News release

Increase in July Canada Child Tax Benefit payments

Ottawa, July 18, 2003... Elinor Caplan, Minister of National Revenue today announced that, starting this July, Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) amounts for low-income families will increase by up to $188 per year per child.

In addition to the CCTB amounts to keep up with inflation, the National Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS) component of the CCTB has increased by almost $13 per child per month. This is an additional $150 per year per child for low-income families. The NCBS component of the CCTB is the Government of Canada's contribution to the National Child Benefit initiative.

"This increase to the CCTB is one more step in the Government of Canada's commitment to help break the cycle of poverty for low-income families so that all Canadian children can have a good start in life. The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency's (CCRA) role is to ensure that Canadians receive the benefits and credit payments that they are entitled to," said Minister Caplan.

The CCRA issued today more than $711 million in CCTB payments to recipients across Canada. Individuals who are expecting a CCTB payment and have not received it by July 25 should contact the CCRA's CCTB enquiry service at 1-800-387-1193.

People are reminded that in order to receive or continue receiving CCTB payments, they and their spouses or common-law partners have to file their 2002 income tax returns. Also, people who move should inform the CCRA immediately to ensure that their CCTB payments are not disrupted, even if they use direct deposit and their bank account does not change.

CCTB recipients can now take advantage of the following online services:

• Child and family benefits page at www.ccra.gc.ca/benefits links to guides, forms, explanations and more, such as specific information about whether individuals are eligible for the CCTB and when to expect their payments.
• Address Changes Online at www.ccra.gc.ca/newaddress allows individuals to view or change their home address, mailing address, and phone number(s).
• The Benefits Calculator at www.ccra.gc.ca/benefits-calculator lets individuals obtain an estimate of their CCTB payments (and any related provincial and territorial child benefit programs) by simply entering their marital status, family net income, province or territory of residence, and number of children under 18 years of age.

Many more innovative online services are planned during the coming year as part of the CCRA's commitment to continuously improve service to Canadians.

A fact sheet with more information is available at www.ccra.gc.ca on the CCRA Web site.

This document is also available for download in .pdf format.

To receive notification by email when news releases are added to our Web site, you can subscribe to our electronic mailing list.

For media information