Here’s how to apply for major benefit cheques in Ontario

If you live in Ontario–or in most places in Canada–you might be struggling to make ends meet at a time when grocery, housing and home improvement costs are climbing. 

Canadians who need a little extra support can apply for a number of benefits that help with everything from child-rearing costs and sales taxes to overall living expenses. Here’s a look at three benefits, how much they offer and how to apply:

Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

If you’re raising a child or children under the age of 18, you are eligible for this benefit payment. 

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB), administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help with the cost of raising children. Introduced in 2016, the CCB may include the child disability benefit and any related provincial and territorial programs.

As for how to apply, you can do so through birth registration, through an online CRA account or by mail. You can apply when your child is born, when 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, or you, or your spouse or common-law partner, start to meet the eligibility conditions. 

How much you can get depends on your adjusted family net income. If your AFNI is under $34,863, you get the maximum amount for each child, which means you could receive up to $7,437 per year ($619.75 per month) for a child under the age of six. 

CCB cheques will go out on Nov. 20 and Dec. 13. 

Ontario Trillium Benefit

The Ontario Trillium Benefit is a tax-free payment that helps low-to-moderate-income Ontario residents pay for energy costs, sales and property tax. According to the province’s website, the benefit combines three credits–the Northern Ontario Energy Credit, the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit and the Ontario Sales Tax Credit–to help cover certain costs. You need to be eligible for at least one of the three credits to receive the benefit.

As for how to apply, the website says that each year, you must apply for the benefit by filing your personal Income Tax and Benefit Return and completing and enclosing the ON-BEN Application Form included in your tax return package. You must file your tax return even if you don’t have any income to report.

How much you can get depends on your age, income, residence, family size and amount paid in rent or property tax. 

The next payment will go out on Dec. 8. 

Canada Workers Benefit

The Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) is a refundable tax credit to help low-income individuals and families who are working. The benefit consists of a basic amount and a disability supplement.

You can claim the CWB when you file your income tax return.

As for how much you can receive, the CRA’s website says the maximum basic amount for the CWB is $1,428 for single individuals and $2,461 for families. Individuals are not eligible for the basic amount if their adjusted net income is more than $33,015.

For families, no basic amount is paid if your adjusted family net income is more than $43,212.

The maximum amount for the disability supplement is $737 for single individuals and families. Individuals with an income greater than $37,932 are not eligible, nor are families with a household income exceeding $48,124 to $53,037 (depending on whether or not one or both spouses are eligible). 

Starting in July 2023 and based on the 2022 taxation year, the CWB began providing advance payments equal to 50 per cent of the CWB across three payments under the Advanced Canada workers benefit (ACWB). The next payment will come on Jan. 12, 2024.