New Brunswick Low-Income Seniors Benefit: The $629 Annual Grant Explained

After a spouse's death, many New Brunswick seniors suddenly find themselves living on a single pension income — often for the first time in decades. The New Brunswick Low-Income Seniors Benefit (LISB) exists precisely for this situation: it is a $629 annual provincial grant paid as a lump sum each spring to qualifying low-income seniors. It will not replace a lost income, but for many surviving spouses on the edge of financial stability, it covers months of prescription copayments or a heating bill.

The catch is the deadline. Unlike most federal benefits that allow retroactive applications, the LISB has a hard December 31 annual cutoff. Miss it and you cannot get that year's payment — no exceptions.

Who Qualifies

To receive the New Brunswick Low-Income Seniors Benefit, you must:

1. Be 60 years of age or older
2. Be a resident of New Brunswick at the time of application
3. Currently receive one of the following federal income-tested benefits:
   • Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) — for OAS recipients 65 and older with low income
   • Allowance for the Survivor — for surviving spouses aged 60–64 with low income
   • Allowance — for low-income spouses of GIS recipients aged 60–64

If you are receiving the federal Allowance for the Survivor — the benefit paid to widowed spouses aged 60–64 — you qualify automatically once you establish provincial residency. You still must apply.

What It Pays

The benefit is $629 per year in 2026, paid as a single lump sum. It is not indexed annually like CPP amounts, so the dollar figure stays flat unless the province acts to increase it.

There is one notable exception to the one-payment-per-household rule: if spouses live separately in different long-term care facilities or nursing homes, each can claim the benefit independently. For most surviving spouses, who are single-household claimants, this exception does not apply.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through Service New Brunswick. The application form (sometimes referenced as the LISB Application or the DD-01 form for direct deposit setup) is available at SNB offices and on the provincial government website. You can also call SNB Teleservices at 1-888-762-8600.

To complete the application, have ready:

• Your Social Insurance Number
• Proof that you are receiving GIS, the Allowance for the Survivor, or the Allowance (a recent benefit statement from Service Canada works)
• Banking information for direct deposit
• Proof of New Brunswick residency

Apply before December 31 of each year. Payments are typically issued in the spring. If you apply in January after the deadline, you have permanently forfeited that year's payment and must reapply the following December.

How It Fits with Other Benefits

The LISB sits on top of federal income-support programs rather than replacing them. Here is how the main benefits stack for a low-income surviving spouse in New Brunswick:

Aged 60–64:

• OAS Allowance for the Survivor: up to $1,682.15/month federal
• CPP Survivor's Pension: up to $803.54/month federal (if eligible)
• NB Low-Income Seniors Benefit: $629/year provincial

Aged 65+:

• OAS pension: up to $718.33/month federal
• Guaranteed Income Supplement: up to $1,086.88/month federal (if income is very low)
• CPP Survivor's Pension: up to $904.59/month federal
• NB Low-Income Seniors Benefit: $629/year provincial

None of these benefits conflict with each other — receiving one does not disqualify you from another. However, GIS and the Allowance for the Survivor are income-tested, so the combined total affects the exact GIS amount you receive. The LISB itself does not affect federal benefit calculations.

The Property Tax Allowance: A Related Program

Surviving spouses who own their home should also check eligibility for the Enhanced Property Tax Allowance, which in 2026 provides up to a $400 annual rebate on residential property taxes. To qualify, you must be receiving the Residential Property Tax Credit (automatically applied to your principal residence) and meet income thresholds.

You must apply through the SNB Regional Assessment Office — it is a separate application from the LISB. The deadline is also annual, though it falls at a different time. Many low-income surviving spouses in New Brunswick qualify for both programs and claim neither because no single source explains that both exist.

What About the NB Drug Plan?

If your spouse carried drug coverage through an employer plan that ended at their death, you should apply for the New Brunswick Drug Plan immediately. For GIS recipients, drug plan premiums are waived entirely — you pay only a $9.05 co-payment per prescription, up to a $500 annual maximum. This is substantially better than most private plans.

Unlike the LISB, the Drug Plan does not have a December 31 deadline, but there is no retroactive reimbursement for prescriptions purchased before enrolment. Apply as soon as your coverage ends.

For surviving spouses navigating NB's network of provincial benefits, knowing which programs exist is only half the challenge — the other half is understanding the deadlines, application sequences, and how federal and provincial benefits interact. The New Brunswick Survivor Benefits Navigator provides a complete, sequenced checklist covering all of these programs, including the exact forms required by each agency and the order in which to file them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to reapply for the LISB every year? Yes. It is not automatically renewed. You must submit a new application before December 31 each year to receive the following spring's payment.

What if I only turned 60 this year — can I apply? Yes, as long as you meet the residency requirement and are receiving an eligible federal benefit (GIS, Allowance for the Survivor, or Allowance).

My spouse and I both received GIS — can we each get the $629? If you live together in the same household, only one payment is made per household. If you are each living in a separate long-term care facility, each of you can claim independently.

Is the LISB taxable? No. The New Brunswick Low-Income Seniors Benefit is not included in taxable income.

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