All residents of B.C. are eligible for Fair PharmaCare coverage if they:
Coverage is family-based. A family can be a:
Your annual net family income determines the level of coverage you receive. If you have a spouse, or are in a marriage-like relationship, you must include your spouse in your registration.
To register, you need:
PharmaCare uses income tax data from two years ago to calculate the Fair PharmaCare coverage your family receives. Your 2022 coverage will be calculated using your 2020 tax return. This is because much of the time, your income tax information from the previous year will not yet be available.
Coverage is provided for a calendar year, from January 1 to December 31. PharmaCare automatically renews your coverage as long as your income information from two years prior is available from the Canada Revenue Agency.
The following people who may not have filed a tax return in Canada two years ago, may need to supply more information:
Please contact us if you have not yet filed a tax return in Canada, or did not file one two years ago.
If you have recently turned 19 and are not a full-time student, you should register for your own Fair PharmaCare account. Your parents' (or guardians') incomes will not affect your deductible or family maximum, and you may be able to get more coverage.
People between the ages of 19 to 25, who are in full-time post-secondary education programs, may remain on their parents' accounts.
For more information on Fair PharmaCare, see:
Fair PharmaCare helps B.C. families pay for eligible prescription drugs, some medical supplies and devices, and eligible pharmacy services. PharmaCare is income-based; the less a family earns, the more help they get.
You can register online, by phone, or by mailing in a paper form. If you register online or by phone, your coverage will begin immediately. You only need to register once. If you registered previously and no longer have coverage, please contact us.
PharmaCare checks your income every year to ensure your coverage is correct. To maintain your Fair PharmaCare coverage, you must file a tax return every year.
Get an estimate of your level of Fair PharmaCare coverage using our online calculator.
OR
See Fair PharmaCare assistance levels.
After you register, we will send you a consent form that you must fill in, sign, and send back within 30 days, so that we can check your income with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
Fair PharmaCare covers:
It does not cover costs from previous years, or from times when your family’s MSP coverage was not active. For more information, please see What PharmaCare covers.
Under the Fair PharmaCare plan, you pay your family’s prescription costs until you meet your deductible. After that, PharmaCare helps you with eligible costs for the rest of the year. If you reach your family maximum, PharmaCare will pay 100% of your eligible costs for the rest of the year. Learn more about Fair PharmaCare, and how deductibles and family maximums work.
Need more assistance?
Income-based coverage for eligible prescription drugs, medical supplies and devices, and pharmacy services.
If you have previously registered for Fair PharmaCare and need to change your information or reinstate your income-based coverage, contact us.
If you registered for Fair PharmaCare but have not received a confirmation letter from Health Insurance BC, use this to check the status of your registration.
Estimate your level of Fair PharmaCare coverage. You will need to enter your income and your spouse's income (if you have one).
If you lost or did not receive your Canada Revenue Agency consent form within 30 days of registering for Fair PharmaCare, use this to request another.
Request a letter from PharmaCare confirming details of your coverage, including your deductible and family maximum.
Health Insurance BC (HIBC) administers the Ministry of Health's PharmaCare program on behalf of the Pharmaceutical, Laboratory and Blood Services Division.
If you have questions about the PharmaCare or Medical Services Plan (MSP), please get in touch. Our service desk provides interpreter services in over 140 languages.
For questions about PharmaCare, customer service representatives are available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm and Saturday, 8 am to 4 pm (except statutory holidays). You can also register for Fair PharmaCare by phone.
You may send written inquiries to the following address:
Fair PharmaCare Administration
PO Box 9655 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9P2