Spouse Paying for Long-Term Care in Saskatchewan

The Default That Can Impoverish a Healthy Spouse

When one spouse enters a Saskatchewan Special-Care Home, the Ministry of Health's default financial assessment, unless the Optional Designation is filed, combines both partners' incomes, divides the total in half, and calculates the resident charge on that equalized share. On paper, it looks fair. In practice, it can leave the spouse who stays at home unable to cover their own living expenses.

Consider a couple where the institutionalized spouse receives $3,500 per month in CPP and workplace pension, and the community spouse receives $1,800 in OAS and GIS. Under the default 50/50 split, each partner is assessed at $2,650 per month. The resident charge rises accordingly — and the community spouse, who was living on $1,800, now sees their partner's care cost calculated as if they share a $2,650 income, even though their actual take-home has not changed.

Meanwhile, that community spouse still has a mortgage or rent, utilities, groceries, and property taxes to pay from their $1,800.

The Optional Designation: Saskatchewan's Spousal Protection Mechanism

The fix is a provincial form called the Optional Designation for Determining Resident Charge — form HE593. Filing this form tells the Ministry to calculate the resident charge using only the institutionalized spouse's individual income, removing the community spouse's earnings from the formula entirely.

Using the example above: instead of a combined $5,300 split 50/50, the Ministry would assess only the institutionalized spouse's $3,500 monthly income. In this example, that produces a higher resident charge than the 50/50 calculation, but it removes the community spouse's income from the resident-charge calculation.

The community spouse keeps their full $1,800 without any portion being attributed to the care facility's bill.

Involuntary Separation: The Federal Side

The Optional Designation handles the provincial resident charge. But there is a parallel federal mechanism that affects pension income: Involuntary Separation under the Old Age Security Act.

When a couple is forced to live apart because one partner's health requires institutional care, they can apply to Service Canada for Involuntary Separation status. Once approved:

• Each spouse is assessed individually for GIS purposes rather than as a couple
• Individual GIS rates are higher than the combined couple rate split in two
• The community spouse may qualify for a higher GIS payment, increasing their monthly income

This federal process is separate from the provincial Optional Designation. Together, they may change the provincial resident-charge calculation and, if Service Canada approves the federal status, affect GIS eligibility.

When to File and What You Need

The Optional Designation form should be filed immediately upon admission — ideally the same day you submit the Side A CRA consent form. You need:

• Completed HE593 form (available from the facility administrator or through the Saskatchewan Publications Centre)
• Both spouses' most recent Notices of Assessment from CRA
• Proof that the couple is legally married or in a recognized common-law relationship

For Involuntary Separation, file Form ISP3040 through Service Canada. The requirements are similar: proof of the relationship, documentation of the institutional placement, and both partners' SIN numbers.

The provincial Optional Designation does not change your parents' legal marital status or their federal income tax filing obligations. The federal Involuntary Separation application is separate; confirm its effect on pension benefits and tax reporting with Service Canada.

The Couples Where It Matters Most

The Optional Designation is most relevant when there is a large income gap between spouses. If one partner had a long career with a workplace pension and CPP while the other was primarily a homemaker, the default 50/50 split artificially inflates the lower-income spouse's assessed income and masks the higher-income spouse's actual earnings.

It matters least — or not at all — when both spouses have nearly identical incomes. In that case, the 50/50 split and the individual calculation produce similar results.

Our Saskatchewan Long-Term Care Costs & Subsidies Guide includes worked calculations for both scenarios, sample completed forms for the Optional Designation and Involuntary Separation filings, and a checklist of every document you need to protect the community spouse's financial security.

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