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Take the
Literacy Challenge
Calculate Your Spouse’s Allowance (SPA)
Test your
understanding of the following text and solve the calculation required to
answer the following question. All the information you need is in the text or
the question below.
Question: How
much allowance are you entitled to if you are a 63 year old woman with no
income who is married to a pensioner with:
- $4000 (Annual
Income from T5 Interest)
- $433.52
(Monthly OAS Pension)
- $335.59
(Monthly Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) at the married
rate)
| Amount of
Benefits: The SPA is an income-tested benefit. The maximum amount payable
to the spouse of a pensioner is equal to the combined full OAS pension and the
maximum GIS at the married rate. The maximum amount for a widowed person is
somewhat higher. The maximum monthly SPA is reduced by $3 for every $4 of the
beneficiary’s monthly income for a widowed spouse or the couple’s
combined monthly income. This happens until the OAS-equivalent is reduced to
zero. Then, for a couple, both the GIS-Equivalent portion of the SPA and the
pensioner’s GIS are reduced by $1 for every additional $4 of the
couple’s combined monthly income. For a widow or widower, the
GISequivalent portion is reduced by $1 for every additional $2 of monthly
income. |
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| How to Calculate
Your Spouse’s Allowance (SPA)
( After ) |
How to Calculate Your
Spouse’s Allowance (SPA)
The Plain Language
Approach
Question: How
much allowance are you entitled to if you are a 63 year old woman with no
income who is married to a pensioner with:
- $4000 (Annual
Income from T5 Interest)
- $433.52
(Monthly OAS Pension)
- $335.59
(Monthly Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) at the married
rate)
Follow the 8 steps
below to calculate your Spouse’s Allowance: |
