We recently became parents. The next logical step was for us to do our due diligence on resources available to support our child. I did some research on RESPs previously but wanted to learn more about Canada Child Benefit. If you’d like to learn more about RESPs, feel free to check out this article.
Canada Child Benefit (CCB) Basics
Administered by the Canada Revenue Agency, this financial program supports Canadian families with raising children under the age of 18. The administered payments may also consists of child disability benefits. It may also consists of aid from other eligible provincial/territorial programs. For instance, a family applying for CCB in Ontario may also be eligible to receive Ontario Child Benefit.
Who can Apply for CCB
One must meet all of the following conditions to be eligible for CCB:
- Live with a child < 18 years of age
- Be primarily responsible for the caring and raising the child
- Resident of Canada for tax purposes
- Your partner should be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident, a protected person, a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the most recent 18 months and has a valid permit in the 19th month or registered (or entitled to be registered) under the Indian Act
The female parent assumes the role of the primary caregiver of the child in households where a Male and Female reside. If the Male wants to take this role, a signed letter by the female parent is to be provided to CRA. If the household consists of same sex parents, one parent should apply for all children in the home. You can learn more about who can apply here.
How can I apply for CCB
- For us, the application kicked off when we registered for our baby’s birth. We were made to fill out the form directly at the hospital before being discharged
- If one missed out on applying for CCB in the hospital, they can apply online using their CRA MyAccount
- You could also apply for CCB by Mail
Additional documents may need to be provided. These can include:
- Child’s proof of birth
- Letter stating other parent is primary caregiver
- Other scenarios
More details on How and When to apply available here.
How much does a Primary caregiver receive
Note that payment is limited to one per child. Both parents cannot receive payments for the same child. If the child is in shared custody, each parent receives 50% of total payout.
Payments are based on:
- Your adjusted family net income from last year’s tax return
- Martial status
- Age of children
- Number of children in your care
Payments for July 2021 to June 2022 will be made on the basis of your adjusted family net income from 2020. If you child is born in April 2022, you will receive a payment from May 2022 or one month after you become eligible.
The definition of adjusted family net income (AFNI) comes from line 23600 of your tax return plus line 23600 of your partner’s (spouse or common -law living in the same HH) tax return. Universal child care benefits and registered disability savings plans are then adjusted this amount. You can see the exact definition (see Definitions section) here.
I have one child in my care, how much will I receive
This is dependent on your AFNI. See below an example from CCB benefits listed for 2022.
If your AFNI is less than $32,028 you will receive the maximum payout irrespective of how many child are registered for CCB. The payments will otherwise reduce per child based on the number of children. This link has both a Calculator and the deduction rules in case of multiple children.
Payment Dates 2022
These are the child benefit Canada dates for 2022:
- April 20, 2022
- May 20, 2022
- June 20, 2022
- July 20, 2022
- August 19, 2022
- September 20, 2022
- October 20, 2022
- November 18, 2022
- December 13, 2022
Payment Dates 2024
These are the child benefit Canada dates for 2024:
January 19, 2024
February 20, 2024
March 20, 2024
April 19, 2024
May 17, 2024
June 20, 2024
July 19, 2024
August 20, 2024
September 20, 2024
October 18, 2024
November 20, 2024
December 13, 2024
CCB Payments can stop if you don’t fill your tax return. Also, it is recommended that you contact CRA if there are any changes in your personal situation i.e. address, marital status, residency status etc.
You can learn more about Canada Child benefits here.
Wow! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different subject but it has pretty
much the same page layout and design. Superb choice of colors!