How to Apply for the Ontario Child Benefit
There is no separate Ontario Child Benefit application: applying for the Canada Child Benefit is the application, and the CRA assesses you for the Ontario benefit at the same time.
How to Start Claiming the Money You Are Owed in Canada
Claim federal benefits in Canada: child benefit, groceries and essentials benefit, workers benefit, dental plan, and provincial top-ups, step by step.
Applies in: across Canada
The short answer
File a tax return every year, then apply only where an application is needed. That one habit is the start of nearly every federal benefit in Canada. The Canada Child Benefit and the Canadian Dental Care Plan need an application from you. The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit and the Canada Workers Benefit are worked out from your tax return, so filing is the claim. Provincial and territorial top-ups are often assessed the same way and paid together with a federal payment in one deposit.
This guide covers process only. It gives no benefit dollar amounts, except for the two figures the Canada Revenue Agency itself publishes for how the child benefit is paid out, because amounts depend on your family, your income, and the year, and they change. Check the Canada Revenue Agency's current figures and calculator for your own situation before you rely on a number.
Step zero: file, even with no income
If you take one thing from this guide, take this. You and your spouse or common-law partner, where you have one, must file a tax return every year, even in a year with no income to report. The Canada Revenue Agency recalculates benefits from those returns. A missing return can stop a payment that was already running, and it can keep a new benefit from starting at all.
Set up direct deposit through CRA My Account at the same time. It avoids mail delays for cheques. Keep your address and marital status current in My Account, and report changes as soon as they happen: a move, a marital status change, a child starting or stopping living with you, or a change in a shared-custody arrangement. Late reporting cuts both ways. If your benefit should have gone up, you may have missed money. If it should have gone down, the extra payments can become an overpayment you have to repay.
Canada Child Benefit: apply once, through one route
The Canada Child Benefit is a monthly, tax-free payment from the Canada Revenue Agency to help with the cost of raising a child under 18. It does not start on its own, except through the birth-registration route below. Apply as soon as you qualify: when a child is born, when a child starts living with you, or when a custody arrangement begins or changes.
You can apply if you live with a child under 18, you are mainly responsible for the child's care and upbringing, and you are a resident of Canada for tax purposes. You or your spouse or common-law partner must also meet a status condition, such as Canadian citizenship, permanent residence, protected-person status, registration under the Indian Act, or the temporary-resident conditions set out by the Canada Revenue Agency.
There are three routes. Use one route only, so the Canada Revenue Agency does not end up with two applications for the same child.
- Birth registration for a newborn. When you register the birth with your province or territory, consent to sharing your information with the Canada Revenue Agency and give your Social Insurance Number. The vital statistics agency sends your details and the child's details to the Canada Revenue Agency, which then decides whether you qualify. If you do not consent, nothing is sent, and you need one of the other routes. This automated route is not offered in every territory, so check your local birth registration form.
- CRA My Account online. Sign in, open "Apply for child benefits," confirm your contact information, marital status, and citizenship, add the child's name, sex, and date and place of birth, review, and submit. The Canada Revenue Agency may ask for documents after you submit, such as proof of the child's birth, which you can send through the "Submit documents" service in My Account.
- Form RC66 by mail. Complete Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, attach the documents the form asks for, and mail it to your tax centre. Newcomers may also need Schedule RC66SCH, which covers status in Canada and income for periods when no Canadian tax return was filed.
Allow about 8 weeks for an online or birth-registration application, and about 11 weeks for a mailed application. Payments are monthly by direct deposit or cheque. If the yearly total is under $240, the Canada Revenue Agency pays it as one lump sum with the July payment instead. The benefit is recalculated each July from the most recent tax returns on file.
Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit: the renamed GST/HST credit
The GST/HST credit was renamed the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit as of July 2026. The last quarterly payment under the old name was issued April 2, 2026, and a one-time top-up payment was issued June 5, 2026 to people entitled to the January 2026 payment. If you have been receiving the credit and your situation has not changed, you are likely eligible for the new benefit, since the eligibility criteria are the same.
For most people there is no separate application. You are automatically considered when you file your taxes. That is why the step-zero rule matters so much here: no return, no assessment. Payments may also include amounts from provincial or territorial programs, which are now included with your groceries and essentials payments.
If you are new to Canada, the first year is different. Ask the Canada Revenue Agency which first-year form fits your situation; the child-benefits form covers families with children. After that first year, filing your annual return keeps the assessment going. If you file a prior year return late, you may still be entitled to a payment for that year, paid as a separate lump sum or combined with your next quarterly payment.
Canada Workers Benefit: claim it on your tax return
The Canada Workers Benefit is a refundable tax credit for people who work and earn a low income. Refundable means it can produce a payment even if you owe no tax. You do not file a separate benefits application for it. You claim it when you file your taxes: on paper, complete Schedule 6, Canada Workers Benefit, with your return, and the result goes on line 45300. Most tax software asks the questions and fills in the claim for you, but check that Schedule 6 was actually generated before you file. A return filed without it claims nothing.
You can also receive part of the benefit in advance rather than waiting until tax time. The Canada Revenue Agency states you can apply to receive up to half of your benefit in advance payments, through CRA My Account or by mail. If you received advance payments, report them on your return when you file, so the final amount is reconciled against what you already received. If your income or family situation changes during the year, tell the Canada Revenue Agency, since advance payments may need adjusting.
