Taxes and benefits: money the government may owe you
Steps, in order
- Get a SIN first, then apply for benefits as soon as you are eligible. You do not need to wait for your first tax return for the first benefit applications; the CRA's newcomer forms exist for exactly this situation.
- The two main federal benefits are the Canada Child Benefit, a monthly tax-free payment for families with children under 18, and the GST/HST credit, a quarterly tax-free payment for people with low and modest incomes.
- File a tax return every year, even if you had no income or lived in Canada for only part of the year. Filing is what keeps benefit payments going, and both spouses or common-law partners generally need to file.
- If you need help, look for a free community tax clinic run by volunteers during tax season; settlement agencies can point you to one.
Rules differ by province: Provinces and territories add their own benefits and credits on top of the federal ones; the CRA works out provincial eligibility from your tax return and benefit applications. Start at your province's official site (below), then follow its links to health, driving, tenancy or schools — never assume one national rule.
Province official sites — start here
- British Columbia — official site
- Alberta — official site
- Saskatchewan — official site
- Manitoba — official site
- Ontario — official site
- Quebec — official site
- New Brunswick — official site
- Nova Scotia — official site
- Prince Edward Island — official site
- Newfoundland and Labrador — official site
- Yukon — official site
- Northwest Territories — official site
- Nunavut — official site
Official & finder links
Check before you act: Benefit amounts change every year with indexation and were deliberately NOT stated in this draft; the page must not quote amounts without re-checking the current CRA figures at build time.
General information only — not legal or financial advice. Rules, benefit amounts and local services change. Use the official or finder links above to confirm details before acting. No local addresses or phone numbers are listed here on purpose — use the national finders above for your area.