When to apply
You should apply for the Canada child benefit (CCB) as soon as any of the following situations happen:
- your child is born
- a child starts to live with you, or returns to live with you after a temporary period with someone else
- you begin, end, or change a shared custody arrangement
- you get custody of a child
- you, or your spouse or common-law partner, start to meet the eligibility conditions under Who can apply
If the child started living with you more than 11 months ago, you will need to provide additional documents.
You don’t need to apply separately for related provincial and territorial programs. The CRA will determine your eligibility when you apply for the CCB.
How to apply
- Through Birth registration
Processing time: you should receive your payment within 8 weeks.
You can apply for the CCB when you register the birth of your newborn with your province/territory.
In most cases, the birth registration is done by paper form at the hospital or birthing centre. Residents of Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta also have the option to register online.
Be sure to provide your consent and social insurance number (SIN) in order for the Vital Statistics Agency of your province or territory to securely share the pertinent birth registration information with the CRA. If you do not give your consent, your information will not be sent to the CRA, and you will need to apply for the CCB another way.
For more information about birth registrations with your province/territory you can select your province or territory below to be redirected to the provincial or territorial website where you live.
- Online Through My Account
Processing time: you should receive your payment within 8 weeks.
If you didn’t apply for the CCB when you registered the birth of your newborn, you can apply online using My Account (your personal CRA account).
- Sign in to My Account
- Go to “Apply for child benefits”
- Confirm your contact information, your marital status and your citizenship
- Add your child’s name, gender, date and place of birth
- Review and submit your application
If you’re asked to submit additional documents, go to “Submit documents” in My Account.
- By Mail
Processing time: you should receive your payment within 11 weeks.
- Fill out and sign Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application
- Include any additional documents needed for the situations described below
- Mail the form to your tax centre