Can I get the Transition Child Benefit?

The Transition Child Benefit (TCB) is for people who:

• get money from Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), and
• don't get the Canada child benefit (CCB) or get less than the full amount.

You can't get the TCB unless you first try to get CCB payments. This means that if you don't apply for the CCB, you're not eligible for the TCB.

Who can get the TCB

To be eligible for the TCB, you must:

• get financial assistance from OW or income support from ODSP,
• have at least one child under 18 who lives with you,
• have applied or be applying for the CCB, and
• not get CCB payments or not get the full amount that you might be able to get.

And you can get the TCB only if you have full custody or shared custody of a child.

Who may be able to get the TCB

You may be able to get the TCB if you're getting OW or ODSP and one of the following applies to you:

• you're waiting for your CCB payments to start
• you did not file your income tax for the most recent tax period
• you're a newcomer to Canada, for example, a refugee claimant
• you recently moved to Ontario
• you have a newborn child
• your income has gone down a lot since the last tax year
• there are delays in getting your CCB payments

If you start getting CCB payments

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) decides if you're eligible for the CCB. If you were eligible for the CCB for a time that has already passed, the CRA will give you a one-time payment to cover this. This is called a “retroactive payment”.

Sometimes, the CRA may also decide you were eligible for the CCB during a time you were getting TCB payments. If this happens, you will have to pay back some of the TCB money that you got.