Programs and Services for Seniors

This guide contains information on the different government programs and services for seniors. You can also download the Programs and Services for Seniors Guide, 2025 Edition (PDF 27 Mb).

Flu Vaccination
In 2024, the flu vaccine is offered free of charge to anyone aged 6 months and older.

Health Services Covered Outside Québec
Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ)

The Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec reimburses certain healthcare services received outside Québec.

Info-Santé 811
Info-Santé 811 is a free, confidential phone consultation service. It allows you to speak to a healthcare professional at any time for advice or information about health problems that are deemed non-urgent, either for yourself or for a relative.

Info-Social 811
Info-Social 811 is a free, confidential phone consultation service. It allows you to consult a psychosocial intervention worker, either for yourself or for a relative.

Optometric Services
Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ)

People 65 years of age or over may receive certain optometric services, such as eye exams, free of charge.

Prescription Drug Insurance – 65th Birthday
Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ)

Anyone who settles in Québec permanently must be covered by a private or public prescription drug insurance plan at all times. At age 65, you are automatically registered for the public prescription drug insurance plan without having to take any steps. However, if you are also eligible for a private prescription drug insurance plan, you must make a choice.

Domestic Help
Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ)

The Financial Assistance Program for Domestic Help Services enables eligible individuals to receive a reduction in the hourly rate charged for domestic help services (for example, housekeeping and meal preparation). The services must be provided by a social economy business recognized by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.

Meals on Wheels (in French only)
Regroupement des popotes roulantes

Meals on Wheels is a service that delivers healthy and nutritious meals at an affordable cost. The service is intended for seniors and people with disabilities. 

Being a Tenant – Information for Seniors
Tribunal administratif du logement

In certain specific situations, seniors can terminate their lease. For example, if they are admitted permanently to a residential and
long-term care centre (CHSLD), an intermediate resource or a private seniors' residence, or if a disability prevents them from occupying their home.

Complaint to the Commission des droits de la personne
Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse

The Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms prohibits discrimination based on personal characteristics such as age or social condition (for example, refusing to lease a dwelling). If you experience such discrimination, you can file a complaint with the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse.

Grant for Seniors to Offset a Municipal Tax Increase
Revenu Québec

This grant aims to offset a municipal tax increase brought about by a significant increase in the value of your residence if you are 65 or over.

Shelter Allowance
Revenu Québec

The Shelter Allowance Program provides financial assistance to low-income households that devote too large a proportion of their budget to housing. The amount is calculated on the basis of the number of people in the household, the type of household, the amount of the rent and the annual income.

Ambulance Transportation for People 65 Years of Age or Over
Transportation to a hospital centre is free for people 65 years of age or over who have a medical condition requiring ambulance transportation.

Driver’s Licence – State of Health
Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ)

In Québec, all drivers must meet the requirements related to state of health and eyesight. They are also required to inform the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec of any change that could negatively impact their ability to drive. In addition, the Société requires that at age 75 the holder of a licence to drive an automobile declare their medical condition by completing a medical self-declaration form. 

Exploitation of Seniors
Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse

The Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms prohibits the exploitation of seniors and disabled persons. Exploitation is the act of taking advantage of a person’s vulnerability or dependency to deprive them of their rights. Any person who is the victim of exploitation, discrimination or harassment can file a complaint with the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse.

Children's relationship with their gandparents
When a situation arises that interferes with the maintenance or development of a personal relationship between a child and their grandparents, the grandparents may enter into an agreement with the child’s parent or with the child if they are 14 or older. If the child is 10 or older, the child must consent to the agreement.

Power of Attorney
A power of attorney is a mandate by which a person designates another person to perform everyday administrative tasks, such as paying bills, or more important acts, such as the signing of a lease or the sale of a house. People who issue a power of attorney must be able to manage their property themselves.

