Universal child care benefit (UCCB)

The UCCB was increased to $160 per month for each child under the age of six.

The UCCB was expanded to children aged 6 through 17. Parents will receive a benefit of up to $60 per month for each child in their care aged 6 through 17.

To receive the UCCB, you must meet the following conditions:

1. You must live with the child, and the child must be under the age of 18.
    
2. You must be the person who is primarily responsible for the child’s care and upbringing. Primarily responsible means that you are responsible for such things as supervising the child's daily activities and needs, making sure the child's medical needs are met, and arranging for child care when necessary. If there is a female parent who lives with the child, the CRA usually considers her to be this person. However, it could be the father, a grandparent, or a guardian.
   Note
   You may not be considered primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of a child if the child is legally, physically or financially maintained by a child welfare agency. For more information, go to the Children's Special Allowances (CSA) Fact Sheet or call 1-800-387-1193.
    
3. You must be a resident of Canada.
   • The CRA considers you to be a resident of Canada when you establish sufficient residential ties in Canada.
      
4. You or your spouse or common-law partner must be a:
   • Canadian citizen;
   • permanent resident, as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
   • protected person, as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; or
   • temporary resident, as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, who has lived in Canada throughout the previous 18 months, and who has a valid permit in the 19th month (other than one that states "does not confer status"). If this is your situation, you should not apply before the 19th month.

Note
You are entitled to receive the UCCB for a particular month if you are an eligible individual for CCTB at the end of the preceding month and continue to be so into the beginning of that particular month.

Generally, you should apply for the UCCB as soon as possible after:

• your child is born;
• a child starts to live with you; or
• you became a resident of Canada.

If you are the parent of a newborn, living in a participating province, you may apply for the UCCB using the Automated Benefits Application (ABA) service. You will find all the information you need to use the ABA service in the provincial/territorial birth registration package provided by your province or territory.

If you do not live in a participating province, or you are not applying for a newborn, you can apply online by using "Apply for child benefits" through the CRA’s My Account online service, or complete Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application.

Generally, the CRA issues the UCCB payments on the 20^th of each month. See the benefit payment dates to view the last and next payment dates.

The first enhanced payment was issued on July 20, 2015. The amount included a retroactive payment for the period covering January to June 2015.

You can subscribe to the Electronic mailing list - benefit recipients - payment issuance to be notified when the next UCCB payments will be issued.

You can expect to hear from the CRA within 80 calendar days after receiving your application. 

See When are the UCCB payments made? for payment information.

The UCCB supports Canadian families in their child care choices, whether or not the children are in institutionalized daycare programs.

The Government of Canada is switching to direct deposit payments.

Yes, you can receive your UCCB payments by direct deposit. For more information on how to apply for direct deposit, go to Direct deposit.

No, the UCCB is intended to help Canadian families meet their child care needs and it will be protected from being applied to outstanding debts, other than UCCB debts.

There may be situations where the CRA did not have your most recent information on file, or you may have a prior UCCB debt that was recovered from the July 20^th payment. A debt, or overpayment, can occur if, for example, you no longer have care of a child at a certain point in time but the CRA was not informed right away.