Who can apply

You may be eligible to receive the Canada child benefit (CCB) if you live with and care for a child who is under 18 years old, and you meet all of the other criteria.

The CCB amount is calculated based on your adjusted family net income, and the number and ages of eligible children. As family net income levels increase, the benefit amount is reduced.

On this page

• Eligibility criteria
• Who should apply when both parents live together
• Who should apply in a custody arrangement

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the CCB, you must meet all of the following conditions:

• You live with a child who is under 18 years old
• You are primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of the child
  Who is considered to be primarily responsible for the child

  The person who is primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of the child and who is responsible for things such as:

  • Supervising the child’s daily activities and needs
  • Making sure the child’s medical needs are met
  • Arranging for child care when necessary

• • You are a resident of Canada for tax purposes

    Who is considered a resident of Canada

    You are considered to be a resident if you normally live in Canada and have established significant residential ties, for example if you have:

    • A home in Canada
    • A spouse or common-law partner in Canada
    • Dependants in Canada

    If you are unsure about your residency status, refer to: Determining your residency status.

  • You or your spouse or common-law partner must be one of the following:

    • Canadian citizen
    • Permanent resident
    • Protected person (received a positive Notice of Decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board)
      Exception

      An individual with a “Refugee Protection Claimant Document” is not eligible for the CCB.

    • Temporary resident

      Who is considered to be a temporary resident

      To be considered as a temporary resident, you must meet both conditions:

      • You lived in Canada for the previous 18 months
      • You have a valid permit in the 19th month which does not state "does not confer status" or "does not confer temporary resident status"

    • Individual who is registered or entitled to be registered under the Indian Act

• You are not applying for a foster child who is already receiving the Children's Special Allowance (CSA)
  Rule for receiving the CCB and the Children's Special Allowance

  You cannot get the Canada child benefit (CCB) for a foster child for any month in which children's special allowances are payable.

  You may get the CCB if you live with and care for a child under a kinship or close relationship program from the Government of Canada, a provincial or territorial government, or an Indigenous governing body, as long as CSA are not payable for that child.

  For more information, see Children's Special Allowances.

Who should apply when both parents live together

When 2 individuals who are spouses or common-law partners reside in the same home as the child, the female parent is presumed to be primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of all the children in the home. She should be the one applying for the CCB. The female presumption is a legislative requirement and only one payment per household can be issued under the Income Tax Act. No matter which parent receives the CCB, the amount will be the same.

However, if the other parent is primarily responsible, they should apply and attach a signed letter from the female parent stating that they are primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of all the children in the home.

If the child resides with same-sex parents, only one parent should apply for all the children in the home.

Who should apply in a custody arrangement

If a child only lives with you part of the time, you need to determine if you are considered to have shared custody.

You must notify the CRA if your shared custody situation changes.

Determine if you have shared custody

Does the child spend their time:

• About equally between you and another individual (between 40% and 60%)

  If the child lives with you at least 40% of the time or on an approximately equal basis with you and another individual at a different address, then both individuals are considered to have shared custody for the purposes of the CCB.

  For example, the child lives with you one week and with another individual one week, or with you 4 days a week and with the other individual 3 days a week (between 40% and 60%).

  Who should apply: Both individuals should apply for the CCB for the child in shared custody

  For details: Shared custody and your payments

• Mostly with you (more than 60% of the time)

  If the child lives with you more than 60% of the time, you are considered to have full custody for the purposes of the CCB.

  For example, the child lives with you during the week and with another individual every second weekend.

  Who should apply: You should apply for the CCB for the child

• Mostly with another individual (less than 40% of the time with you)

  If the child lives less than 40% of the time with you and mostly with another individual, you are not considered an eligible individual for the purposes of the CCB and should not apply.

  For example, the child lives with you every second weekend.

  Who should apply: You are not eligible to apply for the CCB for the child.

• Mostly with another individual, but for a temporary period mostly with you (e.g. summer period)

  Changes in custody can sometimes be temporary. This can happen, for example, if the child usually lives with one individual, but goes to live with another individual for the summer.

  In these cases, the individual that gets custody on a temporary basis can apply to get CCB payments for that period. When the child returns to live with the other individual, they need to reapply to start getting the payments again.

  Who should apply: You can only apply for the period when the child is living with you.