Universal Child Care Benefit Starts in July 2006

One of the measures that passed with the 2006 Budget was the Universal Child Care Benefit, which gives the parents of children under the age of six a payment of $100 a month for each eligible child. The payments begin in July 2006. All families are eligible for this payment, no matter what their income. It is a taxable benefit, and will be taxable to the parent with the lower income.

Families who already receive the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) do not have to apply for the Universal Child Care Benefit. If you never applied for the CCTB, because your income is too high or for any other reason, then you will have to apply for the Universal Child Care Benefit to get your children into the Canada Revenue Agency database. An application (in PDF) and a set of FAQs are available from the Canada Revenue Agency.

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