I have kids. Can I get child tax benefits?

If you have children under the age of 18, you may be able to get the Canada child benefit (CCB).

In July 2016, the CCB replaced the Canada child tax benefit, the national child benefit supplement, and the universal child care benefit.

Who can get the CCB?

To get the CCB, you or your spouse or must be one of the following:

  • a Canadian citizen
  • a permanent resident
  • a protected person
  • a person covered by the Indian Act

Your child must be under 18 and live with you. And you must be the .

You and your spouse or common-law partner, if you have one, also have to file your last year's income tax.

And you and your spouse or common-law partner must continue to file your income tax returns as long as you get the CCB. You must do this even if you don't earn any . If you don't file your income tax, you won't get the CCB.

The CCB is paid on the 20th day of each month. You can get it by mail or by direct deposit into your bank account.

Temporary residents

If you're a who's lived in Canada for the last 18 months, you may be eligible for the CCB.

To get it, you must have a valid temporary resident permit. But you can't get the CCB if your temporary resident permit says either of the following things:

  • “Does not confer status”
  • “Does not confer temporary resident status”

If your permit does not say these things, you can apply for the CCB once you've been in Canada for a full 18 months.

Children who are in care

You can't get the CCB for children who are being cared for by a government department, agency, or institution, like a children's aid society.

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