The Canada Dental Benefit Is Available As Of December 1 & Here's How To Apply For It
The Parliament of Canada. Right: A child at a dentist's office.
The federal government has unveiled more details about the Canada Dental Benefit, and it's now much clearer how to apply, who is eligible, and when you can get it.
Announced earlier this year and the product of a NDP-Liberal deal, Canadian families will now get more support with their children's dental care.
A recent outline by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has more details on how to sign up for the new dental benefit.
Here's everything you need to know.
When can you apply for the Canada Dental Benefit?
Starting December 1, 2022, Canadians can go to the CRA website and apply for the benefit.
This is currently an interim dental benefit and is available for two periods, with eligible families able to get a maximum of two payments per child.
The first benefit payment period is for those children who received dental care between October 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. So, you have a whole lot of leeway.
After that, the second payment period begins on July 1, 2023, and runs to June 30, 2024.
Who is eligible for the Canada Dental Benefit?
This benefit is for families who make less than $90,000 a year and have children under the age of 12.
There are plans on expanding this benefit over the next two years.
How much money can you get from the Canada Dental Benefit?
This is dependent on your income. If you make less than $70,000 a year, you can get up to $650, in two payments, for your child's dental care.
That number goes down to $390 if you make between $70,000 and $79,999 a year, and goes down further to $260 if you make between $80,000 and $89,999.
If the dental care your child received is more than $650, you could also qualify for additional payments. However, the amounts are dependent on marital and custody status.
How do you apply for the Canada Dental Benefit?
If you want to apply for the benefit, all you have to do is go to the CRA website and apply for the first period.
Be sure to have the dental care provider's name, address and contact information, the date or expected date of the child's appointment, your employer's name and contact information, as well as the contact information of your spouse or common-law partner.
After that, you just apply using your CRA account and you can expect an average processing time of five to ten days.
If you're set up with a direct deposit, you can expect the money in your account in five business days or, if you prefer mail, you can expect it in about ten business days.
If you get approved, be sure to keep those dental care receipts for the next six years in case anything needs to be double-checked by the CRA.
Hopefully, this will help get some extra money to pay for dental care for your family.
Meanwhile, this is just one of the new benefits to make life more affordable for Canadians.
Those struggling with the cost of rent can also benefit from a one-time top up to the Canada Housing Benefit.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.