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🇨🇦 IRCC Parents & Grandparents Program + CRA Income Framework

Parents & Grandparents Program Income Calculator 2026

Estimate the federal PGP minimum necessary income requirement using family size and the applicable three taxation years, then check co-signer, undertaking and Quebec-specific rules.

1. What income must a federal PGP sponsor prove?

For the federal Parents and Grandparents Program, an eligible sponsor must generally demonstrate that they meet the applicable minimum necessary income requirement for the required taxation years. The federal PGP income requirement uses the Low Income Cut-Off plus 30% methodology, and the required years depend on the particular PGP intake.

Key Policy Highlights & Benchmarks

  • The income test is based on family size and the taxation years specified by IRCC for the applicable PGP intake.
  • The sponsor must normally meet the applicable threshold in each required year.
  • A spouse or common-law partner can co-sign and combine qualifying household income when the co-signer signs the undertaking and meets the applicable requirements.
  • The federal rules should not be presented as an open application pathway simply because the sponsor meets the income requirement.

2. Correct federal PGP minimum necessary income table

The federal PGP thresholds below show the applicable minimum necessary income figures for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 taxation years. These figures illustrate the income history used in the recent federal PGP intake framework. The applicable years should always be matched to the current IRCC intake instructions.

Family Size2022 Minimum Income2023 Minimum Income2024 Minimum Income
2$43,082$44,530$47,196
3$52,965$55,224$58,145
4$64,306$67,172$70,293
5$72,935$76,095$79,402
6$82,258$85,517$89,574
7$91,581$94,939$99,746
Each additional person+$9,323+$9,422+$10,172

Important Guidelines & Notes

  • These are minimum necessary income figures, not estimates.
  • For a family size above 7, use the applicable additional-person amount for the relevant taxation year.
  • Do not substitute approximate rounded figures from older immigration websites.

3. How to calculate total family size

Family size is one of the most important PGP calculations because the required income increases as the family unit grows. The sponsor must account for the people included in the current sponsorship undertaking, the persons being sponsored and their dependants, and certain people covered by earlier undertakings or co-signed undertakings that are still in force.

Mandatory Action Checklist

✓Count the sponsor.
✓Count the sponsor's spouse or common-law partner, if applicable.
✓Count the sponsor's dependent children, including those who may be living elsewhere when they remain part of the sponsor's family unit under IRCC's rules.
✓Count each parent or grandparent being sponsored.
✓Count the dependants of the sponsored parent or grandparent who are included in the family calculation.
✓Count people for whom the sponsor has an existing sponsorship undertaking that remains in force.
✓Count people for whom a co-signed undertaking remains in force where IRCC's family-size rules require them to be included.
✓Do not reduce the family size simply because a family member does not intend to immigrate under the new application.

4. Income proof: CRA records and the required taxation years

IRCC uses Canadian tax information to assess the sponsor's income history. Sponsors should obtain their CRA Notice of Assessment or other tax documents accepted by IRCC for each required taxation year and ensure that the income reported matches the relevant CRA amount used for the PGP assessment.

Important Guidelines & Notes

  • Do not publish the rule as 'NOA is the only acceptable proof in every case.' IRCC can specify accepted CRA evidence and retrieval methods in the current application instructions.
  • Employment income is only one component of the sponsor's tax-return income. The PGP assessment is based on the applicable CRA income measure and the exclusions stated by IRCC.
  • Do not invent an income exclusion for a benefit merely because it sounds like non-employment income; use the current IRCC/CRA rules for the applicable intake.

Mandatory Action Checklist

✓Identify the exact taxation years specified by the current PGP intake instructions.
✓Obtain each year's CRA Notice of Assessment or the alternative CRA income record accepted by IRCC.
✓Check the relevant CRA total-income figure used by IRCC rather than relying on gross salary alone.
✓Keep records for the spouse/common-law partner if a co-signer is being used.
✓Make sure there are no gaps in the required taxation-year evidence.
✓Keep copies of all submitted income documents and CRA correspondence.

