To assist lower-income, working families in estimating their Rental Assistance subsidy, BC Housing provides the Rental Assistance Program calculator. This calculator provides an estimated subsidy only. The actual subsidy that a family may be eligible to receive will be confirmed once the family's application form has been processed by BC Housing staff.

The Rental Assistance Program calculator is a Microsoft Excel document. Users must have Microsoft Excel to be able to use the calculator. Click here to open up the calculator. You can download a free Excel viewer.

How is your potential assistance amount calculated?
The Rental Assistance Program (RAP) reimburses part of the difference between a set percentage of your total income and your rent. The program has a sliding scale that gives the most money to people with the least income. The amount of assistance is calculated taking into account your household size, income, rent, and where you live, and is subject to the maximum benefit.

Maximum Rent Levels

Regardless of actual amount of rent paid, the assistance will only be calculated based on amounts up to maximum rent levels, as follows:

Family #	Metro Vancouver	Other areas of B.C.
3 <	$975	$900
4 +	$1100	$940

(effective April 2008)

Maximum Benefit Levels

Under the RAP, the maximum benefit is the most rental assistance a household can receive.

Family #	Metro Vancouver	Other areas of B.C.
3 <	$653	$585
4 +	$765	$621