Families in Saskatchewan with children participating in sport, culture or recreation can access the Active Families Benefit, a refundable tax credit designed to help make those activities more affordable.
As of this year, the benefit has doubled to $300 per child, or $400 per child for those eligible for the federal Child Disability Tax Credit. It is now available to families with a gross income of $120,000 or less.
“One of the best ways to ensure strong and healthy families in our province is to have children and youth involved in sport, recreation and cultural activities,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Alana Ross said in a statement. “Fulfilling our commitment to doubling the Active Families Benefit means that more than 69,000, or 56 per cent, of all families with children will be eligible in our province, ensuring that the families who need it most can access it.”
Parents enrolling their children in sport, culture or recreation activities during the 2025 calendar year are reminded to keep their receipts to claim the benefit when filing their 2025 taxes.
The benefit allows parents or guardians to claim registration or membership fees for eligible physical, artistic, cultural or recreational programs. However, not all activities or costs qualify.
What is eligible
Eligible sporting activities include training or participation in organized or competitive environments that require strategy, physical training and mental preparation.
Recreational activities must provide exposure, training or participation in programs designed to entertain, refresh, and provide physical or mental benefits.
Cultural activities include those related to arts, heritage or multiculturalism, where the child receives training, exposure or participation opportunities.
What is not eligible
Programs that are part of a school curriculum, take place in child care settings, or are strictly entertainment-based, such as attending sporting events or movies, do not qualify. Costs for equipment, uniforms, and unstructured activities like cross-country skiing are also excluded.
Programs offered by family members, including grandparents, parents, siblings and in-laws, are ineligible. Only Saskatchewan-based service providers qualify, although the activity may take place outside the province if the provider is based in Saskatchewan.
Even informal lessons, such as private music instruction, can be claimed, provided a receipt is issued. Only one parent may claim the benefit per child per year.
Fundraising efforts such as working bingos to reduce registration costs do not qualify unless the family pays out of pocket and receives a receipt. In the case of family memberships, the portion of the fee related to the child’s participation may be claimed.
The benefit must be claimed in the tax year the fee is paid, not when the activity takes place. For example, a registration fee paid in December 2023 for a program beginning in January 2024 must be claimed in the 2023 tax return.
For more information about the Active Families Benefit, contact the Government of Saskatchewan at 1-306-798-9043.