BC Rental Assistance Program: check if you may qualify
The Rental Assistance Program (RAP) is a BC Housing benefit that helps low-income families pay rent in the private market. You may qualify if your household income is $60,000 or less, you have a dependent child, your assets are under $100,000, you file a tax return every year and rent takes more than 30% of your gross income.
Rules checked 27 Oct 2026Nothing you enter is stored or sentFree, takes a minute
Finvo is not part of BC Housing or the Government of BC. BC Housing decides eligibility.
Your result
Answer the questions and select “Check my answers”. You’ll see each rule marked Meets, Doesn’t meet or Check this, and how your rent compares with 30% of your income.
How much you could get
BC Housing pays a percentage of the gap between 30% of your gross monthly income and your rent, with rent counted up to a ceiling and up to maximum benefit amounts it sets. It doesn’t publish the percentage, so we don’t estimate it. Use BC Housing’s help with rent calculator for your amount.
This is a guide, not a decision. BC Housing decides eligibility after it checks your application and documents. Finvo is not part of BC Housing or the Government of BC.
General information only. This check follows the rules on the RAP application form (RAP-001, 2025-04-01) and BC Housing’s RAP page, checked on 27 Oct 2026. It can’t see everything BC Housing looks at, such as other adults in your home who pay part of the rent. If something doesn’t fit your situation, call the Rental Assistance Program at 604-433-2218 or 1-800-257-7756.
You may be eligible for RAP if all of these are true
These are the eight conditions on the application form, with the detail BC Housing adds on its website. They apply to you and to your spouse or partner, if you have one.
- You have one or more dependent children
A dependent child is unmarried and mainly supported by you: your child, stepchild, adopted child or legal ward who is:
- under 19, or
- under 25 and studying full time at a school, university or vocational institute that grants a recognized diploma, certificate or degree, or
- any age, if a mental or physical disability means the CRA accepts them as a dependant.
- Your household income is $60,000 or less
Total income before tax, for you and your spouse together, as shown on last year’s tax returns. Your children’s income isn’t counted.
- You have less than $100,000 in assets
Property, savings, investments and business equity count. Vehicles, RRSPs, RESPs, RDSPs and personal belongings don’t.
- You file a Canadian income tax return every year
Both you and your spouse. BC Housing uses your returns to confirm your income each year.
- Rent takes more than 30% of your gross monthly household income
Rent for your home, or pad rent for a manufactured home (trailer) you own and live in. Exactly 30% isn’t enough; it has to be more.
- You meet the status rules
Everyone in the household is one of these, and not under private sponsorship:
- a Canadian citizen
- a permanent resident
- a Convention refugee, a refugee sponsored by the Government of Canada, or someone who has applied for refugee status
- in Canada from Ukraine under the CUAET visa
The sponsorship rule doesn’t apply to dependent children listed with their caregiver or sponsor, and BC Housing may waive it if it accepts that a sponsorship has broken down.
- You or your spouse have lived in BC for the full 12 months before you apply
- You don’t get BC income or disability assistance
Under the BC Employment and Assistance Act or the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act. If your file is closed and you only get Medical Services Only, you may still be eligible.
Reasons you may not qualify, or get held up
BC Housing lists these as reasons you won’t be eligible. The form adds the things that slow an application down.
You won’t be eligible if
- You live in subsidized housing.
- You’re a shareholder living in co-operative housing.
- You share a kitchen or bathroom with the homeowner or landlord.
- You or your family get income or disability assistance from the province (unless your file is closed and you get Medical Services Only).
- Your total household income before tax is over $60,000.
- Your household has $100,000 or more in assets.
- You or a member of your family don’t meet the status rules, or you haven’t lived in BC for the last 12 months.
- You or your spouse haven’t filed a tax return.
What slows applications down
- Missing documents: the form says this is the most common cause of delays. Incomplete applications are held for up to 90 days, then may be cancelled.
- An unsigned or undated application is sent back.
- Original documents or staples: send photocopies only.
The $100,000 asset limit
Assets are counted for you and your spouse together.
Counts toward the limit
- Real estate or property, in Canada or overseas (its equity)
- Stocks, bonds, term deposits, GICs, mutual funds and shares
- Cash and bank accounts
- Business equity: cash, GICs, bonds, stocks or real estate held in a private company you own
Doesn’t count
- Vehicles, jewellery, furniture and other personal belongings
- RRSPs, RESPs and RDSPs
- Tools and equipment you need for your current work, such as farm equipment
- Asset development accounts, while you’re in the program
- Government compensation packages, such as Indian Residential School Settlements and Japanese Canadian Redress
What to send with your application
From the checklist that comes with the form (RAP-002), in plain words. Send copies, never originals.
