The Ontario Child Benefit, which some also refer to as the Ontario Baby Bonus, is a provincial program meant to offer financial support to families with low-to-moderate income that have children under the age of 18 years old.
The payments are meant to help cover some of the cost of raising children.
Regardless of whether you, as a parent or guardian are working or not, you could still be eligible to receive the benefit.
The Ontario Child Benefit is available to residents of Ontario and is combined with the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) into one payment.
2024 Ontario Child Benefit Payment Dates
The Ontario Child Benefit is usually paid out around the 20th of the month unless it falls on a weekend, and the December payment is usually paid a little bit earlier than that.
Here are the 2024 Ontario Child Benefit payment dates:
| Benefit Payment Month | Benefit Payment Dates |
|---|---|
| January | January 19, 2024 |
| February | February 20, 2024 |
| March | March 20, 2024 |
| April | April 19, 2024 |
| May | May 17, 2024 |
| June | June 20, 2024 |
| July | July 19, 2024 |
| August | August 20, 2024 |
| September | September 20, 2024 |
| October | October 18, 2024 |
| November | November 20, 2024 |
| December | December 13, 2024 |
Keep in mind that payments could be delayed up to 5 business days – if you still haven’t received your payment, you can contact the CRA at 1-800-387-1193.
If your total benefit amount is under $240, you won’t receive a monthly payment – you’ll only get one lump-sum payment paid out in July.
Ontario Child Benefit Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the Ontario Child Benefit, you must meet certain requirements.
These requirements are:
- You must have at least one child under the age of 18 years old and be considered ‘low income’.
- You or your spouse/common-law partner must have filed an income tax return, regardless of whether you earned any income that year.
- You must be a resident of Ontario.
- You must be registered for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB).
There are 3 ways that you can apply for the Canada Child Benefit: through birth registration, through the CRA MyAccount portal, and by mail.
When you register your child’s birth at the hospital or at a birthing center, you generally have the option to apply for CCB at the same time.
All you need to do is provide your consent and your Social Insurance Number (SIN), and if you’re eligible, you’ll begin to receive your CCB payments within 8 weeks.
Otherwise, you can apply online through MyAccount, and if you’re eligible, you’ll also start receiving your payments within 8 weeks.
Here are the steps:
- Sign in to your personal CRA account.
- Go to “Apply for child benefits”.
- Double-check that your personal information including contact information, marital status and citizenship are all correct.
- Fill out the section that includes your child’s name, gender, date and place of birth.
- Review your application and submit.
Finally, you can choose to fill out Form RC66 with any additional documentation needed and mail it to your tax center.
If you get approved for CCB, you should begin to receive your payments within 11 weeks.
Did You Know?
The maximum Ontario Child Benefit amount you can receive for each child is $1,606.92.
What is the Benefit Amount?
Your benefit amount will depend on two important factors:
- Your family’s net income.
- How many children under 18 years old that are in your care.
The maximum amount you can receive for each child is $133.91 per month.
The benefit amount is lowered until your adjusted family income hits a certain threshold, at which point you won’t receive the benefit.
When you file your taxes, and submit your return, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will assess the information you provided, most importantly your adjusted family net income amount.
From that, they will determine what your monthly payment will be.
If you want to figure out what your benefit amount might be, you can use this handy CRA calculator.
You can also calculate your benefit amount manually by using this calculation sheet.
