Active Families Benefit

The Active Families Benefit is an annual refundable tax benefit introduced to help Saskatchewan families with the costs of their children’s participation in sports, cultural and recreational activities. Eligible families of a child 18 years of age or younger as of the last day of the taxation year are eligible for a fully refundable tax benefit up to $150 per child or $200 per child with a disability.

The benefit is available to families with an annual income up to $60,000.

Parents with children who are involved in any of the following sport, cultural or recreational activities are eligible.

Sporting activities: that provide exposure, training, or participation in any field of sport in an organized and competitive environment that requires strategy, physical training and mental preparation.

Recreational activities: that provide exposure, training or participation in any field of recreation designed to refresh, provide satisfaction, entertain and provide physical or mental benefits.

Cultural activities: that provide exposure, training, or participation in the field of arts, heritage or multiculturalism.

These activities will be further defined in The Active Families Benefit Regulations.

Eligible programs are the ones that:

• are offered by a service provider located in Saskatchewan;
• involve instruction and supervision by the service provider;
• require registration with the service provider and the payment of a registration fee or membership fee in order for a child to participate; and
• the eligible activities will be further defined in The Active Families Benefit Regulations.

Programs that are not eligible:

• Programs that are part of a school's curriculum or part of activities that take place in a child care are not eligible for the Active Families Benefit. Attending major sporting events, watching football games or movies, or family recreational events are not eligible.
• Programs offered by family members are also not eligible.
• Ineligible activities will be further defined in The Active Families Benefit Regulations.

The Active Families Benefit will be administered through the income tax system by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Therefore, families must file their personal income tax return with the CRA to claim the benefit.

The personal income tax return package will have a form or schedule families need to complete and submit with their return to CRA. Families are not required to submit the receipts with their income tax return, but are expected to retain them for future reference for verification purposes by the Government of Saskatchewan or Canada Revenue Agency.

For more information on the Active Families Benefit refer to our Frequently Asked Questions in the related items below.