Benefits and Credits for Newcomers to Canada

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Many of the services and benefits we enjoy in Canada are made possible through taxes.

The taxes we pay also help put money into the pockets of students, lower-income families, newcomers, seniors, and people with disabilities, through benefit and credit payments.

Did you know that you might be eligible for benefit and credit payments even if you just arrived and have no income in Canada?

You might be eligible for:

The Canada Child Benefit is a tax-free monthly payment. That helps families with the cost of raising children younger than 18 years old.

The goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit is a tax-free quarterly payment that helps individuals and families with low and modest incomes offset all or part of the GST or HST that they pay.

The provinces and territories also have several benefits and credits that you may be eligible for.

You don't need to apply separately for related provincial and territorial programs. The CRA will determine your eligibility when you apply for the Canada child benefit or with the information provided in your tax return.

Before you apply for these benefits and credits, you will need to get a social insurance number.

To continue getting your benefit and credit payments, you have to do your taxes every year, even if you did not have income during the year or you only lived in Canada for part of the year.

If you have a spouse or common-law partner, they also have to do their taxes every year to continue receiving your payments. If you need help with your tax return, you can give permission to another person, like a family member, a friend, or an accountant, to deal with the CRA for you.

You might also be eligible to have your taxes done for free by volunteers at a tax clinic.

These are just some of the ways that the Canada Revenue Agency is helping people who are new to Canada.

Go to canada.ca/new-to-canada or call 1-800-387-1193 to learn more.

And, learn how to protect yourself against scams.

If you get a call, text or email that sounds like a scam, it probably is!

When in doubt, call the Canada Revenue Agency.

For more information, go to canada.ca/taxes-fraud-prevention.

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