Supplement to the John Hancock Income Funds Prospectus dated October 1, 2003

The paragraphs under the following heading in the "How Sales Charges are
Calculated" section of the prospectus have been deleted and replaced with the
following:

Investments of $1 million or more Class A and Class C shares are available with
no front-end sales charge. Please consult your financial adviser for the class
most suitable for you.

There is a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) on any Class A shares upon
which a commission or finder's fee was paid that are sold within one year of
purchase as follows:

Class A deferred charges on $1 million+ investments

                                 CDSC on shares
Your investment                  being sold

First $1M - $4,999,999           1.00%
Next $1 - $5M above that         0.50%
Next $1 or more above that       0.25%

For purposes of this CDSC, all purchases made during a calendar month are
counted as having been made on the first day of that month.

The CDSC is based on the lesser of the original purchase cost or the current
market value of the shares being sold, and is not charged on shares you acquired
by reinvesting your dividends. To keep your CDSC as low as possible, each time
you place a request to sell shares we will first sell any shares in your account
that are not subject to a CDSC.

Class B Shares are offered at their net asset value per share, without any
initial sales charge.

Class B and Class C A CDSC may be charged if a commission or a finder's fee has
been paid and you sell Class B or Class C shares within a certain time after you
bought them, as described in the tables below. There is no CDSC on shares
acquired through reinvestment of dividends. The CDSC is based on the original
purchase cost or the current market value of the shares being sold, whichever is
less. The CDSCs are as follows:

Class B deferred charges
                                     CDSC on
Years after                          fund shares
purchase                             being sold

1st year                             5.00%
2nd year                             4.00%
3rd year                             3.00%
4th year                             3.00%
5th year                             2.00%
6th year                             1.00%
After 6th year                       none

Class C deferred charges

Years after purchase                 CDSC

1st year                             1.00%
After 1st year                       none

For purposes of these CDSCs, all purchases made during a calendar month are
counted as having been made on the first day of that month.

CDSC calculations are based on the number of shares involved, not on the value
of your account. To keep your CDSC as low as possible, each time you place a
request to sell shares we will first sell any shares in your account that carry
no CDSC. If there are not enough of these to meet your request, we will sell
those shares that have the lowest CDSC.

                                                                   April 8, 2004
                                                                      INCPS 4/04