Calgary's Fair Entry program is the single most useful thing many residents don't know about. It's an income-based subsidy that bundles several City programs into one application, qualify once, get reductions or fee waivers across recreation, transit, AfterSchool, and more.

What's covered

  • Recreation: discounted swim passes, fitness memberships, drop-in fees at City pools, arenas, fitness centres, and aquatic centres
  • Calgary AfterSchool: free or low-cost programs for kids ages 6–16 at recreation facilities, community centres, partner agencies, and schools
  • Calgary Transit: sliding-scale monthly pass (low-income transit pass)
  • Property Tax Assistance Program for qualifying homeowners
  • No-cost spay/neuter clinics for licensed pet owners
That's a wide menu under one income test.

Who qualifies

Income thresholds use the federal LICO (low-income cut-off) and adjust by family size. A single person earns up to roughly $26,500/year; a family of four up to roughly $49,800. Exact thresholds update annually, confirm via calgary.ca/fairentry.

If you've had a recent job change, separation, retirement, or large medical expense, you may qualify even if last year's tax return doesn't show it. The application accepts current-month proof in those cases.

How to apply

One online or in-person application:

1. Gather proof of income (T4, T5, pay stubs, or government benefits) 2. Submit to the City, turnaround is usually 2–3 weeks 3. Once approved you get a Fair Entry card valid for 12 months 4. Show it at recreation facilities, request the transit pass online, etc.

Need help applying? 311 by phone or app, or any community resource centre can walk you through it.

Why we're surfacing this

Two reasons:

1. It's underused. Only a fraction of eligible Calgarians apply, usually because they didn't know it existed or assumed the threshold didn't cover them. 2. 2026 is a hard year. Grocery, utility, and rec-fee inflation has stretched a lot of households. If even one program offsets the squeeze, the application's worth the 30 minutes.

This isn't only for "low-income" residents in the stereotypical sense, temporary income drops, single parents, retirees on fixed pensions, and university families all use it.

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Apply here: calgary.ca/fairentry

Questions? 311 or [email protected] if you'd like a board member to help walk through it.