Who can apply - Canada Dental Benefit
Who can apply
There are 2 benefit periods for the interim Canada Dental Benefit. The eligibility criteria is specific to the period when your child receives dental care. Check if you meet the criteria for each child you are applying for.
Eligibility criteria
First benefit period - Eligibility checklist
Period 1: October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023
You must meet all of the following for each child you apply for:
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What counts as access to private dental insurance
Your child is considered to have access to private dental insurance if:
- Some or all of your child's dental costs are covered by a private dental insurance plan of any kind
- Your employer provides a dental insurance plan for your child
- Your child's other parent or caregiver's employer provides a dental insurance plan for your child
- You or someone else declined an employer provided dental insurance plan that would have covered the dental care for your child
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If you are new to Canada
If you were not a resident of Canada in 2021, you may not have been able to file a Canadian tax return for that year.
You must be receiving the CCB (opens in new window) to apply for the Canada Dental Benefit. You meet the 2021 tax filing criteria if you submitted a statement of income for 2021 when you applied for the CCB.
If you have a spouse or common-law partner in the same situation, they also need to submit a statement of income before you can apply.
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How your adjusted family net income is calculated
The CRA calculates your adjusted family net income for this benefit based on your 2021 tax information.
You do not need to calculate your adjusted family net income, but you can use it to estimate your benefit amount.
You need all of the above to be eligible
To be eligible for the Canada Dental Benefit, you must meet all of the above criteria for each child you apply for.
If you have more than one child, check your eligibility for each child.
Second benefit period - Eligibility checklist
Period 2: July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 Status: Opens on July 1, 2023
You must meet all of the following for each child you apply for:
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What counts as access to private dental insurance
Your child is considered to have access to private dental insurance if:
- Some or all of your child's dental costs are covered by a private dental insurance plan of any kind
- Your employer provides a dental insurance plan for your child
- Your child's other parent or caregiver's employer provides a dental insurance plan for your child
- You or someone else declined an employer provided dental insurance plan that would have covered the dental care for your child
-
If you are new to Canada
If you were not a resident of Canada in 2021, you may not have been able to file a Canadian tax return for that year.
You must be receiving the CCB (opens in new window) to apply for the Canada Dental Benefit. You meet the 2021 tax filing criteria if you submitted a statement of income for 2021 when you applied for the CCB.
If you have a spouse or common-law partner in the same situation, they also need to submit a statement of income before you can apply.
-
How your adjusted family net income is calculated
The CRA calculates your adjusted family net income for this benefit based on your 2022 tax information.
You do not need to calculate your adjusted family net income, but you can use it to estimate your benefit amount.
-
If you have shared custody
If your child only lives with you part-time, you may be considered to have shared custody for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB). If you are splitting the benefit amounts and your custody arrangement has not changed since December 1, 2022, it does not matter when your child's other parent applies.
Each parent may receive a maximum of 2 payments for each eligible child.
You need all of the above to be eligible
To be eligible for the Canada Dental Benefit, you must meet all of the above criteria for each child you apply for.
If you have more than one child, check your eligibility for each child.
Applications open on July 1, 2023.
Eligibility criteria for the additional payment
If you meet all the conditions above, you may be eligible for an additional payment if:
- Your child's dental costs were more than $650 for services received between October 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023
- No one will be applying for the Canada Dental Benefit for services your child received between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.
Additional payment for higher dental costs
An additional payment may be available starting on July 1, 2023 for some eligible children. You may meet the criteria if you are not applying for both benefit periods and your child's dental costs are more than $650 in the period you apply for. You must have already applied and been eligible in order to meet the criteria for the additional payment.
Verifying your eligibility
The CRA regularly checks to confirm if people were eligible for the payments they received.
If your application is selected for review, we may ask for more information to validate your application. If you are found to be ineligible or cannot provide the required information, you will have to return any payments you received.
If you are found to have misrepresented or concealed essential information to make a claim, you will be ineligible for the benefit amounts you received and cannot apply again.
Penalties may also be applied for knowingly providing false or misleading information.
To report suspected misuse, go to: CRA's Leads program.
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