5. Spouse or common-law partner as a co-signer

A sponsor's spouse or common-law partner can generally co-sign the PGP sponsorship application so that the couple's qualifying income can be considered together. The co-signer must sign the sponsorship undertaking and satisfy the eligibility requirements for co-signing.

Key Policy Highlights & Benchmarks

  • A spouse or common-law partner is the permitted co-signer; unrelated family members cannot simply be added to combine income.
  • The co-signer accepts the same financial undertaking obligations under the sponsorship.
  • The co-signer's qualifying income can help the household reach the applicable minimum necessary income.
  • A co-signer does not eliminate the need to calculate the complete family size correctly.
  • If the relationship or co-signer's eligibility changes, the sponsorship obligations can be affected.

6. Government benefits and qualifying income

The federal PGP income calculation should be tied to the income measure specified by IRCC and CRA rather than a simple rule that labels every government payment as either eligible or ineligible. Some amounts included on the CRA tax return can be treated differently under the PGP rules, so the current IRCC income table and instructions should control.

Key Policy Highlights & Benchmarks

  • Do not assume the sponsor's annual salary is the only income that can count.
  • Do not automatically deduct every government benefit from the CRA income figure unless IRCC specifically excludes that amount.
  • Do not automatically include a payment merely because it appears on the CRA return; check the PGP-specific exclusions.
  • Use the current PGP income instructions for the applicable intake rather than relying on generic tax advice.

7. PGP undertaking: 20 years outside Quebec

For a federal PGP sponsorship outside Quebec, the sponsor and co-signer, if any, sign a long-term undertaking beginning when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. The undertaking generally lasts 20 years and requires the sponsor to provide support and repay certain social assistance paid to the sponsored person during the undertaking period.

IssueFederal PGP treatment outside Quebec
Undertaking period20 years
Start dateWhen the sponsored parent or grandparent becomes a permanent resident
Support obligationProvide basic requirements for the sponsored person as required by the undertaking
Social assistanceSponsor can be required to repay social assistance received by the sponsored person during the undertaking period, subject to the applicable rules
Co-signerA qualifying spouse/common-law partner who co-signs shares the sponsorship undertaking obligations

8. Quebec PGP sponsorship is different

If the sponsor lives in Quebec, the financial assessment and undertaking process differs from the federal process. Quebec sponsors must comply with Quebec's immigration and undertaking requirements, and the provincial undertaking period for parents and grandparents is generally 10 years rather than the federal 20-year period.

Key Policy Highlights & Benchmarks

  • Do not use the federal LICO + 30% calculator as the final Quebec financial test.
  • Quebec has its own undertaking and financial-capacity rules.
  • The Quebec undertaking period for parents and grandparents is generally 10 years.
  • The sponsor may need to satisfy both the federal sponsorship framework and Quebec's provincial undertaking process.
  • Use the Government of Quebec's current sponsorship financial requirements when the sponsor resides in Quebec.

9. Income shortfall: what actually happens?

The sponsor must meet the applicable income requirement for every required taxation year. If the sponsor does not meet the threshold for one of those years, the federal PGP sponsorship may not satisfy the minimum necessary income requirement for that intake.

Scenario Examples

One-year shortfall
All three years satisfied

10. PGP invitation status is separate from income eligibility

The Parents and Grandparents Program is invitation-based. Meeting the minimum necessary income requirement does not itself create an entitlement to submit a PGP application. IRCC determines whether and when new invitations are issued, how many invitations are issued, and which interest-to-sponsor pool or prior submission cohort is used.

Mandatory Action Checklist

✓Check the current IRCC PGP intake status.
✓Confirm whether IRCC is accepting new applications or issuing invitations for the relevant year.
✓Determine which taxation years IRCC requires for that specific intake.
✓Do not submit a sponsorship application merely because the sponsor passes the income calculator.
✓Keep historical income records because the taxation years requested by a future intake can differ from the previous intake.

