AISH Alberta Guide: Eligibility, Payment, Income Rules & Appeals

AISH is a Government of Alberta disability income program. It provides a monthly living allowance, health benefits, and personal benefits to eligible adult Albertans with a permanent medical condition that prevents them from earning a living. You can read the AISH benefit page on Accessible Compass at Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, or go straight to the official Alberta page.

As of July 2, 2026, Alberta runs two disability income programs: AISH and ADAP. There is one combined application for both, and Alberta places eligible applicants in the program best suited to their situation. AISH continues to be available for people who meet its criteria.

To be eligible for AISH, all of the following must be true:

• You are at least 18 years old and not eligible to receive an Old Age Security pension.
• You live in Alberta and are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• You are not residing in a correctional institution or a facility designated under the Mental Health Act Forms and Designation Regulation, such as Alberta Hospital Edmonton.
• You meet the medical eligibility criteria (below).
• You meet the financial eligibility criteria (below).

AISH eligibility (Alberta.ca)

To be medically eligible for AISH, Alberta's rules state you must have:

• A severe disability that is a substantial impairment of your mental or physical functioning that permanently prevents employment.
• A severe disability that is permanent — meaning all relevant treatment that could lessen the impairment has been completed and no improvement is expected.

Alberta reviews the medical treatments, therapies, rehabilitation services, and training options available to you that may help improve your impairment. When the Adjudicator believes you may meet AISH criteria, they recommend your file to the AISH Medical Review Panel, which makes the final AISH medical decision.

Your Guide to Disability Income Assistance (Alberta)·AISH/ADAP Policy Manual

AISH looks at the income and assets of you and your spouse or partner together. When you apply for or receive AISH, you and your spouse or partner must:

• apply for all other income you may be eligible for, such as Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPP-D), the Canada Disability Benefit, Employment Insurance (EI), or Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) benefits; and
• not have income or assets higher than the AISH program allows.

AISH typically considers income reported on your income tax form and your spouse or partner's income tax form. It does not consider a dependent child's income.

The combined non-exempt assets of you and your spouse or partner cannot be worth more than $100,000 when added together.

This list covers the common items Alberta names publicly. Unusual or complex assets are decided case by case — confirm with your AISH worker before assuming how an asset is treated.

How AISH treats assets (Alberta.ca)

How AISH treats income depends on the type of income, whether you are single or in a family, and who receives it.

Allowable Canada Revenue Agency deductions (such as CPP and EI contributions) are applied before exemptions.

You can work while receiving AISH. Alberta provides an employment-income exemption, and earning some income does not automatically disqualify you from AISH.

The first $350 per month of your employment income (as a single adult or a parent) does not affect your AISH financial benefits. Earnings above $350 are gradually deducted from your living allowance.

Remember that AISH is for people whose disability permanently prevents employment. Limited earnings are allowed under the exemption, but if your work situation changes substantially you must report it (see Reporting changes), and Alberta may review your eligibility.

How AISH treats income (Alberta.ca)

AISH recognizes a mutual obligation of cohabiting partners to support each other, so your spouse or cohabiting partner's income is also considered. As of July 2026, the spousal pension income exemption has increased: the first $1,200 per month of your spouse or cohabiting partner's pension income is fully exempt, and 25% of the remainder is also exempt. This applies to a spouse/partner's CPP-D, EI, and WCB benefits.

For your spouse or partner's employment earnings, see the cohabiting-partner exemption in the table below.

The standard AISH living allowance is $1,940 per month for a single adult with no other income. The amount you actually receive depends on any other income you or your spouse or partner may have.

The $1,500 cohabiting-partner exemption applies to the partner's own employment earnings — not the recipient's. AISH uses one "$350" figure for both single recipients and parents.

A modified living allowance applies if you live in an approved continuing care home (it includes a personal allowance of $373 plus an accommodation rate). Child benefit amounts are set out in the personal benefits section.

What you get with AISH (Alberta.ca)·AISH Financial Benefits Summary (Alberta)

AISH health benefits cover you, your spouse or partner, and your dependent children. You receive a Health Benefits Card to show to providers. Coverage includes:

• Prescription drugs from the Government of Alberta Drug Benefit List (some over-the-counter items and nutritional products may also be covered).
• Dental — basic coverage including check-ups, cleaning, x-rays, fillings, extractions, and dentures.
• Optical — one eye exam every two years for adults (children's eye exams covered under Alberta Health Care); one pair of glasses every two years for adults and yearly for dependent children.
• Diabetes supplies — test strips, lancing devices, insulin supplies, and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) for those who meet eligibility.
• Emergency ambulance trips to the closest emergency room.
• Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL) — you do not pay the cost-share amount for AADL-approved items.

Health benefits continue regardless of your employment income. If you receive dental coverage, you may also be eligible for the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) — submit CDCP claims first, with AISH covering remaining eligible costs.

