No matter how much you make, raising a child with disability is not only stressful but also expensive. Fortunately, the federal government, through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) administers monthly benefits to help offset the cost of raising children with disabilities in the country.
The Child Disability Benefit (CDB) is one of the supplementary benefits of the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) that’s administered to eligible persons.
Are you eligible for the child disability benefit? How much benefit will you get? What are child disability benefit payment dates? What other benefits can you receive under CDB?
Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about the child disability benefit.
Child Disability Benefit Payment Dates For 2022
Let’s start with a highlight of the child disability benefit (CDB) payment dates for 2022:
- January 20, 2022
- February 18, 2022
- March 18, 2022
- April 20, 2022
- May 20, 2022
- June 20, 2022
- July 20, 2022
- August 19, 2022
- September 20, 2022
- October 20, 2022
- November 18, 2022
- December 13, 2022
Notably, the child disability benefit payments are administered on the same dates as the Canada child benefit payment dates.
The CRA calculates your payment every July based on your adjusted family net income. The payment period ranges from July of the current year to June of the following year.
Accordingly, the July 2022 – June 2023 child disability benefit payments are based on the 2021 tax returns or the 2021 base year.
That said you need to be entitled to $240 or more in annual benefits to receive the CDB monthly payments. If your benefits are below $240, the CRA will administer a one-lump sum payment to you.
If you didn’t receive the payment for more than 5 days after the payment date, you can contact the CRA for more information.
What is Child Disability Benefit?
Child Disability Benefit (CDB) refers to the supplementary tax-free monthly payment administered by the CRA to parents or guardians of children with disabilities.
The benefits are specifically administered to parents or guardians who have children that are younger than 18 and living with prolonged physical or mental disability.
If you share the custody of an eligible child with someone, only the primary caregiver will claim the child disability benefit.
Depending on your adjusted family net income, number of eligible children and marital status, you will receive up to $248.75 per month under July 2022 to June 2023 payment period.
The interesting part is that you can receive the child disability benefit alongside other related government benefits which I cover at the end of this article.
Who Qualifies for the Child Disability Benefit?
Since the child disability benefit is a supplementary payment, you must meet the eligibility of the Canada child benefit (CCB) and disability tax credit (DTC) to qualify for it.
Let’s take an overview of the eligibility of CCB and DTC below:
CCB Eligibility
The Canada child benefit (CCB) consists of federal, provincial and territorial benefits that are administered by the CRA to eligible parents with children below the age of 18.
The benefits aim to help families cover the costs of raising children in Canada. As noted above, the child disability benefit is a supplementary benefit under the CCB.
As a result, you will receive the Canada child benefit on the same dates as the child disability benefit once you meet the requirements.
To qualify for the CCB payment, you must meet the requirements below:
- You, your spouse or your partner should be a Canadian citizen, permanent or temporary resident, a protected person or an Indian.
- Be a Canadian resident for tax purposes
- Live with an under 18-year old child
- Be the primary caregiver of the child
Learn more: Canada Child Benefit (CCB) Payment Dates
DTC Eligibility
The disability tax credit (DTC) lowers the income taxes of individuals (or caregivers) with prolonged mental or physical disabilities.
The following are some of the eligible mental and physical disabilities under the DTC.
- Everyday-life mental functions
- Vision
- Hearing
- Speaking
- Walking
- Feeding
- Dressing
- Life-sustaining therapy
Once you or the person with a disability meets the above requirements, you can claim the DTC on your tax return.
If you or the person you cared for was eligible for the previous DTC but didn’t claim them, you or the person can request adjustments to claim the entitled disability amount.
The CRA allows you to request up to 10-year credit reassessments. If you’re just starting, the following are the reassessments you can request.
| Year | Maximum amount | Maximum supplement (for eligible persons below the age of 18) |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $7,341 | $4,282 |
| 2012 | $7,546 | $4,402 |
| 2013 | $7,697 | $4,490 |
| 2014 | $7,766 | $4,530 |
| 2015 | $7,899 | $4,607 |
| 2016 | $8,001 | $4,667 |
| 2017 | $8,113 | $4,733 |
| 2018 | $8,235 | $4,804 |
| 2019 | $8,416 | $4,909 |
| 2020 | $8,576 | $5,003 |
| 2021 | $8,662 | $5,053 |
How Much is the Child Disability Benefit?
How much child disability benefit you get depends on your marital status, adjusted family net income and number of eligible children.
For July 2022 to June 2023 payment period, the maximum Child Disability Benefit is $2,985 or $248.75 per month for each eligible child.
The table below shows the maximum monthly payment amount based on adjusted family net income and the number of eligible children.
| Adjusted family net income | 1 eligible child | 2 eligible children | 3 eligible children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below $71,060 | $248.75 | $497.50 | $746.25 |
| $75.000 | $238.24 | $478.79 | $727.54 |
| $85,000 | $211.58 | $431.29 | $680.04 |
| $95,000 | $184.91 | $383.79 | $632.54 |
| $105,000 | 158.24 | $336.29 | $585.04 |
| $125,000 | 104.91 | $241.29 | $490.04 |
| $145,000 | $51.58 | $146.29 | $395.04 |
As you can see, the lower your net adjusted family net income, the higher child disability benefits you will receive.
