Benefits Available to Nova Scotia Residents
The Province of Nova Scotia and its partners offer several programs to help you with your home expenses:
Heating Assistance Rebate Program (HARP)
The Heating Assistance Rebate Program helps lower-income Nova Scotians with the cost of home heating during the winter months.
Amount: The 2023–24 HARP season is closed.
Eligibility: To qualify for the rebate, you need to pay for your own home heat, and meet 1 of the following criteria:
- a household net income of up to $75,000 for families or household of two or more people,
- a household net income of up to $55,000 for single-person households earning up to $55,000,
- receive Income Assistance from the Department of Community Services, or
- receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) or the Allowance from Service Canada
The program ran until March 31st, 2024.
CRITERIA FOR THE 2024–25 PROGRAM HAVE NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED.
Property Tax Rebate for Seniors (PTRS)
The Property Tax Rebate for Seniors helps lower-income seniors with the cost of municipal residential property taxes.
Amount: The rebate is 50% of what you paid on the previous year’s property taxes, up to a maximum of $800. All of the amounts listed on your tax bill are eligible for the rebate calculation, except amounts for:
- commercial property
- resource property (non-residential land or forest)
- municipal exemptions or rebate
Eligibility: To qualify for the rebate, you need to be 60 or older at the time of application and meet all of the following criteria:
- your previous year’s municipal residential property taxes are paid in full,
- you lived at the property as your primary residence for the previous year, and
- you receive or are eligible to receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) or the Allowance from Service Canada
The program runs every year, from July 1st to December 31st.
You can download an application online now!
Seniors’ Care Grant
The Seniors Care Grant is an annual grant program to help cover the costs of household services.
It can be used to reduce your costs for such things as lawn care, snow removal, grocery delivery, transportation, small home repairs, heating costs, physiotherapy, mental health support, and more. It is available to homeowners and renters.
Amount: The 2023–24 Seniors’ Care Grant season is closed.
Eligibility: To be eligible for this grant you must meet all of the following criteria:
- you are 65 years of age or over (or will be before the March 31st deadline)
- you have an household net income of $37,500 or less.
- you reside in your own home or apartment,
- your name appears on the property title, residential lease agreement, Land Titles Initiative Certificate of Claim or band administration letter.
- you have paid (or will pay) for household or healthcare services between April 1st and March 31st.
CRITERIA FOR THE 2024–25 PROGRAM HAVE NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED.
The program runs from September 1st to March 31st of the following year.
You can apply online or with a paper application.
For information on the Caregiver Benefit or Home Care services such as nursing or home support, contact Continuing Care at 1–800–225–7225 or visit their website.
Your Energy Rebate Program
The Your Energy Rebate Program (YERP) is a reimbursement of the provincial portion of HST paid on home energy products*
Amount: Rebate claims need to be for a total of $30 or more, or span a period of 12 or more months. The provincial portion of the HST is currently 10%.
Eligibility: The rebate applies to all sources of residential use energy including home heating fuel, natural gas, propane, firewood, wood pellets, coal, kerosene and electricity*
- Many providers provide the rebate automatically on your bill. If they do not, you may submit an application for the rebate.
Make sure you have copies of all invoices and receipts for residential home energy purchases.
These need to include the supplier’s HST number, amount of HST paid, date of purchase and the type of energy purchased. They must also be issued in your name; invoices and receipts issued in someone else’s name will not be accepted.
You can download an application online at anytime.
Doublecheck the application for more information on all required supporting documents.
For more information on other provincial HST rebates click here.
The HEAT Fund
The Home Energy Assistance Top-up (HEAT) Fund helps Nova Scotians in emergency need with home heating cost during the winter months. The HEAT Fund is administered by The Salvation Army with funding from Nova Scotia Power and the provincial government.
Amount: The 2024 HEAT Fund is closed.
Eligibility: You may apply every other year if you live in Nova Scotia, your household is experiencing an emergency heating situation, and you meet one of the following net income criteria:
- $29,000 for one-person households,
- $47,703 for two to four person households, or
- $67,937 for households of five or more individuals.
The program runs every winter from mid-January to mid-April.
You can download an application online.
You may also want to look into other home-improvement programs:
The HomeWarming Program offers free home energy assessments and can provide free efficiency upgrades to eligible homeowners.
The program is administered in partnership with Efficiency Nova Scotia, with funding from Nova Scotia Power and the provincial government.
Efficiency Nova Scotia also offers other programs to make your home more energy efficient and carbon neutral.
Learn more about free products, solar energy, and heating equipment rebates on their website.