Prearranged Funeral Services Contracts and Prepurchased Sepulture Contracts
Office de la protection du consommateur

Prearranged funeral services contracts and prepurchased sepulture contracts make it possible to plan your funeral and choose your interment or inurnment site. Drawn up by the holder of a funeral director’s permit, these contracts simplify the steps to be taken by grieving relatives.

Senior Abuse
Seniors who suffer abuse can have access to resources and services. In addition, any senior who is a victim of abuse or any person who witnesses an abusive situation may file a confidential complaint.

Wills
Wills are documents in which people indicate to whom they bequeath their property after their death and its distribution among their heirs. In a will, people can also appoint a succession liquidator and, if applicable, a tutor to a minor child. You can cancel your will and rewrite it as many times as you wish.

Instalment Payments
Revenu Québec

At the time of retirement, a person often goes from a single employment income to several sources of income (Québec Pension Plan, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security Pension, RRSP, RRIF, etc.).

When the amounts withheld are not sufficient and the net income tax payable exceeds $1,800 for the current year and for either of the 2 previous years, Revenu Québec informs the person that they must make instalment payments to avoid having to pay a high amount when filing their income tax return. Instalment payments are partial payments made periodically throughout the year to cover income tax for the year.

Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program
Revenu Québec and Canada Revenue Agency

Under the Income Tax assistance ‒ Volunteer Program, free assistance is offered to people who have difficulty completing their income tax returns and do not have the means to pay a tax professional to do so. They must have a modest income and a simple tax situation.

Independent Living Tax Credit for Seniors
Revenu Québec

This refundable tax credit is paid to people 70 years of age or over who incurred expenses for the purchase, lease or installation of eligible equipment or fixtures in their principal residence (for example, a remote monitoring device, a walk-in bathtub or a hospital bed). It may also be granted to seniors who have stayed in a functional rehabilitation transition unit following hospitalization.

Pensions from a Foreign Country
Retraite Québec

Any worker who contributes or contributed to the pension plan of a country that has signed a social security agreement with Québec may receive a pension from that country. The worker and his or her spouse may be entitled to a retirement or disability pension, and family members may receive benefits in the event of the worker’s death.

Québec Pension Plan Retirement Pension
Retraite Québec

Anyone who has contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan can receive a pension at retirement. The amount of the pension varies according to the age at which a person begins to receive it, to the number of years they contributed to the Plan, and to the work income on which they contributed. According to the Plan, the normal retirement age is 65. At that age, a person receives 100% of the expected amounts each month. If a person applies for their pension after the age of 65, they will get a higher pension for life. You can wait until you are 72 to apply for your pension.

If your are 65 or older and you receive a retirement pension while working, you can stop contributing to the Québec Pension Plan. If you stop contributing, your employer
contributions will stop and the retirement pension supplement will not be added to your pension. You will automatically stop contributing to the Plan as of January 1 of the year following the year in which you reach age 72 if you are still working.

Senior Assistance Tax Credit
Administered by Revenu Québec

This refundable tax credit is paid automatically to eligible people 70 years of age or over who filed an income tax return.

Tax Credit for Home-Support Services for Seniors
Administered by Revenu Québec

This refundable tax credit is intended for people 70 years of age or over. It applies to certain expenses incurred to obtain personal care services (e.g., nursing care, hygiene) or to obtain housekeeping, grounds maintenance and snow removal services (e.g., raking leaves, mowing lawn, washing windows, removing snow from stairs).

Work income kept on retirement
Ministère des Finances

The calculator facilitates enlightened financial decision‑making for people who are retired and who are thinking of going back to work. It clearly indicates disposable income before and after the resumption of employment.

Tax credit for career extension
Revenu Québec

This non-refundable tax credit allows people aged 60 or over who continue working or rejoin the workforce to pay no tax on a portion of their earned income.

Targeted initiative for experienced workers (in French only)
This program aims to help experienced workers extend their active life in the job market as well as maximize the transfer of their personal and professional skills to a new job. It is offered by employability organizations.

Québec emploi
This Québec government's free online job site allows to find a full-time, part-time or seasonal job.