1. Your tax information
For you and your spouse, one of these:
- your consent for the CRA to send your tax information to BC Housing (on page 2 of the form), or
- copies of last year’s Notice of Assessment and your full tax return, every page, or
- your T-slips from every income source.
Can’t find them? Print a proof of income statement (“Option C”) from CRA My Account, or call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281. If you went bankrupt in the last two tax years, send the returns and assessments from before and after.
2. Self-employment income
If last year’s income included self-employment, send the Statement of Business or Professional Activities (form T2125) from your return and all the related worksheets.
3. Current and non-taxable income
- Proof of regular income that isn’t taxed, such as support payments, on-reserve income or a private disability pension.
- Proof of your current income from every source if last year’s combined income wasn’t under $60,000, or if it has stopped or dropped for good: pay stubs, a letter from your employer or bank statements showing deposits.
4. Bank details for direct deposit
A personalized blank cheque marked VOID, a pre-authorized debit form from your bank, or the form’s Direct Deposit page filled in by your bank. RAP is only paid by direct deposit.
5. Proof of status in Canada
For every family member:
- a Canadian birth certificate for anyone born in Canada
- permanent residence documents for anyone not born in Canada: Record of Landing (IMM 1000), Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292) or a PR card
- refugee documents, if that applies
6. Proof of rent
One of these:
- a rent receipt showing the address, amount, date and landlord’s name
- a recent notice of rent increase
- your lease or tenancy agreement, if signed in the last 12 months (if it’s older, add one more item from this list)
7. Proof of assets
- statements for all your bank accounts
- for property you own, the property assessment and proof of any mortgage, so equity can be worked out
- statements for other assets, and proof of any shares in a business
8. Students aged 19 to 24
Proof of enrolment for any child aged 19 to 24 who studies full time at a school, university or vocational institution.
Tip: giving the CRA consent on page 2 means you don’t have to collect tax documents, and BC Housing says it makes your yearly reapplication easier too.
Applying for RAP with BC Housing
You apply directly with BC Housing, by upload, fax, mail or in person.
- 1
Check that you may qualify
Go through the eight conditions above, or use the eligibility check.
- 2
Get the form
Download the RAP application form (PDF), call to have one mailed, or pick one up at a BC Housing office.
- 3
Fill in every section and sign
Complete all sections and declarations. You and your spouse sign and date it, and choose whether the CRA may share your tax information.
- 4
Attach your documents
Photocopies of everything on the checklist. No originals and no staples.
- 5
Submit it
Upload it with the Program Upload Form, drop it off at a BC Housing office, fax it or mail it.
- 6
Wait for a letter
BC Housing writes to you by mail to say if you’re approved, not eligible, or need to send more information.
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How RAP is paid and renewed
How the payment is worked out
BC Housing reimburses a percentage of the difference between 30% of your gross household income and your rent, with rent counted up to a ceiling and up to the program’s maximum benefit amounts. Its help with rent calculator gives an estimate.
| Family of 3 or fewer | $1,950 |
|---|---|
| Family of 4 or more | $2,200 |
- Paid by direct deposit on the last business day of each month, for that month’s rent.
- Starts in the month BC Housing receives your application, if you’re eligible.
- Based on last year’s income. If your income has dropped for good, BC Housing can review it.
- If other adults live with you, what they pay toward rent is used in the calculation.
Renewing every year
You reapply every year. BC Housing sends a reapplication form about 15 weeks before your assistance ends. You update your household and rent details and send proof of rent and income, on paper or through BC Housing’s online portal for existing clients.
Tell BC Housing right away if
- you move, or your rent goes up or down
- your marital status or the number of people in your home changes
- you start getting income or disability assistance
- you buy property or your assets go over $100,000
Not reporting changes can lead to an overpayment you have to repay. RAP reimburses rent you actually pay, so if you don’t pay the full rent, payments can stop. Existing clients: reapplying.
RAP, your tax return and the Canada Child Benefit
One tax return a year keeps both RAP and the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) on track.
What RAP needs from your taxes
- A filed return every year, for you and your spouse. BC Housing says that if either of you hasn’t filed, you may not be eligible.
- Filed but not assessed yet? You can still apply. BC Housing gives you up to 90 days to send what’s missing.
- Self-employed? BC Housing asks for your T2125 statement, so it has to be complete and on your return.
- RAP itself isn’t taxable, but if you get more than $500 in a year you declare it. BC Housing sends you a T5007 slip.
