Have you heard about the new dental program for low-income Canadians? In this article, we will go over this new program, who qualifies and what is included.
Who is the new Canada dental benefit program for?
This new program has been created to help lower dental costs for eligible families. In order to qualify, families have to be earning less than $90,000 a year. Parents and guardians can apply if the child receiving dental care is under 12 years old and does not have access to a private dental insurance plan through a parent’s work benefits.
Depending on the family’s income, a tax-free payment of $260, $390 or $650 is available per child. This interim dental benefit is only available for 2 periods at this time. You can get a maximum of 2 payments for each eligible child. Benefit payments are administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The Government of Canada hopes to put this program into place for good by 2025.
What are the benefit periods?
The first period is for children under 12 as of December 1, 2022. The child would have had to receive dental care between October 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023 of this year. This means that you have until the end of the month to get dental care for your child done if you are eligible for the program.
If your child’s appointment occurs on or after July 1, 2023, they may be eligible for the second benefit period in the future. If your appointment is after June, please ensure that you keep all receipts and dental documents.
Get ready to apply.
There is a web page for your information on applying for the new Canada dental program. It asks you to answer a couple of questions and then it will take you to the application online.
Please note that in order to apply, your 2022 income taxes must be completed.
To see how to apply, visit this website from the Government of Canada.
Applying online for the dental benefit program.
You can apply online for the first benefit period. Applications will remain open until the end of the month. If you have more than one child who is eligible, you can apply for all of them at the same time or do them separately.
Then, if you are eligible for a second payment in the second period, you will have to apply again after June 30th when applications reopen.
You can apply either online through the CRA or by calling 1-800-715-8836.
What information is needed to apply.
To apply, you will need your:
- child’s dental care provider’s name, address and telephone number
- child’s dental appointment date
- employer’s name, address, and telephone number (if applicable)
- spouse or common-law partner’s employer’s name, address, and telephone number (if applicable)
When will payment be given?
If you are approved for this program, and have set up direct deposit, you will receive payment within 5 business days. Otherwise, you will receive a cheque in the mail within two weeks.
Do you have any more questions?
If you have any more questions about this new Canada dental benefit program, please visit the Government of Canada’s website. We hope you found this article useful. If you have any specific questions for Navy & Sage Benefits, you can visit our contact page for phone numbers and the best way to reach us.
