Ottawa: Under the first federal dental care program, eligible Canadians will now be able to apply through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to receive funds from December 1.
From December 12, the process of accepting applications for housing benefits for low-income Canadians will begin.
On November 17, the Affordability Bill C-31, brought by the Liberals with the help of the NDP, became a law. This includes dental care benefits and a retail boost for low-income Canadians.
On Wednesday, the Federal Financial Agency told reporters how the system would work for Canadians applying to receive these benefits.
The CRA said that it will take only a few minutes to apply. The agency said that there is also a provision for verification in the system itself, in which it is also known whether your 2021 tax return has been filed or not. The Canada Dental Benefit will be provided to children under the age of 12 whose annual family income is less than $90,000.
Families with an annual income of less than $70,000 will receive $650 per child, families with an annual income between $70,000 and $79,999 will receive $390 per child, families with an annual income of $80,000 to $89,999 will receive $260 per child.
In the first phase, eligible parents will be given tax free payment to meet the dental expenses. Parents or caretakers will receive two payments for each eligible child.
In the first period, the expenses from October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 will be met. In the second period, between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, the government will bear the cost of the dental services received by the child.
If the child’s dental care costs more than $650 and parents have applied for only one benefit period, they can also meet the criteria for additional payment.