Obligations of the Administrator of Another Person’s Financial Assistance Under a Social Assistance Program

An administrator can be designated to manage the financial assistance of an adult or a couple.

On this page, the word administrator means a natural person, not a legal person (organization, institution, etc.).

A person can administer the financial assistance of an adult or an adult couple. The financial assistance:

• must be used in a reasonable and justifiable way
• must only be used for the recipient or couple receiving it
• must not provide any benefit to the administrator

Financial assistance must be administered separately for each adult or adult couple.

It is recommended that an account be opened in a financial institution for each adult or adult couple. This will facilitate the administration of the financial assistance and the verification of its use.

The administrator must declare the following:

• Assets (house, cottage, land, car, motorcycle, etc.)
• Employment income (salary, tips, etc.)
• Gifts (money or goods)
• Benefits paid by other government agencies
• Cash resources

Regarding cash resources, the administrator can check the maximum amount that a social assistance program recipient can have. If the recipient has more cash than the permitted limit, the benefit may be reduced or reclaimed, as it should not have been paid.

The administrator must also declare any benefits received, including those from:

• Retraite Québec
• Employment insurance
• the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP)
• the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)

If the situation of the adult or adult couple changes, it may affect the amount of assistance granted. The administrator must therefore declare any changes in their situation.

The administrator must retain supporting documents related to expenses, such as invoices and receipts.

The administrator must file an administration report when requested by the Ministère. This report concerns how the financial assistance is administered.

If a report is requested, it must include bank statements for the account into which the financial assistance is deposited and supporting documents for expenses paid, if necessary.

The administrator must ensure that they can account for withdrawals and deposits, as required.