alberta government offers a grant to seniors to cover yearly increases to the education portion of their property taxes, based on the property tax increases from the year the applicant turned 65. To qualify for this rebate, applicants must provide proof of age, proof of homeownership, and a copy of their property tax notice, showing an increase in their education taxes.
Education Property Tax Assistance for Seniors
P.O. Box 3100
Edmonton, AB T5J 4W3
800-642-3853
seniors.gov.ab.ca
Edmonton Seniors Homeowner Grant
Seniors living in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, can receive a yearly grant to help pay a portion of their municipal property taxes. As of 2010, the grant--for which seniors automatically qualify if they receive Alberta Seniors Benefits--adds $16 to their provincial benefits check.
City of Edmonton
3rd Floor, City Hall
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7
780-442-5311
edmonton.ca
Calgary Property Tax Assistance
Lower income seniors living in Calgary, Alberta's other major city, can apply for a grant to cover yearly increases to their property taxes. The amount of the tax increase determines the grant's size. Homeowners must reside in the home and cannot own any other property or exceed maximum household income guidelines. For 2010, those guidelines ranged from $22,229 a year for a one-person household to $52,838 a year for a six-person household.
Property Tax Assistance Program
The City of Calgary
P.O. Box 2100 Station M #8113
Calgary, AB T2P 2M5
403-268-2489
calgary.ca
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