Northern Administration District SIS Rates in Saskatchewan for Kinship Caregivers

If you are raising a grandchild or relative's child in northern Saskatchewan, you may qualify for higher Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) rates than caregivers in the southern part of the province. The Ministry of Social Services sets separate rates for the Northern Administration District to reflect the significantly higher cost of food, fuel, and freight in remote and semi-remote communities.

What the Northern Administration District Is

The Northern Administration District (NAD) is a designated area used to determine certain SIS rates. This includes towns like La Ronge, Stony Rapids, Pelican Narrows, Creighton, and many First Nations communities. Check whether your community is within the NAD before using the northern rates.

The distinction matters because SIS rates are not uniform across the province. The Ministry recognizes that grocery prices, heating costs, and transportation expenses in northern communities can be dramatically higher than in Saskatoon or Regina.

Northern SIS Rates vs. Southern Rates

Here is how the key SIS components compare for kinship caregivers:

Adult Basic Benefit:

• Outside the Northern District: $375 per month per adult
• Inside the Northern District: $445 per month per adult

That is $70 more per month — or $840 per year — for each adult in the household simply because of where you live.

Children's Basic Benefit:

• Inside the Northern District: $65 per child per month
• Children's Benefit: $400 per child for a parent who is not eligible to receive the federal Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

The $65 Children's Basic Benefit is listed for families within the NAD. The separate $400 Children's Benefit is for a parent who is not eligible to receive CCB; it is not a general $65 SIS benefit outside the NAD. If a child is under a PSI order, ask MSS which child benefit applies to the household.

Shelter Benefit (Rest of Province vs. Regina/Saskatoon):

The shelter benefit does not have a specific "northern" rate, but it does vary between the major cities and everywhere else:

• Single person (rest of province): $615 per month
• Family with 1–2 children (rest of province): $860 per month
• Family with 3+ children (rest of province): $965 per month

Most northern communities fall into the "rest of province" category for shelter rates, not the higher Regina/Saskatoon maximums ($1,105 for 1–2 children). This is a known gap — housing in northern communities can be extremely expensive, yet the shelter ceiling does not reflect northern price premiums the way the basic benefit does.

Why This Matters for Northern Kinship Caregivers

A grandparent in La Ronge who takes in two school-age grandchildren and applies for SIS receives a different adult basic benefit and may receive different child benefits than one in Moose Jaw:

• Adult basic: $445 vs. $375 (difference: $70/month)
• Children's benefit: the NAD rate is $65 per child; outside the NAD, the $400 Children's Benefit applies only if the parent is not eligible for CCB
• Shelter: $860 vs. $860 (same — both "rest of province" for a family with 1–2 children)
• Adult basic benefit difference: $70/month. The total household difference depends on child-benefit eligibility.

That $70 may seem modest, but in communities where a four-litre jug of milk can cost $12 or more, every dollar of the northern supplement is spoken for.

Stacking Northern SIS with Other Benefits

The northern SIS rate stacks with other programs the same way the southern rate does:

• Canada Child Benefit is excluded from SIS income testing. If you receive CCB for the children, it does not reduce your SIS payment.
• Saskatchewan Employment Incentive (SEI) is not available while you receive SIS or SAID. Families with children earning more than $500 per month can apply for SEI if they meet its other eligibility rules.
• PSI maintenance is excluded from your personal SIS assessment. If the child has a PSI order, the child's costs are covered by PSI and your SIS stays based on your own adult needs.

Applying from a Northern Community

SIS applications can be submitted online through the Ministry of Social Services portal, by phone at 1-866-221-5200, or in person at your local MSS service centre. Northern communities are served by regional offices — if you are unsure which office covers your area, calling the toll-free number will route you to the right intake worker.

Bring proof of your northern address (utility bill, lease agreement, or band housing confirmation) along with the child's birth certificate and your care arrangement documentation. Processing timelines are the same province-wide, but in practice, remote communities sometimes experience longer waits for home visits or document verification.

Our Saskatchewan kinship financial help guide includes the full rate schedule for both northern and southern regions, along with checklists for every benefit application so nothing falls through the cracks.

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