Is my child eligible for the Canada Dental Benefit?

The Government of Canada has a benefit to help you pay for your children's dental cost. It's called the Canada Dental Benefit.

To be eligible, you must meet all these conditions:

• your family's net income is below $90,000
• you get the Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
• you and your spouse or common-law partner, if you have one, have filed your income tax returns
• your child has dental costs between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024

If you're separated or divorced from your child's other parent, both of you can apply for the benefit if you share the CCB and decision-making responsibility or custody. But you each only get half the dental benefit amount you're eligible for.

You and your spouse or common-law partner must be any one of the following:

• a Canadian citizen
• a permanent resident
• a protected person
• a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months, with a valid permit in the 19th month that does not say “does not confer status” or “does not confer temporary resident status”
• an individual who is registered, or entitled to be registered, under the Indian Act

And your child must be all of the following:

• under 12 years old on the first day of the benefit period you're applying for,
• not have access to a private insurance plan, and
• not fully covered by another government program.

Your child is not eligible for the benefit if you had the choice to enroll them in a private insurance plan but chose not to.

If you have more than one child, you can apply for the benefit for each child. Each child needs to be eligible on their own.

Benefit periods

There are 2 benefit periods:

1. October 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023
2. July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024

As of July 1, you can only apply for dental costs that happen during the second benefit period.

Additional Payment

You may be able to get an additional payment for the first benefit period if:

• you applied and got the benefit for the first benefit period,
• the dental costs were more than $650, and
• you do not apply for the benefit during the second benefit period.

Similarly, you may be able to get an additional payment in the second benefit period if:

• you are eligible and applied for dental costs in the second benefit period,
• the dental costs were more than $650, and
• you did not apply for the benefit in the first benefit period.

You can apply for the additional payment for each of your children if they're eligible.

The additional payment will be the same amount as the first payment you got.

How much you can get

The amount you get from the benefit depends on your adjusted family net income, not the cost of the dental care. Your adjusted family net income includes:

• your income,
• your spouse or common-law partner's income,
• the money you got from the Canada Child Benefit, and
• the money you got from the Registered Disability Savings Plan.

The first benefit period used your net family income from 2021. The second benefit period uses your net family income from 2022.

Both parents can apply for the benefit if they share decision-making responsibility or custody, but each parent will get half the benefit amount they're eligible for.

The amount you get depends on your income, not the income of the other parent. So, if you make less than the other parent you will get more from the benefit than them.

This table shows the Canada Dental Benefit payment you get based on your family's income:

The government has a tool to help you figure out how much you can get from the benefit.

If you have direct deposit set up with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the payment will be deposited about 5 business days after you apply. If you're getting the payment by cheque, it will take about 10 business days.

How to apply

You can apply for the benefit on CRA's website through the CRA's My Account. You can create an account if you do not have one.

If you cannot apply online, you can apply over the phone. Call CRA at 1-800-715-8836. Their TTY number is 1-800-665-0354.

To apply for the benefit, you need to know:

• the name and contact information of your child's dental care provider
• the date or expected date of your child's dental appointment, which means you should make a dental appointment before applying

If you and your spouse or common-law partner are employed, you must also give your employers' name and contact information.

After you apply

Your child's dental appointment date may change after you've applied. If this happens, you do not have to tell CRA as long as the new date is within the benefit period.

If the CRA finds out that you lied and gave false information on the form, you cannot apply for the benefit again. You may also have to pay a penalty or fine. If you made an honest mistake, you can repay the benefit.

If you got the payment and your child did not get dental care within the benefit period, you will have to repay the full amount. But if your child's dental costs are less than the amount you got, you do not have to pay back the difference.

You have to keep your dental care receipts in case CRA needs to check them. If you get a letter from CRA asking for documents, you must send what they ask for within 30 days.

If you do not send what CRA asks for, or if CRA later finds you were not eligible for the benefit you will have to repay the full amount.

For more information, contact the CRA.