Ottawa funds it, and each province or territory runs its own version with its own name and rules. This guide explains how it works, how the amount is figured, and how to get on the list where you live.

The short answer

The Canada Housing Benefit is a federal-provincial program that pays rent help directly to lower-income households. You apply through your province or territory, not the federal government, and in most versions the payment fills part or all of the gap between 30% of your income and the rent where you live. In Ontario it is called the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, and spots usually go to people on, or eligible for, the social housing waiting list.

It is not the same as the one-time $500 top-up the CRA paid in 2022 and 2023. That payment is over and cannot be claimed now.

How the Canada Housing Benefit works

The benefit is part of the National Housing Strategy. According to CMHC, the federal government committed $2 billion, cost-matched by the provinces and territories, for a total of $4 billion over 8 years starting in spring 2020. The two levels of government agreed to build 13 programs, one for each province and territory.

Three things make it different from most federal benefits:

• There is no CRA application. Your province or territory decides who gets it and how much.
• Space is limited. In Toronto, for example, the province lets the city enroll only a limited number of households each year, so many people who qualify end up waiting.
• It follows you, not the unit. The money goes to your household, so you can use it in private rental housing. In Ontario you can move anywhere in the province and keep it, though the amount may change.

Funding has grown since launch. In February 2024 the Department of Finance announced a $99 million top-up and said the benefit would help more than 300,000 low-income households by 2027-28. Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada reported 243,940 households assisted as of September 30, 2024.

Who it is meant for

Each province sets its own priority groups, but the federal agreements point to similar households. Ontario’s version prioritizes households on, or eligible to be on, a social housing waiting list and households in financial need living in community housing. That includes:

• survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking
• people experiencing or at risk of homelessness
• Indigenous people
• seniors
• people with disabilities

British Columbia’s version also names women and children experiencing or at risk of domestic violence, racialized communities, veterans, youth leaving care and people with disabilities. It is aimed at households that cannot get the province’s existing RAP or SAFER rent programs.

Your province’s version

The name on the application will usually be “Canada” plus the province. Here is what the official announcements say for the programs we could verify.

Sources: CMHC news releases (Ontario 2019, BC and Alberta 2021) and the Newfoundland and Labrador government release of April 28, 2026. Other provinces and territories run their own versions.

Ontario signed the first agreement in December 2019, with a joint investment of $1.4 billion. British Columbia announced $517 million over 10 years to help more than 25,000 households. Alberta announced about $444 million to fund rent support for nearly 35,500 households.

Newfoundland and Labrador shows how the money keeps moving. Its Budget 2026 adds $4 million a year starting in 2026-27 to bring about 500 more households into the program. The province said 2,589 households were getting help and its waitlist was just over 2,600.

How the amount is calculated in Ontario

Ontario’s version uses a simple gap formula. Durham Region’s guide says it pays you the difference between 30% of your income and the average market rent in the area where you live. What you actually pay your landlord does not change the amount.

A worked example

Say a single parent earns $30,000 a year and lives in an area where, for this example only, the average market rent is $1,800 a month. Thirty percent of $30,000 is $9,000 a year, or $750 a month. The benefit would be $1,800 minus $750, which is $1,050 a month, or $12,600 a year.

We checked it a second way: $1,800 times 12 is $21,600 in yearly rent, minus $9,000 is $12,600, which divided by 12 is again $1,050. The table shows how the same formula shrinks as income rises.

Hypothetical. The $1,800 average market rent is an assumption for illustration, not an official figure. Your service manager uses the real average for your area and household size, and the income measure it sets.

Under these assumptions the benefit reaches zero at $72,000 of income, because 30% of that is exactly $1,800 a month. In practice, programs set their own income limits and enroll only a limited number of households.

If you get Ontario Works or ODSP

You can still get the benefit, but there is a cap. Your housing benefit plus your shelter allowance cannot be more than what you pay for rent, utilities and tenant insurance. The amount is reviewed each year, when you move, and if your Ontario Works or ODSP ends.

How to apply

There is no single form. These steps are based on how Ontario cities run it, and most other provinces work in a similar way through their housing agency.

1. Get on the social housing waiting list. In Ontario, you must be on or qualify for your area’s waiting list. Apply through your city or regional housing office.
2. File your taxes. Your program will use your Notice of Assessment to confirm income for everyone in the household who must file. If you are behind, see what happens when you file late.
3. Find out how your area takes applications. In Toronto it is referral-based: you need to be working with an approved community agency while the city is taking referrals. In Durham Region, people on the waitlist express interest when the benefit is posted on the region’s vacancies site.
4. Accept the offer if it suits you. If you accept the Ontario benefit, you are taken off the social housing waiting list. In Durham, if you turn it down, you stay on the list.
5. Set up payment. The benefit is paid directly to you each month. Durham says payments can start as early as the month after your application.

Durham’s guide gives a July 1 renewal date, while Toronto’s gives June 30 and September 1. Follow the date on the renewal letter you receive. Ontario’s program questions go to the Ministry of Finance at 1-888-544-5101.

The $500 top-up was a one-time payment

Many people search for the Canada Housing Benefit because of the $500 top-up. The CRA opened applications on December 12, 2022. It was a tax-free payment for renters with adjusted family net income of $20,000 or less for individuals, or $35,000 or less for families, who paid at least 30% of their 2021 adjusted family net income on rent.

The federal progress report says the program sunset in 2022-23, with $402.37 million paid to support 815,190 applications. There is no current way to apply. If a website or message tells you to apply for it today, treat it as a likely scam.

How it fits with other benefits

The ongoing housing benefit is run by your province, so check how your program treats other income. A few rules from the official sources:

• In Ontario, Ontario Works and ODSP shelter amounts can be combined with the benefit, up to your actual housing costs.
• Rent-geared-to-income housing and other housing subsidies generally rule you out in Ontario.
• Finance Canada said the 2022 top-up would not reduce the Canada Child Benefit, Canada Workers Benefit, GST credit or Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Frequently asked questions

• Sources, checked November 5, 2026: CMHC: Governments of Canada and Ontario sign Canada’s first housing benefit (published 2019-12-19); CMHC: Governments of Canada and BC announce housing benefit (published 2021-03-08); CMHC: Canada and Alberta announce housing benefit (published 2021-07-06); CMHC: What is the strategy? (published 2025-05-22); Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada: Progress on the National Housing Strategy, March 2025 (modified 2025-06-06); Finance Canada: Remarks announcing new action to make rent more affordable (modified 2024-02-06); Finance Canada: One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit (modified 2022-09-13); CRA: Application portal for the one-time top-up is open (modified 2023-06-27); City of Toronto: Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (modified 2026-08-13); Durham Region: COHB frequently asked questions (September 2025); Government of Newfoundland and Labrador: Increasing funding for rental assistance (published 2026-04-28).
• Method: The worked example and income table apply the formula in Durham Region’s guide to an assumed $1,800 average market rent, calculated by script and re-checked using yearly totals. Chart values are taken from the CMHC releases listed above.

Important: This guide is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Rules, amounts and application windows are set by each province or territory and can change, so confirm with your local housing office. Gizly is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. See our affiliate disclosure.