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Program directory · Veterans Affairs Canada

Canadian Forces Income Support

Program code
BWI20 (VAC)
Core responsibility
Benefits, Services and Support
In Departmental Plans
2026-27 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan

What it does

Canadian Forces Income Support (CFIS) is a tax-free monthly benefit payable to eligible Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Veterans who are no longer entitled to the Income Replacement Benefit (IRB) and who require income support to help them meet their basic needs. The benefit is payable while they search for employment and is calculated based on household income. It may also be payable to survivors and/or orphans in certain circumstances.

Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.

History and lineage

First appears in the Departmental Plans in 2026-27. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).

2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262026-272027-282028-29Income Support 2018-19: $1.9MIncome Support 2019-20: $912MIncome Support 2020-21: $888MIncome Support 2021-22: $983MIncome Support 2022-23: $1.1BIncome Support 2023-24: $1.28BIncome Support 2024-25: $1.45BIncome Support 2025-26: $1.6BIncome Support 2026-27: $1.39BIncome Support 2027-28: $1.38BCanadian Forces Income Support 2026-27: $5.5MCanadian Forces Income Support 2027-28: $3.1MCanadian Forces Income Support 2028-29: $3.1MIncome SupportCanadian Forces Income Support
Bars: spending by fiscal year (dark: actual; light: actual restated on the 2017-18 program structure; outlined: the latest plan's forecast; grey: related programs). Bands: each program in the lineage over the years it has data.
ProgramRelationYears with dataActual spending over those years
Income SupportEarlier program (name match, medium confidence)2018-19 – 2027-28$6.62B
Canadian Forces Income SupportThis program2026-27 – 2028-29—

Significant changes in scope and budget

Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.

YearWhat changedSource
2026-27Appears to be split across: Income Support; vac-bwi19Canada Spends name match across plans (an inference)

Success criteria

The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.

Historical: targets against results

No results reported yet.

Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets

% of Canadian Forces Income Support decisions rendered within 4 weeks of a completed application
Expected result: Veterans have timely access to Canadian Forces Income Support funding to meet their needs.
80%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 80%2027—Planned

Future goals: targets due after 2026-27

No targets with a later due date.

Spending and employees: planned against actual

Spending

2026-27: $5.5M2026-272027-28: $3.1M2027-282028-29: $3.1M2028-29
Outlined bar: planned in that year's Departmental Plan (dashed: the latest plan, for years not yet reported). Filled bar: actual.
Show the numbers
Fiscal yearPlannedActual
2026-27$5.5M—
2027-28$3.1M*—
2028-29$3.1M*—

Employees (FTEs)

2026-27: 42026-272027-28: 42027-282028-29: 42028-29
Outlined bar: planned in that year's Departmental Plan (dashed: the latest plan, for years not yet reported). Filled bar: actual.
Show the numbers
Fiscal yearPlannedActual
2026-274—
2027-284*—
2028-294*—

Planned spending, plan by plan

Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans

Plan2026-272027-282028-29
2026-27 plan$5,460,716$3,082,287$3,081,504
Actual

Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.