Canada Child Benefits (CCB)
- If you have children under the age of 18, you may be eligible to receive CCB.
- You need to make sure you meet the necessary criteria and should apply as soon as you qualify.
- You can get a maximum annual benefit of $6,833 per child to help with the cost of raising a family.
About the Canada Child Benefits (CCB)
CCB is a government benefit that helps families in Canada with parenting costs.
Administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), it was introduced in July 2016 to replace the Universal Child Care Benefit Program (UCCB). CCB offers eligible parents with children under 18 a tax-free monthly payment. The CCB may include the Child Disability Benefit (CDB) and be paid on top of any other child benefit that may be provided at the provincial or municipal level.
Who can apply for the CCB?
You may be eligible to receive the CCB if you meet all of the following criteria:
- You are a citizen of Canada and you must file a tax return in accordance with the regulations of the Canadian government
- You live with a child under the age of 18
- You have primary responsibility for the care and upbringing of the child
You may be eligible for the CCB if you or your spouse or common-law partner:
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- A temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months
- A protected person
- A indigenous person
About the ‘primary responsibility’
You should apply for CCB if you are deemed “mainly responsible” for your parenting. That means taking responsibility for things like:
- Monitor children’s daily activities
- Caring for children’s daily needs
- Take care of all your medical needs
- Arrange babysitting
Only one parent can apply for CCB, and which parent does will depend on your family circumstances.
What happens if I share custody?
If you have a custody agreement, this could affect your child custody rights. This will depend on things like who is the primary responder and if your child’s time is shared primarily with you, mostly with other parents, or equally. You can learn more about how guardianship agreements affect your CCB eligibility.
CCB payments explained
Based on CCB payments in 2021, you can get up to:
- $6,833 per year ($569.41 per month) per eligible child under age 6
- $5,765 per year ($480.41 per month) per eligible child ages 6 to 17
However, the amount you actually receive will depend on a number of factors, such as whether your children live with you full-time or part-time, your family’s net income, and the number of eligible children you have. yes. You can use the government’s CCB calculator to see what your payments might be.
Payments are recalculated every July. This is to take inflation into account, as well as your family’s net income from the previous year. For example, if there is a change in your income in 2021, this will be reflected in your payments starting July 2022. If your total benefit amount for the year is less than 240 dollars, you will receive this as a one-time payment in July instead of monthly.
Do I have to pay CCB back?
The only time you have to pay CCB back is if the CRA determines that they paid you too much. If this is the case, the CRA will notify you of the overpaid amount and may claim the amount through deductions from future CCB payments, deductions from the refund, income tax or from the GST/HST credit.
How to register for CCB
You should apply for CCB as soon as any of the following events occur:
- Your baby is born
- Your child starts living with you after living elsewhere
- Your custody arrangements change, or you are granted custody of your children
- You or your spouse or partner begin to meet the criteria and qualify for it
You can register your child’s birth with the province or territory at the same time, or later using your online CRA account. You may also download and complete Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application and return this information by mail along with any required additional documents and forms.
Your payments will begin within 8 weeks of the government receiving your online application or within 11 weeks of mailing a paper application. Payments will stop when your child turns 18 or when your family’s net income exceeds the $120,000 threshold.
What will happen next?
- If you think you might qualify, learn more about the criteria and see if you can apply to start receiving monthly payments.
- Be sure to look into other government benefits and programs that can help you with the costs of raising children.
If you have questions about government grants, tax credits or any other family benefit, contact the Government of Canada or VNIS Investment for assistance.