Your CDB amount is gradually clawed back or reduced when your adjusted family net income (AFNI) exceeds $71,060. The reduction rate is 3.2% for families with one eligible child, while the claw back rate is 5.7% of the amount above the AFNI for families with 2 or more eligible children.
Effectively, the Canada Disability Benefit amount is reduced to $0 for families with a net income of about $160,000.
To get a more customized estimate on how much CDB payment you could receive along with other eligible benefits, you should use the child and family benefits calculator.
How to Apply For the Child Disability Benefit
The child disability benefit will be paid to you automatically if you’re receiving the Canada child benefit and your child meets the eligibility criteria for disability tax credit (DTC).
If you’re not receiving CCB at the moment, you’ll need to apply for the child disability benefit yourself. All you need is to complete Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate to apply for the benefit.
The form has two parts – Part A and Part B. Part A is to be completed by you or the recipient of the child disability benefit. Part B is to be completed by a medical practitioner who will confirm that your child has an eligible disability.
After completing the two parts, you will then submit the form to the CRA for approval at any time of the year.
How to Continue Getting the Child Disability Benefit
To keep getting the child disability benefit, you must do the following things.
1. Remain eligible for CCB and DTC
The CRA expects you to meet the eligibility of the Canada child benefit (CCB) and disability tax credit (DTC) before and after enrolling in the program.
As noted earlier, the CCB eligibility applies more to parents or caregivers while the DTC eligibility applies to children with disability.
This means that you and your child must remain eligible to keep getting the payment.
2. File your annual tax return
Whether you have taxable income, tax-exempt income, or no income at all, you must file your annual tax return on time to keep receiving the child disability benefit.
And if you have a spouse or common-law partner, the CRA also requires them to file their annual tax return to maintain your eligibility.
3. Update your personal information
Besides your tax return, the CRA also considers other factors when determining your child’s disability benefit amount. As a result, you must keep the CRA updated about any changes in your situation.
The following are some of the changes you need to update the CRA with:
- Change of address
- Change in residency status
- Marital status update
- Direct deposit
- Number of eligible children
- Child custody changes
In addition to maintaining your eligibility, updating your personal information will also help you access the right amount of payments you’re entitled to.
Child Disability Benefit and Additional Benefits in Canada
As noted at the beginning of this article, you can receive the child disability benefit alongside other related government benefits.
The following are some of the major benefits you may also be eligible for once you are qualified for the CDB.
1. GST/HST
The goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) is tax-free credit administered by the CRA quarterly. The credit is administered to low-medium income families with the aim of reducing their goods and services taxes or harmonized sales taxes.
Once you file your taxes and meet the eligibility, you will be automatically enrolled for this credit. The following are the requirements for the GST/HST credit payments:
- Be a Canadian resident for income tax purposes
- Be at least 19 years old
- Have a spouse or common-law partner (now or in the past)
- Be a parent and live with a child (now or in the past)
How much GST/HST credit payments you get depends on your marital status, number of children below the age of 19 who are under GST/HST credit and CCB.
If you’re single, you could receive up to $467 credit July 2022 to June 2023 payment period. But if you’re married or have a common-law partner, you could receive up to $612 credit under the same payment period.
That said, the following is the quarterly payment schedule of the GST/HST credit for July 2021 to June 2022 payment period:
- January 5, 2022
- April 5, 2022
- July 5, 2022
- October 5, 2022
Learn more: GST/HST Payment Dates
2. Canada Workers Benefit (CWB)
Are you a low-income Canadian and file your taxes annually? You could also be eligible for the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB). All you need is to meet the following requirements to qualify for this benefit:
- Be a Canadian resident
- Be at least 19 years old by December 31 or live with your child, spouse or common-law partner
- Earn working income
How much CWB you get depends on your marital status, eligible dependents, province/territory, earned working income and disability tax credit eligibility.
The CWB payment consists of basic and disability supplements. The basic amount is paid to individuals with below $32,244 adjusted net income and families with below $42,197 adjusted family net income.
However, you will earn up to $1,395 basic amount if you’re single and $2,403 for families under the current payment period.
The more your individual adjusted net income exceeds $22,944, the more your benefits are reduced. Families’ benefits reduce the more their adjusted family net income exceeds $26,177.
As per the disability supplement, both single individuals and families will get $720. The more your individual adjusted net income exceeds $32,244, the more your CWB disability supplement reduces.
On the other hand, the more your family-adjusted net income exceeds $42,197, the more the CWB disability supplement reduces.
That said, below is the quarterly payment schedule of the CWB for July 2021 to June 2022 payment period:
- January 5, 2022
- April 5, 2022
- July 5, 2022
- October 5, 2022
Learn more: Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) Payment Dates
Final Thoughts
While the child disability benefit (CDB) may seem low, it could help boost your cash flow and cover some of your monthly bills.
By claiming other government benefits that you may be eligible for, you can easily maximize your monthly income and raise the children of your dreams.
Don’t forget to always update your personal information on your CRA account to maintain your eligibility and receive the payment you deserved.
If you need more clarification about the child disability benefit (CDB) payment dates, kindly let me know in the comment section or contact the CRA.
For more information about other government benefits you may be entitled to, check out our existing content, such as:
