Canada child benefit - After you apply

1. Overview
2. Before you apply
3. How to apply
4. After you apply
5. How we calculate your CCB

How long does it take to process your application?

Our goal is to issue your notice and payment, if applicable, within 8 weeks of receiving your digital benefit application, and within 11 weeks of receiving your paper benefit application.

If some information was missing from your application, we will ask you for it. This will delay the processing of your application.

After we process your application, we will send you a notice. It will tell you if you will get benefits, how much your payment will be, and what information we used to calculate the amount.

We might review your application later to confirm that the information you gave us has not changed. We might ask you to send us supporting documents.

When are Canada child benefit payments made?

Benefits are paid over a 12-month period from July of one year to June of the next year. Generally, payments are made on the 20th of each month. If your total benefit amount is less than $240, we will send it in one payment on July 20 instead of monthly payments. If your payment does not arrive on that day, wait five working days before checking on its status.

To find out when the CRA will make the next CCB payment, go to benefit payment dates or subscribe to our CCB electronic mailing list. If you want to know how much your next payment will be and when you'll get it, go to My Account or go to mobile apps and select "MyBenefits CRA".

Payments of the following related provincial and territorial programs are combined with the CCB into a single monthly payment:

• BC family bonus
• BC early childhood tax benefit
• New Brunswick child tax benefit
• Newfoundland and Labrador child benefit
• Northwest Territories child benefit
• Nova Scotia child benefit
• Nunavut child benefit
• Ontario child benefit
• Yukon child benefit

Alberta child benefit
Alberta child benefit payments are not combined with the CCB or the Alberta family employment tax credit. Quarterly payments are issued in August, November, February and May, on the 27^th of the month.

Alberta family employment tax credit
Alberta family employment tax credit payments are not combined with the CCB. The payments are issued in July and January, on the 27^th of the month.

When do we recalculate your benefits?

We recalculate your benefits:

• every July based on your adjusted family net income reported on the returns that you and your spouse or common-law partner filed for the previous year
• after each reassessment of either your income tax and benefit return or your spouse or common-law partner's return that affects how your benefit is calculated after a child for whom you receive the CCB turns 18 (the last payment you will receive will be for the month of his or her birthday)
• after you tell us about changes to your situation that could affect your benefit

We will recalculate your benefits based on:

• the number of children who live with you
• the ages of your children
• the province or territory you live in
• your adjusted family net income
• your child’s eligibility for the child disability benefit

We will send you a notice that shows our revised calculation.

To make sure we calculate your benefit correctly, keep your information up to date.

Do you have a balance owing?

If you received a CCB overpayment, see Balance owing – benefits overpayment.

If a recalculation shows that you were paid too much CCB, we will send you a notice with a remittance voucher attached to tell you about the balance owing. We may keep all or some of your future CCB payments, income tax refunds or goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credits until your balance owing is repaid. This may also apply to other federal, provincial and territorial programs that we administer.

What if we ask you to validate information after you apply?

The CRA might ask you for documents as part of the validation process.

Our review could increase or decrease your benefits, depending on your situation.

If the CRA sends you a letter or questionnaire, you must reply. If you do not, your child and family benefits or credits could stop. In some situations you might have to repay benefits or credits you already received.

• How to apply
• How we calculate your CCB

Date modified:

2017-05-08