Kinship Care Payments Saskatchewan: Every Benefit You Can Claim

The money available to a kinship caregiver in Saskatchewan depends almost entirely on one thing: the legal arrangement under which you are caring for the child. An informal arrangement, a PSI order, and a private parenting order each unlock different payments — and none of the government websites explain this in one place. Here is the full map.

Three Care Arrangements, Three Benefit Paths

Informal kinship care (no court order): You have taken in a child without any legal order. You can claim the Canada Child Benefit from CRA, apply for Saskatchewan Income Support or the Saskatchewan Employment Incentive, and access Family Health Benefits. You receive nothing from the Ministry of Social Services for PSI maintenance.

Person of Sufficient Interest order (CFSA Section 37): The child was found in need of protection and the court placed them with you. You receive PSI maintenance at the foster care basic rate (non-means-tested, tax-free), plus supplementary health coverage, school and holiday allowances. You cannot claim the CCB because the Ministry claims the federal Children's Special Allowance. You can still claim SIS or SAID for your own needs — PSI payments are excluded from those means tests.

Private parenting order (Children's Law Act, 2020): You went through the Court of King's Bench to get decision-making responsibility for the child. You can claim the CCB and apply for SIS, SEI, and Family Health Benefits. You receive no PSI maintenance — private orders do not generate provincial foster care funding.

Provincial Benefits

PSI maintenance (PSI caregivers only): Monthly payments at the foster care basic rate, plus school fees, holiday allowance, supplementary health, special needs funding, and babysitting support. Rates increased 3% in 2025–26. Non-taxable, non-means-tested.

Saskatchewan Income Support: The last-resort safety net. Adult basic benefit: $365/month outside the Northern Administration District (or $445 inside). Children's benefit: $65/child/month. Shelter benefit: up to $1,085/month for a family with 1–2 children in Regina or Saskatoon. Means-tested, but CCB and PSI payments are both excluded from the calculation.

Saskatchewan Employment Incentive: For working caregivers earning $500–$2,200/month. Pays up to $400/month (1 child), $500 (2 children), or $600 (3+ children). Tax-free. Automatically triggers Family Health Benefits.

Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability: If you have a significant enduring disability, SAID provides a higher income than SIS. Adding a grandchild to your household triggers the family shelter rate and higher income exemptions. PSI maintenance does not reduce SAID.

Family Health Benefits: Available to SEI recipients and low-income families. Covers children's dental, annual eye exams, eyeglasses, prescription drugs, and emergency ambulance at no cost. Adults get eye exams every 2 years and drugs with a $100 semi-annual deductible plus 35% co-pay. PSI children get the richer Supplementary Health Benefits coverage directly.

Federal Benefits

Canada Child Benefit (CCB): Up to $7,787/year per child under 6 and $6,570/year per child aged 6–17. Phases out above $36,502 Adjusted Family Net Income. Non-taxable, excluded from provincial means tests. Not available if the Ministry claims the Children's Special Allowance (i.e., under a PSI order).

Child Disability Benefit: A monthly CCB supplement for children with an approved Disability Tax Credit (Form T2201). Available only if you are receiving the CCB — not available under PSI.

CPP Children's Benefit: $307.81/month per child if a biological parent has died or is receiving CPP Disability. Available under any care arrangement and taxable in the child's name (usually below their personal exemption). It counts as child income for SIS/SAID means testing and is included in family income for SEI.

Active Families Benefit: $300/child/year ($400 with DTC) for organized sports and activity fees. Claimed on your tax return.

How Benefits Stack

The combinations that work:

• PSI + SIS/SAID — PSI payments are excluded from the caregiver's SIS/SAID means tests
• CCB + SEI + Family Health Benefits — CCB is excluded from the SEI earnings base, and SEI approval includes Family Health Benefits
• CCB + SIS — CCB is excluded from SIS means testing
• SEI + CCB — fully compatible; CCB is excluded from SEI eligibility

The combination that does not work:

• PSI + CCB — mutually exclusive; the Ministry claims the Children's Special Allowance
• SEI + SIS — SEI reduces SIS dollar-for-dollar (but at SEI income levels, you are usually above the SIS threshold anyway)

Where to Start

If you are newly caring for a child, the first step is understanding which care arrangement you have (or want to pursue), because that determines everything else. The Saskatchewan Kinship Financial Help Guide walks through each arrangement and its financial consequences — including decision tools to help you compare the PSI path against the private-order path.

See more Saskatchewan guides →