How to apply for the Canada Child Benefit

A laptop on a desk. Most parents apply through CRA My Account or the automated birth-registration route. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Mailboxes on a downtown street corner. — Mailboxes on a street corner. Paper applicants use Form RC66, and sometimes RC66SCH. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

A computer mouse, laptop and phone on a desk. — A laptop and phone on a desk. You need a Social Insurance Number for both spouses or partners. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

There are three routes in, and the right one depends on whether you are a new parent, already in the system, or applying late.

Route 1 — Automated Benefits Application (newborns)

When you register a newborn's birth, the Automated Benefits Application — available in all provinces and territories except Nunavut, for the mother of the newborn — can start the CCB automatically. This is the easiest route, and it is the reason most new parents never fill in a separate CCB form.

Route 2 — CRA My Account

Apply online through CRA My Account under "Apply for child benefits". You need a Social Insurance Number for both spouses or common-law partners. After processing, the CRA sends a CCB notice confirming the amount and the start date.

Route 3 — Paper forms

Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, plus RC66SCH where applicable, mailed to your tax centre. Paper is also the route for complex cases and for late applications.

Applying more than 11 months late

If the period you are applying for starts more than 11 months ago, expect the full document set: proof of citizenship or immigration status, three or more proofs of residency, proof of birth, and three or more proofs that you are the primary caregiver. Gather these before you file, because an incomplete late application is the slowest kind.

One payment per family

Only one CCB payment is made per family per month. Where parents live together, the female parent is usually presumed primarily responsible under the legislation; a signed letter can redirect the payment to the other parent. On remarriage or a new common-law union, there is one payment on the new AFNI, children generally move to the female parent's account, and any separate payments made after the change must be repaid.

Sources

CRA publication T4114(E) Rev. 26, "How to apply", "When you can apply", and "If you have a spouse or common-law partner": canada.ca — T4114.

General information only. This page explains the Canada Child Benefit in plain English. It is not legal, financial, or tax advice, and it cannot decide whether you qualify. Only the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) can decide a claim. Figures change every July — always confirm the current figure with the CRA before you act on it. Contact: hello [at] tapetoolhq.com.