Deadline for Universal Child Care Benefit Extended

The federal government has extended the application deadline to receive the enhanced Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) until May 15.

An estimated 200,000 eligible families are not currently captured by the Government’s UCCB system and may miss out on receiving money that is owed to them unless they apply.

“I want to ensure that the hard-working families know about the extended UCCB deadline so that they can start receiving their benefits as soon as possible,” said Pierre Lemieux, Member of Parliament, Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.

The federal government has identified the majority of families with children under the age of 18, and they will automatically receive the enhanced UCCB or be contacted by the Government to confirm their information.

It is estimated that nearly 69,000 families with children in Ontario alone are not currently registered. In 2015, this represents potentially millions of dollars in unclaimed benefits.

“Our government and I want to help every single Canadian family with children as they try to balance work and family life, by supporting their child care choices through direct financial support,” said Lemieux.

Under the proposed enhancements to the UCCB, families would receive almost $2,000 per year for each child under 6 and $720 per year for each child aged six through 17. The new benefit amounts would be retroactive to January 1, 2015, and be reflected in monthly payments to families starting in July 2015.

The proposed enhancements to the UCCB are expected to double from 1.6 million families who currently receive the benefit to more than 4 million families who are entitled to receive the benefit.

All families with children under the age of 18 years of age will benefit from the new Family Tax Cuts and Benefits Plan, which includes the Family Tax Cut, and enhancements to the UCCB, Child Care Expenses Deduction and Children’s Fitness Tax Credit.

Combined with tax relief introduced by the Government of Canada since 2006, a typical family of four can receive up to $6,600 in tax relief and enhanced benefits in 2015.

The Family Tax Cut will eliminate or significantly reduce the difference in the federal tax payable by a one-earner couple relative to a two-earner couple with a similar family income. Low and middle-income families will receive two-thirds of the overall benefits provided by the Government of Canada’s new family measures.

Families that need to submit an application will need to do so by May 15, 2015, in order to receive the enhanced UCCB payment in July 2015. They will still be eligible to receive the UCCB payment if they apply after the application deadline. However, their payment will be delayed.
If your family is not currently receiving the UCCB, has never received the UCCB, or has never applied for the Canada Child Tax Benefit and you still have children under 18 in your care, you are eligible to apply for the UCCB, and may do so either by calling 1-800-387-1193 or by applying online .

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