How much funding is available

Children under age six 

Up to $22,000 per year for each child may only be used for:

• Professionals listed on the Registry of Autism Service Providers (RASP)
• Behaviour interventionists (BI) who are supervised by a RASP professional
• Administrative costs related to managing service providers, up to $100 monthly (e.g. paying a bookkeeper)
• Costs related to employing a service provider – for example, vacation pay, income tax, Canada Pension Plan or Employment Insurance benefits, and WorkSafeBC premiums
• Family counselling/therapy

Funding through the school system

Autism funding covers services and resources outside of your child’s school day. Once children with autism start school, they also benefit from the education supports and services that are available through the school system.

• Support the transition to school

School districts and independent school authorities have access to additional funding for each child with certain diagnoses, including autism. 

For the 2019/2020 school year, this extra funding is $20,200. 

• Ministry of Education’s Special Education Services, A Manual of Policies, Procedures and Guidelines

While these supplemental funds are not targeted for individual students, they are intended to support inclusion. 

School districts and independent school authorities receive the funding and then combine it to provide supports and services in the way they think is best suited to the needs of all students.

School choice: Public and private schools offer different options for students with autism. Classroom alternatives like online/distributed learning programs also offer flexibility.

Use funding for other types of support

Requests must not exceed 50% of a child/youth’s annual funding amount (for families with benefit plans that are 12 months or less), or 50% on the adjusted portion (for families with benefit plans that are 13 months or longer, with the first 12 months being available at 20%).

• Purchase equipment or supplies
• Sign-up for training
• Travel to access support services or take training

For families with youth aging out (turning 19) prior to March 31, 2027, requests must not exceed 20%.
Agreement Signatories: please ensure your JFE form is approved by Autism Funding prior to making purchases.

Families are encouraged to check their TTE balance on MyFamily Services (MyFS) or call Autism Funding to confirm their balance (Toll Free: 1 877 777-3530).

Think about creating a budget

Parents plan how much they will spend on support services using personal funds combined with the provincial autism funding.

Some parents choose to spend all of their autism funding allocation on one type of service, while others prefer to spread out their funding across various services.