The Canada Child Benefit
- The CRA also needs you, and your spouse or partner, to file a return every year to keep the CCB coming.
- The CCB is tax-free and you don’t report it as income on your return.
- On the RAP form’s support-payments section, you’re told not to include child tax benefits. If you’re unsure how BC Housing treats a payment, ask them.
Behind on returns? We can file this year’s and past years’ returns for you and your spouse, and deal with the CRA once you add us as your representative. See personal tax returns.
Aged 60 or older? Look at SAFER instead
Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters (SAFER) is BC Housing’s rent help for BC residents aged 60 or older with low to moderate incomes. When we checked on 27 Oct 2026, it listed an income limit of $40,000 a year and a rent ceiling of $1,150 from April 2025. You don’t need children to get it.
Sources, checked 27 Oct 2026
- BC Housing: Rental Assistance Program (RAP)Income limit, eligibility, assets, rent ceilings, payment and tax questions
- BC Housing: RAP application form and checklist (RAP-001 and RAP-002, 2025-04-01)Eight eligibility conditions, documents, how to submit, contacts
- BC Housing: existing RAP and SAFER clientsYearly reapplication and changes to report
- BC Housing: Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters (SAFER)Age 60+, income limit, rent ceiling
- BC Housing: Statement of Benefits (T5007)
- Canada.ca: keep getting your Canada child benefit paymentsFiling every year, and the CCB is not taxable
Finvo is not part of BC Housing or the Government of BC. BC Housing decides eligibility. This page is general information, not advice, and it can’t promise that you qualify or say how much you’ll get. Rules and amounts can change; BC Housing’s website and the current form are the final word.
Need your tax returns filed for RAP?
RAP and the Canada Child Benefit both need a filed return every year, for you and your spouse. Book a free 15-minute call by video or phone and we’ll look at which years are open and what we’d need from you.
Which office?
Book a free 15-minute call15-minute calls every weekday at 10 am and 2 pm Pacific (11 am and 3 pm Mountain), except holidays.
Typical next slots, confirmed when you book:
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BC Rental Assistance Program, answered
What is the income limit for the BC Rental Assistance Program?
Your total household income before tax must be $60,000 or less a year. That is your income plus your spouse’s or partner’s; your children’s income isn’t counted. BC Housing works from last year’s tax returns and can look at your current income if it has dropped for good. We checked the limit on bchousing.org on 27 Oct 2026.
Can I get RAP if I’m on income assistance?
No. You can’t get RAP while you or your family get income or disability assistance under the BC Employment and Assistance Act or the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act, because that assistance already includes help with shelter. The exception is Medical Services Only once your file is closed. There’s no waiting period, but you need official proof of your last assistance payment.
How much rental assistance will I get from RAP?
It depends on your income, rent and family size. BC Housing pays a percentage of the difference between 30% of your gross household income and your rent, with rent counted up to $1,950 for a family of 3 or fewer or $2,200 for 4 or more (from April 2025), and up to maximum benefit amounts. BC Housing’s help with rent calculator gives an estimate.
Do I need to file a tax return to get the Rental Assistance Program?
Yes. You, and your spouse or partner if you have one, must file a Canadian income tax return every year. BC Housing uses it to confirm your income, either straight from the CRA with your consent or from copies you send. If you’ve filed but the CRA hasn’t assessed your return yet, you can still apply and send the rest within 90 days.
Is BC rental assistance taxable?
No. BC Housing says rental assistance is a non-taxable benefit, but you must declare it on your tax return if you get more than $500 in a tax year. BC Housing sends you a T5007 Statement of Benefits slip for it.
Do I have to reapply for RAP every year?
Yes. BC Housing sends a reapplication form about 15 weeks before your assistance ends. You update your household and rent details and send proof of rent and income, on paper or through BC Housing’s online portal for existing clients. Tell BC Housing right away if your address, rent, marital status or household changes during the year.
What counts toward the $100,000 asset limit for RAP?
Real estate in Canada or abroad, stocks, bonds, term deposits, mutual funds, shares, cash and the equity in a private company you own all count. Vehicles, RRSPs, RESPs, RDSPs, personal belongings, tools you need for your current work and some government compensation payments don’t.
Is there a BC rental assistance program for seniors?
Yes. Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters (SAFER) helps BC residents aged 60 or older who rent in the private market. When we checked on 27 Oct 2026, BC Housing listed an income limit of $40,000 a year and a rent ceiling of $1,150. RAP is for families with dependent children; SAFER is for seniors.