11. What the sponsor is financially responsible for

The undertaking is more than an income test. It creates a legal obligation to provide financial support to the sponsored parent or grandparent and to repay certain provincial or territorial social assistance received during the undertaking period.

Key Policy Highlights & Benchmarks

  • The sponsor is expected to make reasonable arrangements so the sponsored person does not need social assistance.
  • Failure to provide support can create debt and affect future sponsorship eligibility.
  • Co-signers are jointly bound by the undertaking.
  • The undertaking generally continues even if family circumstances change, such as a separation from a co-signer.
  • Certain benefits or services are governed by specific legislation and should not be described as universally repayable without checking the applicable rules.

12. Step-by-step PGP income calculation roadmap

Use this process before deciding whether the sponsor appears financially eligible.

Mandatory Action Checklist

✓Confirm that the sponsor meets the basic PGP sponsor eligibility rules.
✓Identify the exact PGP intake/application period and required taxation years.
✓Determine whether the sponsor lives outside Quebec or in Quebec.
✓Calculate total family size, including active previous undertakings and the sponsored family members/dependants.
✓Identify the correct minimum necessary income threshold for that family size and each required taxation year.
✓Retrieve the relevant CRA income records/NOAs.
✓Compare the sponsor's qualifying income with each year's threshold.
✓If using a spouse/common-law partner as co-signer, add the co-signer's qualifying income under the applicable rules and document it for each required year.
✓Check for income amounts that IRCC specifically excludes from the PGP calculation.
✓Confirm that all required years meet the threshold.
✓Review the undertaking period and obligations before signing.
✓Separately check whether IRCC is currently accepting applications or issuing PGP invitations.

13. Common PGP income-calculation mistakes

PGP income calculations are frequently wrong because applicants use salary, household size or tax years that do not match IRCC's rules.

Mandatory Action Checklist

✓Using approximate online income figures instead of the official taxation-year table.
✓Using the current salary instead of the required tax-year income.
✓Ignoring an existing sponsorship undertaking when calculating family size.
✓Forgetting dependants of the sponsored parents/grandparents.
✓Combining income with a partner who has not signed as the qualifying co-signer.
✓Applying federal rules to a sponsor who lives in Quebec.
✓Using the wrong taxation years for the current intake.
✓Assuming passing the income threshold guarantees an invitation.
✓Treating every CRA income item as automatically eligible or automatically excluded.
✓Using the federal 20-year undertaking period for Quebec.
✓Treating a calculator's result as a final immigration decision.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

For the federal Parents and Grandparents Program, the required minimum necessary income depends on total family size and the taxation years specified by IRCC for the applicable intake. The federal PGP thresholds use the LICO + 30% methodology.

The federal PGP generally requires income to be demonstrated for three consecutive taxation years specified by the applicable intake instructions. Do not assume the same calendar years apply to every future intake.

Yes. A qualifying spouse or common-law partner can co-sign the sponsorship and combine eligible income with the sponsor, but the co-signer must sign the undertaking and satisfy the applicable requirements.

The sponsor does not meet the minimum necessary income requirement for that taxation year. Because the federal PGP income test applies to each required year, a shortfall can prevent the sponsor from satisfying the income requirement for that intake.

Outside Quebec, the federal PGP undertaking is generally 20 years from the date the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. Quebec has its own undertaking rules and the period for parents and grandparents is generally 10 years.

No. The PGP is invitation-based. Passing the income requirement is only one eligibility condition. You must also be eligible to sponsor and must have an application opportunity under the current IRCC intake/invitation system.

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PGP Income Metrics

Federal Income FormulaApplicable LICO + 30% for required tax years
Federal Income HistoryThree consecutive taxation years for the applicable PGP intake
Co-SignerSpouse or common-law partner may co-sign
Undertaking20 years outside Quebec; generally 10 years in Quebec

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