Minister Bergen encourages 1,900 Vaughan families not currently registered for the enhanced Universal Child Care Benefit to sign up

News Release

Harper Government looking for hundreds of thousands of families across Canada not currently registered for the enhanced Universal Child Care Benefit

May 23, 2015– Vaughan, Ontario – Employment and Social Development Canada

An estimated 1,900 families with children in Vaughan and another 32,000 in Toronto are eligible to receive money under the Harper Government’s proposed enhanced Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), but are at risk of not receiving the benefit unless they apply. The Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State for Social Development, joined by the Honourable Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence, today asked for help from the media and the public to encourage families to apply for the Benefit, during a visit to the Mom 2 Mom Sale at Vellore Village Community Centre.

The majority of families with children, approximately 3.8 million, are known and will automatically receive the enhanced UCCB or be contacted by the Government to confirm their information. However, many eligible families are not currently captured by the Government’s UCCB system and may miss out on receiving money that is owed to them unless they apply. In 2015 alone, this represents potentially millions of dollars in unclaimed benefits.

Under the proposed enhancements to the UCCB, families would receive almost $2,000 per year for each child under 6 and $720 per year for each child aged 6 through 17. The new benefit amounts would be retroactive to January 1, 2015, and would be reflected in monthly payments to families starting in July 2015. The proposed enhancements to the UCCB are expected to more than double the number of families that benefit, from 1.6 million to more than 4 million.

If your family is not currently receiving the UCCB, has never received the UCCB, or has never applied for the Canada Child Tax Benefit and you still have children under 18 in your care, please go to www.canada.ca/taxsavings in order to find out how you can apply. Families who sign up after the May 15th deadline are still eligible but will receive their payment after July.

Quick Facts

All families with children will benefit from the new Family Tax Cuts and Benefits Plan, which includes the Family Tax Cut, and enhancements to the UCCB, Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.
There are 200,000 families with children across the country that may need to apply for the Universal Child Care Benefit—this represents 69,000 families in Ontario.
Combined with the tax relief introduced by the Government of Canada since 2006, a typical family of four can receive up to $6,600 in tax relief and enhanced benefits in 2015.
Low- and middle-income families will receive two-thirds of the overall benefits provided by the Government of Canada’s new family measures.
The Family Tax Cut will eliminate or significantly reduce the difference in the federal tax payable by a one-earner couple relative to a two-earner couple with a similar family income.

Quote

“We recognize that families across this country have a variety of child care needs and every family with children deserves support. The UCCB provides direct financial support and respects each family’s choice in how they choose to look after their children. Apply now so you can receive the money that is owed to you.”

– The Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State for Social Development