Canada Child Benefit

In July 2016, the Government of Canada introduced the Canada Child Benefit. The Canada Child Benefit is a tax-free monthly payment designed to assist families with the cost of raising children.  Monthly income from Canada Child Benefit payments is considered fully exempt for the purposes of determining Income Support (IS) eligibility.

Eligibility for the maximum Canada Child Benefit is based on adjusted family net income from the previous tax year, the number of children in the household and the age of each child.  Families who qualify for the maximum Canada Child Benefit receive:

• $533.33 per month for each child less than six years of age; and
• $450.00 per month for each child six through 17 years of age.
  
  Note
  Families who qualify for the Child Disability Benefit will have an additional payment of up to $227.50 included with their monthly Canada Child Benefit.

To be eligible to receive the Canada Child Benefit, clients must live with the child and be a resident of Canada for Income Tax purposes.

In order to receive the Canada Child Benefit, an Income Tax return must be filed with  Canada Revenue Agency.

Eligibility for the Canada Child Benefit is based on the previous year’s income and is assessed  in July of each year.

An amended Canada Child Benefit Notice of Determination is sent to families whenever adjustments or retroactive payments are made.

Clients may also receive an amended Notice of Determination when they are not entitled to receive the  Canada Child Benefit.

Further adjustments can occur throughout the year if there is a change in family composition (e.g., an addition/deletion of a dependant or separation from a spouse/partner).