Canadian Dental Care Plan: apply, then book
The Canadian Dental Care Plan helps with the cost of dental care for eligible Canadian residents. It is not a cash payment to you, and it is not a substitute for filing taxes: your tax return is part of how eligibility is checked. To apply, you must meet all four requirements:
- You have no access to private dental insurance or coverage, including through your work or pension plan, a family member's work or pension plan, a professional or student organization, or insurance purchased by you or a family member. Having access counts even if you never used the coverage, decided not to enrol, or have to pay a premium for it. The one exception is for retirees who opted out of pension dental coverage before December 11, 2023 and cannot opt back in.
- You filed your tax return in Canada. This also applies to your spouse or common-law partner, if you have one.
- Your adjusted family net income is less than $90,000.
- You are a Canadian resident for tax purposes. This also applies to your spouse or common-law partner, if you have one.
Before you confirm that you have no access to coverage, check the code on your T4 or T4A slip. If you work, look at box 45 on your T4. If you receive a pension, look at box 015 on your T4A. A code of 1 means your work or pension plan reported that you do not have access to dental coverage through them. A code of 2, 3, 4, or 5 means you were offered some kind of coverage. If you have dental coverage through a provincial, territorial, or federal government social program, you could still qualify, and the plans may coordinate so there is no duplication.
Apply online through the plan's page on Canada.ca, by phone, or at a Service Canada Centre. You must confirm every year that you still have no access to private dental insurance or coverage. Once approved, confirm with your dental provider what the plan covers for your visit before you book.
Provincial and territorial top-ups: check the same two places
Provincial and territorial benefits are separate programs, but the Canada Revenue Agency often pays them together with a federal benefit in one deposit. That is why a single deposit on your bank statement can be larger than the federal figure alone, and why your notice of assessment is worth reading line by line: it shows the breakdown the Canada Revenue Agency used.
The process for top-ups the Canada Revenue Agency administers is the same as for the federal benefits: file your return every year, keep your address and marital status current, and check CRA My Account for payment details. For programs the Canada Revenue Agency does not administer, the province or territory runs its own application, with its own rules and deadlines. Check your province or territory's benefits page directly, and do not assume a federal application covers a provincial program, or the reverse.
If a payment does not arrive
Work through this order before you reapply for anything. Check CRA My Account for the next payment date and for any message asking for documents. Check whether a required tax return is missing, since that stops the recalculation. Check whether a change went unreported. Fix the underlying item rather than filing a second application: for the child benefit, a duplicate application delays the first one instead of speeding it up. If a payment is still missing after the underlying item is fixed, contact the Canada Revenue Agency with your notice of assessment in hand.
Mistakes that cost people money
Applying twice for the same child benefit. Skipping a tax return in a year with no income. Waiting until tax time to apply for the child benefit instead of applying when you first qualify. Leaving out Schedule RC66SCH when it applies. Ignoring a Canada Revenue Agency request for documents. Assuming an old article's dollar figure is current. And, for the dental plan, confirming you have no private coverage without checking your T4 or T4A code first.
Related guides: how to apply for the Canada Child Benefit, how to open an RESP and claim government grants, how to file a GST/HST return in Canada.
Claiming what you are owed, in six steps
- File a tax return every yearFile even in a year with no income. Most of these benefits are worked out from your return, and a missing return can stop payments.
- Sort each benefit by how it startsSome need an application, some are assessed when you file, and some provincial amounts arrive with a federal payment.
- Apply where an application is neededApply for the Canada Child Benefit and the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Do not apply twice for the same child benefit.
- Set up direct depositSet up direct deposit through CRA My Account so payments do not wait on mail.
- Check CRA My AccountCheck payment dates, amounts, and messages asking for documents before you chase a missing payment.
- Report changes right awayReport a move, a marital status change, or a child starting or stopping living with you as soon as it happens.
Questions people ask
Do I have to apply for every benefit, or do some start on their own?
It depends on the benefit. The Canada Child Benefit and the Canadian Dental Care Plan need an application. The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit and the Canada Workers Benefit are assessed from your tax return, so filing the return is the step that starts them. Some provincial and territorial amounts are assessed the same way and paid together with a federal payment.
What happened to the GST/HST credit?
The GST/HST credit was renamed the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit as of July 2026. The last quarterly payment under the old name was issued April 2, 2026. If you received the credit and your situation has not changed, you are likely eligible for the new benefit, since the eligibility criteria are the same.
I had no income last year. Should I still file a tax return?
Yes. File even with no income to report. The Canada Revenue Agency uses your return to work out these benefits, and a missing return is a common reason payments stop or never start.
How long does a Canada Child Benefit application take?
Allow about 8 weeks for an application made through birth registration or CRA My Account, and about 11 weeks for a mailed Form RC66 application. Missing documents or a second application for the same child can slow the file down.
Is the Canadian Dental Care Plan a cash payment?
No. It is a dental plan, not money paid to you. You apply first, then use the plan for dental care with a participating provider. Check what the plan covers for your visit before you book, and confirm with the provider whether anything is left for you to pay.
I missed a year of filing. Can I still get what I missed?
Sometimes. If you file a prior year return late, the Canada Revenue Agency will work out whether you were entitled to a payment for that year, and a retroactive amount may be paid as a lump sum or with your next quarterly payment. File the missing return rather than guessing at the outcome.
Sources
- Canada Revenue Agency, GST/HST credit page (renamed the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit as of July 2026; last payment April 2, 2026; one-time top-up June 5, 2026)
- Government of Canada, Canadian Dental Care Plan eligibility page (four requirements; adjusted family net income less than $90,000; T4 box 45 and T4A box 015 codes; December 11, 2023 pension opt-out exception)
- Canada Revenue Agency child-benefit guidance, as covered in the site's existing Canada Child Benefit guide (three routes; about 8 weeks online or by birth registration, about 11 weeks by mail; under $240 paid as one July lump sum).