Financial Assessment for Long-Term Care in Saskatchewan

The Paperwork That Determines What Your Parent Pays

When your parent is admitted to a Saskatchewan Special-Care Home, the clinical transition gets most of the attention — the bed offer, the move, the care plan. But the financial assessment running in parallel is what determines whether your family pays $1,377 or $3,428 per month. Missing the required CRA income documentation at admission or during the annual review can trigger the maximum rate automatically.

Here is exactly what the Ministry of Health requires, in the order you need to submit it.

The Two Core Forms: Side A and Side B

Side A — CRA Consent Form ("Institutional Supportive Care Income-Tested Resident Charge CRA Consent Form")

This is the first and most important form. It authorizes the Canada Revenue Agency to release your parent's Line 15000 income data directly to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health. Without it, the Ministry cannot verify income, and your parent is billed at $3,428 per month by default.

Side A is submitted to the facility's administrative office immediately upon admission. If you are acting under a Power of Attorney, include the required certified POA documentation so the signing authority is properly documented; otherwise, the consent may not be accepted.

Side B — Annual Consent Form ("Institutional Supportive Care Income-Tested Resident Charge Annual Consent Form")

Side B is the annual renewal. Every year, the Ministry recalculates the resident charge based on updated tax data. Side B must be filed by September to ensure the rate is adjusted for the coming year. If it is not submitted by the deadline, the maximum rate kicks in again.

Both forms are available through the Saskatchewan Publications Centre or from the facility's administration.

Supporting Documents You Will Need

Beyond Side A and Side B, the financial assessment requires:

• Most recent Notice of Assessment (NOA) from the CRA — or pages 1 through 4 of the completed T1 Income Tax Return
• Certified copy of Enduring Power of Attorney (if a family member is filing on the parent's behalf)
• Optional Designation form (HE593) — only if one spouse remains in the community and the couple wants to opt out of joint income-splitting
• Resident Nomination and Consent Form — authorizes a designated family representative to manage the financial accounts

If your parent receives the Guaranteed Income Supplement, have the most recent GIS Statement of Benefits on hand. While not formally required for Side A, it helps resolve discrepancies if the CRA's Line 15000 figure does not match what your parent expected.

The Assessment Timeline

The financial assessment does not happen in a single appointment. It is a multi-step process that runs across several weeks:

1. Admission day: Sign the facility agreement. Submit Side A and supporting documents to the facility administrator.
2. After admission: The facility forwards the paperwork to the Ministry of Health's Income Assessment Operations Unit.
3. Processing: The Ministry verifies the CRA data, applies the sliding-scale formula, and calculates the resident charge.
4. Rate letter arrives: A formal letter stating the monthly charge is mailed to the resident (or their representative). This is the official determination.
5. September deadline each year: Side B must be filed to update the income data. Missing this resets the charge to the maximum.

The unit then issues the formal rate letter. Keep records of charges during processing and ask the facility how any difference will be reconciled.

What Happens When Income Changes Mid-Year

The standard assessment uses last year's tax return. But income can change suddenly — a spouse dies, a pension stops, an investment account is closed. When this happens, your family should contact the Income Assessment Operations Unit directly at 1-800-667-4884 and request an immediate financial reassessment.

You will need to provide written documentation of the income change: a death certificate, a pension termination letter, or updated bank statements. The Ministry can review the change as part of the financial reassessment; provide the documentation requested by the Income Assessment Operations Unit.

Common Mistakes That Trigger the Maximum Rate

Three errors cause the majority of overpayment situations:

1. Filing Side A through a representative without the required POA documentation. The consent may not be accepted, the Ministry may receive no income data, and the maximum rate may be applied.
2. Forgetting the September Side B renewal. Families submit everything at admission and then assume it is done. The annual cycle requires re-filing every year.
3. Not filing the Optional Designation. Married couples default to the 50/50 income-split calculation, which can push the resident charge hundreds of dollars higher than necessary.

The Saskatchewan Long-Term Care Costs & Subsidies Guide includes a complete document checklist with every form pre-identified, the exact contact information for the Income Assessment Operations Unit, and a timeline tracker that flags each deadline before it passes.

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