Online calculator - FAQs
Frequently asked questions

• How to use the forms
• Currency exchange rates
• About the Online Calculator
• About the child and family benefit programs
• About this service

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How to use the forms

Q. How do online forms work?
A. Visit our help page for basic instructions about:

• moving within form
• changing your data

Q. My cursor is stuck in the form's first field. How do I move the cursor to the next field so I can continue?
A. As explained on our help page, enter the appropriate data in each box or "field". To move from one field to the next, use the "Tab" key on your keyboard. This helps to ensure that you don't accidentally skip over any fields. You can also use your cursor to move from one field to the next. Simply place your cursor in the field you want to fill in, then left-click your mouse.

Q. I just realized that I made a mistake. How do I correct it?
A. Before you hit "Continue" : If you haven't submitted your request to the calculator yet and you spot an error, place your cursor within the field that contains the error and then double-click. This "selects" the existing data, which you can then correct or replace. To clear the data from all fields and start over, click on the "Welcome" link on the left hand side of the form.

Before you hit "Calculate": If you haven't requested the calculation yet and you spot an error, place your cursor within the field that contains the error and then double-click. This "selects" the existing data, which you can then correct or replace.
To clear the data from all fields, click on the "Clear" button at the bottom of the form. To start over, click on the "Welcome" link on the left hand side of the form.

After you hit "Continue":

1. on the Calculation screen, click on the "Welcome" link on the left hand side of the form;
2. on the Working Income Calculation screen, select the "Calculate Working Income" field again. This will bring you back to the Working income calculation screen where you can correct the information entered.

After you hit "Calculate":

1. click on the "Back to Welcome page" button and start again, or;
2. click on the "Back to Calculation page" button where you can make corrections to the data entered on the calculation screen or click on the "Clear" button which will clear all the entries on the calculation screen.

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Currency exchange rates

Q. I have foreign income to convert into Canadian dollars but I do not have the exchange rates.

A. Visit What are the average exchange rates?

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About the Online Calculator

Q. What date should I use for determining the ages of my children for the online calculator?

A.You should use today's date as the date to determine the age(s) of your child(ren). We base the amount of CCTB on the number of children you have and their ages as of the first day of each payment month. For example, if your child turns 18 in October, you may receive the CCTB for that child for the month of October, but it will end beginning the following month, November.

About the child and family benefit programs

Q. I would like more information about the child and family benefit programs such as the income levels at which benefits decrease and how benefits are calculated.

A. For information about the CCTB, visit our Canada Child Tax Benefit page.

For information about the related provincial and territorial programs, see the Your Canada Child Tax Benefit pamphlet.

For information on the GST/HST credit, visit our GST/HST credit page.

For information about the Child Disability Benefit, visit our Child Disability Benefit Page.

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About this service

Q. What is the "Child and Family Benefits Online Calculator" service on the internet?

A. The CRA launched this online service in January 2002. It lets individual clients obtain an estimate of the benefits they can expect to receive based on information they provided.

Q. Why is the CRA offering this service?

A. One of the Government of Canada's strategic objectives is to make all of its information and services available via the Web by 2005. The future for CRA electronic services outlines our commitment to offering electronic options for all of our programs by 2005.