Do you want to apply for Canadian Child Benefit? Here are simple actions you should consider!

The Canada Child Benefit, formerly known as Canada Child tax benefit or universal childcare benefit, was introduced by the Canadian government to pay calculated tax-free money to qualified families to support them in raising their kids that are below the age of 18.

These benefits cover a period of 12 months between July to June. In some cases, it might include child disability benefits and other benefits that are offered by the specific provinces.

Therefore, in this article, I shall guide you through five simple actions that you can take to successfully apply for the Canada Child Benefit program.

1: Canada Child benefit – Are you Eligible?

You must understand the requirement for this program before you commence the application. The CCB mandates only the ‘’primarily responsible parent’’ of the child to apply for the program.

By primarily responsible parents (PRP), it refers to the person, among the two parents, who, on a daily basis, spend more time with the child.

However, for families with heterogeneous parents (male & female), the woman is automatically considered as the PRP.

Also, if the parents are homogeneous or single parents, then the principal applicant has to obtain a consent letter from the other parent to prove that he or she consents to the union, or he is the rightful father of the child.

Another scenario you might want to consider is the case of shared custody – a situation where both parents spend the same number of times with the child.

In such a situation, you have to apply together with the other parent and ensure that you both provide clear information about the shared custody in your respective applications.

If you need more assistance or information about this, you can contact our settlement agency in Ontario

2: Send your application for Canada Child Benefit

Either you or your partner, depending on the eligible person, can apply through two different means:

• By filing the RC66 form and sending it via email to the domestic tax center close to your location
• Apply directly online to the Canada Revenue Agency You must have the following documents to support your application:
• Birth certificate with your child’s name and date of birth in it
• Your income statement which you will fill on the RC66SCH form
• CTB9 CCB form that will state the income of your spouse if he 9r she has been outside of Canada for a substantial part of that year
• Social Insurance Number
• Temporary resident visa for those who have lived up to 18 months
• Date of entry into Canada if your spouse just moved into the country

3: Consider the Automatic Benefit application

This does not apply to everyone, but you can try the option if you are eligible. You can take advantage of the automatic application only if your child is below age one, born in Canada, and you are the mother.

In such circumstance, you can apply automatically by using the automatic benefits form, and please make sure you do this before the child turns one.

Another method you can use here is to sign-up for the CCB before your child is born. With this, you will not only get a direct deposit to your account, but will receive your CCB payments very fast.

Now, in a situation where you change your marital status, you have to notify the Canadian Revenue Agency either by using the “my account” page on her website or by writing to your local tax center.

4: Do not delay the application

Most people find themselves losing out on a larger part of the CCB due to their inability to apply in time. Once you become eligible for the Canada Child benefit, make sure you apply immediately.

There are companies that provide settlement services in Canada  to assist permanent residents in filing their application as soon as they arrive in the country.

Generally, you can only claim payments that have accrued for up to 11 months before your application.

For example, if you apply by September 2017, you can only receive payment for up to October 2016.

So, let’s say your child was born in July 2017, and you fail to apply until October 2018, you will not receive CCB funds which you could have gotten for July, August, and September of 2017.

However, if you must claim payments that were due for over 11 months before your application, then you have to provide some evidence to prove that you were eligible within this period.

Some of this evidence might include a PR card, passport, citizenship certificate, bank statements or utility bill, birth certificate for each child, and document to show that you’re the primarily responsible parent.