New Brunswick Seniors Benefits 2026: A Complete Guide to Programs for Seniors

New Brunswick's Low-Income Seniors' Benefit pays $629 for 2026 to residents who received the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement (65+) or the Allowance (60 to 64) during 2025, and you must apply by December 31, 2026. Seniors on the GIS can also join the NBPDP Seniors drug plan, with no premium and a $9.05 copay per prescription capped at $500 a year.

New Brunswick keeps its senior programs focused, with a clear annual cash benefit, drug coverage, and help holding onto the family home. The one to remember is the Low-Income Seniors' Benefit, because you have to apply for it each year.

This guide maps out every major program for New Brunswick seniors in 2026: who qualifies, what you can get, and how to apply, in plain language. Whether you are planning ahead or helping a parent, you will come away knowing exactly where to look.

The Low-Income Seniors' Benefit

New Brunswick's flagship senior program is the Low-Income Seniors' Benefit, an annual payment of $629 for 2026. To qualify you must have been a New Brunswick resident on December 31, 2025 and, during 2025, received the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement (65 or older) or the Allowance or Allowance for the Survivor (60 to 64).

The important detail: you must apply each year. The 2026 application opened April 1 and the deadline is December 31, 2026. Apply online with direct deposit for the fastest payment, or use a paper form from a Service New Brunswick centre, and allow up to 4 weeks for processing.

Where both spouses receive the GIS and live together, only one $629 benefit is paid. If they live apart, for example with one spouse in a nursing home, both qualify. Questions go to the toll-free line, 1-833-796-0944, and the form is on the official Low-Income Seniors' Benefit page.

Prescription drug coverage

New Brunswick has two main routes for seniors without other drug coverage:

• NBPDP Seniors plan (on the GIS): for residents 65+ with a valid Medicare card who receive the GIS. There is no premium, and you pay $9.05 per prescription up to $500 per person per calendar year. You apply with the Seniors Drug Plan Application Form plus proof of the GIS, and the application package is mailed to every resident 60 days before they turn 65.
• New Brunswick Drug Plan (not on the GIS): an income-based plan. From November 1, 2025, a single person with income of $19,168 or less pays $72 a year in premiums and up to $5.25 a prescription, rising to $2,896 a year and $36 a prescription above $94,002. The full table is on the premiums and co-payments page.

If your parent does not have private drug coverage, it is worth checking their eligibility as they approach 65 or when a workplace plan ends. See the official New Brunswick Drug Plans for Seniors page for the current plans and how to enrol.

Property Tax Deferral Program

For seniors who are house-rich but cash-poor, the Property Tax Deferral Program for Seniors lets eligible homeowners defer the yearly increase in property tax over a "base year" (the most recent of the year before you turned 65, the year you bought the home, or 2011). The deferred amount plus interest becomes a lien, repaid when the home is sold or transferred.

Who qualifies: at least one owner on the deed is 65 or older, the home is your principal residence, and it receives the Provincial Residential Tax Credit. Interest is 3.949% a year for household income under $124,178, or 8.949% above. You must apply by December 31 of the year you want deferral to start.

It can ease cash flow without touching savings, letting a senior stay in their home longer. See the official Property Tax Deferral Program page for eligibility and the interest terms.

How New Brunswick benefits stack with federal ones

New Brunswick's programs sit on top of the federal ones. A typical lower-income New Brunswick senior might receive:

• Federal Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, plus CPP
• The provincial Low-Income Seniors' Benefit each year
• A New Brunswick seniors' drug plan for prescriptions
• Property tax deferral, for homeowners who want to stay put

Because the Low-Income Seniors' Benefit keys off the federal GIS, filing taxes and keeping the GIS current is what keeps you eligible, and remembering to reapply each year.

Finding senior care in New Brunswick

When benefits are about affording the right care, it helps to see the real options. You can browse and compare retirement homes, assisted living, and memory care across New Brunswick in our directory, each with a Confidence Score, rating, and pricing.

The widest choice is in centres like Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John, and our complete care guides explain what each type of care costs and how to choose. To stay at home longer, see our home care guide and aging-in-place directory.

Where to get help

• By phone: Low-Income Seniors' Benefit 1-833-796-0944; for proof of the GIS for the drug plan, Service Canada at 1-800-277-9915.
• Online: the official tax relief and benefit programs page lists the programs, and the federal Benefits Finder matches you to both provincial and federal help.
• Free help: community volunteer tax clinics can file a senior's return, which keeps the GIS and the seniors' benefit in place.

And when these benefits are about funding care for someone you love, that is where we come in. Browse senior care across New Brunswick, or reach out to our advisors for free help.