AISH health benefits (Alberta.ca)

Personal benefits cover specific needs over and above your monthly living allowance. Some may need to be repaid. To be eligible, you must have no more than $5,000 in non-exempt assets (or be in a financial hardship situation), demonstrate a need, not be eligible under another program, and meet the specific requirements of each benefit.

• Health-related — orthotics, CPAP, wheelchair/scooter maintenance, therapies (acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, physio), hearing aid batteries, medical alert, oxygen, special diets, splints and braces, TENS, service animal supports, specialized clothing.
• Children — infant and childcare, children's education and school expenses.
• Other — emergencies beyond your control, leaving an abusive home, employment and training expenses, funeral arrangements, maintaining a home in a remote community, moving, and travel for health, court, or training.

Child benefit (August 2026): $300 for the first child, $117 for the second, $88 for the third, $59 for the fourth, and $30 for each additional child.

Your CPP Disability benefits are non-exempt income — counted at full value and subtracted dollar-for-dollar from your AISH living allowance.

A spouse or cohabiting partner's CPP-D is partially exempt: as of July 2026, the first $1,200 per month of your spouse or partner's pension income is fully exempt, and 25% of the remainder is also exempt.

When you apply for or receive AISH, you and your spouse or partner must apply for all other income you may be eligible for, including CPP-D, the Canada Disability Benefit, EI, and WCB benefits.

The federal Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) provides up to $200 per month to eligible Canadians with disabilities aged 18 to 64. Alberta's official CDB/DTC fact sheet for AISH recipients states that the CDB is treated as non-exempt income for AISH recipients — meaning Albertans on AISH will continue to receive the same overall monthly support they do today.

To be eligible for the CDB, you must first apply for and be approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). AISH recipients are required to tell AISH the outcome of their CDB and DTC applications, including approvals (and the amount) or denials.

Alberta's AISH program will cover the full cost of the DTC medical assessment for eligible clients in the interim (the federal government has announced a one-time supplemental CDB payment of $150 by March 2027 to offset it). AISH clients who receive this support are required to repay the amount to the AISH program.

CDB and DTC Fact Sheet for AISH Recipients (Alberta)

There is one combined application for AISH and ADAP:

Preparing an application? Our Application Helper walks you through benefit forms in plain language.

How to apply for AISH and ADAP (Alberta.ca)

Applications are reviewed in the order received; applicants with palliative or terminal conditions are prioritized. AISH reviews your application in a specific order:

1. General eligibility (age and residency)
2. Medical eligibility
3. Financial eligibility

Your application is not assessed further if it is denied at an earlier stage. If approved, you will receive a phone call and a letter, a meeting with an AISH worker will be scheduled, and your benefits will be backdated to the month AISH received all the information needed to approve your application. If denied, you will receive a letter explaining why and how to appeal or update your information.

Application status line: 587-759-6810 (Edmonton area) or 1-877-759-6810 (toll free, Alberta).

After you apply (Alberta.ca)

You must report changes in your financial, medical, or living situation as soon as they happen. Reporting late can lead to being overpaid or underpaid. Contact your AISH worker about changes such as income, household composition, address, or medical condition.

Report a change (Alberta.ca)

If you receive more AISH than you are eligible for (an overpayment), you will be sent a Notice of Overpayment. If you disagree, you have 30 days from the date you receive it to make a written request to not have to repay, or to file a written appeal.

An overpayment becomes a debt. Alberta usually collects it by subtracting some money from your monthly AISH benefits — typically about 10% of the maximum living allowance you receive (this can be lowered if you are in hardship). If your AISH file closes, you still owe the debt, and it may be sent to a collection agency if you do not make payment arrangements.

Underpayments are paid in full for the entire time you received less than you were eligible for (though money from an underpayment may first be used to pay debts you owe the Alberta government).

Not every AISH decision can be appealed. Here is how the system works:

Alberta reviews applications in order — general, then medical, then financial. An Adjudicator assesses medical eligibility for ADAP and, when the Adjudicator believes you may meet AISH criteria, recommends your file to the AISH Medical Review Panel, which makes the final AISH medical decision. Most medical decisions — including whether you should be referred to the AISH Medical Review Panel — can be appealed to the MAP; the AISH Medical Review Panel's own final decision cannot.

You have a 30-day deadline from when you are told of the decision. If you miss it, you can ask the Minister's delegate for more time. The delegate's decision on time extensions is not itself appealable to the CAP.

For broader context on how reviews and appeals generally work across programs, see our Appeals Guide — but the AISH-specific rules above take precedence.

Appeal an AISH decision (Alberta.ca)

As of July 2, 2026, Alberta runs two disability income programs. Here is a short comparison; the full AISH vs ADAP comparison lives in our ADAP guide.

See the full comparison

The complete transition explanation — including who was moved, the May 2026 notices, the groups that stayed on AISH, and exactly what happens on January 1, 2028 — is in our ADAP guide, which owns the full transition section.

Read the full AISH-to-ADAP transition