How to Apply for the Alberta Child Health Benefit

The short answer

Fill out application form AEHB3931, sign the declaration and the Canada Revenue Agency consent sections, and email, mail, or fax it to the Health Benefits Contact Centre. The Government of Alberta says the plan covers dental care, prescription drugs, and eye glasses for children up to 18 in low-income households, with a maximum income of $26,023 for one adult with one child.

Children who are 18 or 19 also qualify if they live at home and attend high school.

What is covered

• Dental care — basic and preventative services such as fillings, x-rays, examinations, and teeth cleaning.
• Optical benefits — eye glasses every year.
• Prescription drugs — drugs on the program's drug benefit list, plus some over-the-counter products such as children's vitamins.
• Ambulance services — emergency ambulance trips to the nearest hospital.
• Diabetes coverage — supplies such as injection supplies, testing strips, and lancets. Blood glucose test strips are covered up to a maximum of 3,000 per eligible person depending on the method of diabetes management, in a diabetes benefit year that runs from July 1 to June 30.

If you or other household members have coverage through another health benefits plan, you must use that plan first. This plan may cover the remaining costs. For dental services covered by both this plan and the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan, claims go to the Canadian Dental Care Plan first.

Who the program describes

Families qualify based on income. To be eligible, you and your family members must live in Alberta, be Canadian citizens or have permanent resident status in Canada, meet the income guidelines, and not be receiving health benefits from other government programs such as Income Support, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), or the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits program.

Your total net household income must fall below the guideline for your family size, from $26,023 for one adult with one child up to $46,932 for a couple with four children. For each additional child, add $4,973.

This guide covers the application process only. It gives no advice on whether you qualify.

How to apply

• Step 1: Fill out the application form. Complete the Alberta Child Health Benefit application form AEHB3931. Sign and date the sections marked My Declaration and Consent for Canada Revenue Agency. The consent gives the Alberta government permission to check your income tax information with the Canada Revenue Agency to verify your income.
• Step 2: Send the form in. Email, mail, or fax your application to the Health Benefits Contact Centre, PO Box 2222 Station Main, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 5H3. Phone 780-427-6848, toll free 1-877-469-5437, fax 780-415-8386 or toll free fax 1-855-415-8386.

If you are leaving the Income Support or AISH program, speak to your case worker about the move.

After you apply

If your application is approved, you receive a health benefits card in the mail listing each child's name and identification number. Show the card to your child's doctor, dental provider, pharmacist, optician, or ambulance attendant each time your child receives a service the plan can pay for.

Every September, the program confirms with the Canada Revenue Agency that your household income is under the qualifying level for your family size. If it is, your household is automatically enrolled for another year. Coverage for a child who is 18 or 19, living at home, and attending high school stays active only if you complete the Declaration of 18 and 19 Year Old Dependent form AEHB3654.

If your personal information changes, complete the Change of Information form AEHB3002 and send it in. Not updating personal information may affect eligibility.

If your application is denied

The current benefit year is October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, and eligibility is based on 2025 income assessed by the Canada Revenue Agency. An income reassessment needs a rejection letter first. A denial received between October 1, 2026 and February 28, 2027 can be reassessed on estimated 2026 income. A denial received between March 1, 2027 and September 30, 2027 can be handled by applying again with your 2026 income and a copy of your 2026 Notice of Assessment.

What the opened pages do not state

The Alberta page lists the services covered and the income guidelines, but it does not publish a dollar limit for dental services or for prescription drugs under this plan, apart from the 3,000 test strip maximum for diabetes supplies, so this guide gives no other dollar limits. The page also does not state how long an application takes to process, so this guide gives no processing time.

Related guides:

• How to Apply for the Alberta Child and Family Benefit — Alberta's tax-free payment for families with children under 18, worked out from your tax return.
• How to Apply for AISH in Alberta — Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, a separate program whose members get health benefits through that program instead.
• How to Apply for the Alberta Seniors Benefit — Alberta's income-tested benefit for seniors.
• How to Apply for the Canada Child Benefit — the federal monthly payment for families raising children under 18.
• How to Start Getting Your Prescription Drugs Covered in Canada — the national picture of public drug coverage and where each province's plan fits.

Sources

• Government of Alberta, Alberta Child Health Benefit — the covered services, the age rules including 18 and 19 year olds in high school, the maximum income guidelines by family size, the income calculation from lines 23600, 12799, and 12800, application form AEHB3931 and its declaration and consent sections, the health benefits card, the September annual review, the October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 benefit year, and the reassessment windows and forms.