Newcomer parents increasingly rely on up to $7K in child benefits: StatCan

There’s been an increase in newcomer parents who are receiving Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payments — which could be as much as $7,787 a year per child — compared to other permanent resident couples, a new study reveals.

Newcomers with some employment income the year after arrival were “much more likely to receive the CCB that year,” per the Statistic Canada report, released in July 2024.

The study looked at immigrant couples who came to Canada together between 2016 and 2019, who were between the ages of 25 and 64 upon arrival and had at least one child under the age of 18 at the time.

“A key takeaway from this study is that filing T1 tax forms or having a T4 record is the strongest predictor of CCB receipt,” the study found.

It also revealed that certain subgroups of immigrants, like refugees, were more likely to file T1 tax forms and receive CCB. The payments were crucial for families who “may not have adequate financial resources shortly after landing.”

The Canada Child Benefit is described by the federal government as a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age.

It is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency.

It may include the child disability benefit and any related provincial and territorial programs, per the government’s webpage dedicated to the CCB.

“The eligibility for CCB is largely determined by residency status and income levels, both of which are verified through tax filings and other employment records,” per an article in CIC News, a site dedicated to Canadian immigration.

Every July, the benefit payment is recalculated based on an adjusted family net income from the previous year.

For the payment period of July 2024 to June 2025, according to the federal government, the family can receive the maximum amount if their net income is below $36,502.

That means such a family could receive $648.91 monthly ($7,787 a year) for a child under 6 years old or $547.50 monthly ($6,570) for a child between 6 and 17 years old.

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