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Home Hemodialysis Utility Grant

The Home Hemodialysis Utility Grant is available to people conducting hemodialysis at home. It helps offset the added electricity and water costs related to this treatment.

Please speak to the home dialysis coordinator at your Regional Renal Program if you are:

a current home hemodialysis patient, or
trying to decide if home hemodialysis is an option for you

Confirm Your Eligibility

You are eligible for the Home Hemodialysis Utility Grant if you:

live in Ontario
conduct home hemodialysis treatments as part of an Ontario Regional Renal Program
have a valid OHIP card
pay for – or have a family member who pays for – the utility costs (water, electricity or both) in your home

Enrol for the Grant

To enrol, contact the home dialysis coordinator in your Regional Renal Program.
Show or send them a copy of the electricity or water bill, or both, that you or a family member pays for.
- The bills should be no more than 4 months old.
- The bills must show your name or the name of your family member at the address where your home hemodialysis equipment is.
The coordinator will submit your utility information to the Ontario Renal Network for the next cycle of reimbursement.

Once you are enrolled, you only need to provide utility bills if you move. To reflect updates to municipalities’ water rates, you may be asked by your Regional Renal Program to provide a copy of your water bill once every 2 years.

Getting Your Grant

You will receive 2 payments each year: One for the period of April 1 to September 30 and another for the period of October 1 to March 31. These will be paid to you by your Regional Renal Program hospital by cheque or electronic funds transfer.

Grants will be given for any time on home hemodialysis since April 1, 2017. Please contact your Regional Renal Program for more details.

Calculating Your Grant

Your grant is based on:

the equipment used in your home hemodialysis set-up
your municipal water rate
an average electricity rate across Ontario
the treatment schedule prescribed by your nephrologist
the proportion of time you have been on home hemodialysis during the 6-month period
which utilities you pay

Once we calculate your grant, we send the funds to your Regional Renal Program, which in turn pays the full amount to you – none of the funds are kept for overhead or administration.

You can ask your Regional Renal Program for more details about your specific grant.

The Formula

Calculated water and electricity usage based on your hemodialysis equipment and treatment schedule

For water: Your municipality’s water rate
For electricity: Either a standard provincial or Hydro One rate

Proportion of time you were on home hemodialysis during the 6-month period

Doing Your Taxes

You do not need to claim the grant as income as it does not meet the criteria of income as per the Income Tax Act Section 56(1)(r).

If you claim utility costs for home hemodialysis as tax credits:

Add up your expenses in the same manner you have in the past
Deduct your grant total from this amount

The remaining amount is what you would claim as tax credits.

Municipalities with Grants for Water

If your municipality has a grant for increased water usage for home hemodialysis patients, and you are receiving this grant, then you will only receive the electricity portion of the Home Hemodialysis Utility Grant from the Ontario Renal Network.

Please inform your Regional Renal Program so that your grant can be calculated correctly.

Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP)

The Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) provides monthly credit on electricity bills to help those who are classified as low-income, with higher credit for Indigenous peoples or those who use electricity-intensive medical devices (such as dialysis machines). Check with the Ontario Energy Board to see if you are eligible.

About the Grant

The Home Hemodialysis Utility Grant was created by the Ontario Renal Network and our Regional Renal Program partners as part of the Home First Strategy. It is intended to support patients’ treatment at home by helping to reduce financial barriers to home hemodialysis. This grant is funded by the Government of Ontario.