The Guaranteed Income Supplement is income-tested rather than asset-tested. Consequently, the relevant item is dividend income.
For GIS purposes, taxable investment income—including taxable Canadian dividends—forms part of the income used to determine entitlement. As income rises, GIS benefits may be reduced or eliminated depending on the recipient's marital status and applicable income threshold. Service Canada specifically includes interest, investment income, capital gains, and taxable Canadian dividends among the income sources relevant to income-tested OAS benefits.
By contrast, merely owning a cottage or holding investment assets does not directly reduce GIS because there is no general GIS asset test. Those assets become relevant when they generate reportable income—for example, rental income, interest, dividends, or realized taxable capital gains.
Old Age Security itself is specifically excluded when determining income for GIS purposes. Therefore, receiving the basic OAS pension is not treated in the same way as taxable investment income when calculating GIS entitlement.
This distinction is important in retirement planning because two clients with identical net worth can have very different GIS outcomes depending on the type, timing, and tax characterization of their retirement income.
FPII reference/topic: Retirement Planning — Old Age Security; Guaranteed Income Supplement; income testing; retirement-income taxation.
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