BCEA Child Benefit Payments

Effective: July 1, 2017

If a family unit’s federal Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payment is delayed, suspended, or cancelled, the ministry may provide a temporary top-up. The temporary top up is often provided while a family files their taxes to receive their federal CCB.

Temporary child benefit top-up supplements are only available to recipients who apply for their federal CCB, but there are exceptions for recipients who are not yet eligible for federal CCB (see below).

The temporary top-up may be provided for up to four months. Extensions are possible (up to four months at a time) if necessary. Examples include during delays while the BCEA recipient continues to apply for their federal CCB or while waiting to meet federal CCB immigration-related requirements.

The temporary top-up must not exceed the BC child adjustment amount for each eligible dependent child, review the general supplements and programs rate table for more information.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may pay retroactive federal CCB for the period when a family’s payment was delayed, suspended or cancelled. If a BCEA temporary top up was provided for the same time, the amount the ministry provided will be deducted from the family’s monthly assistance. The maximum deduction is one month’s assistance, even if the ministry provided more.   

Learn more about the income treatment and exemptions for federal CCB or retroactive child benefit payments.

Newcomers to Canada

Some newcomers to Canada are not eligible for the federal CCB payment until they meet federal immigration-related requirements. During this period, they may receive the temporary child benefit top-up supplement, but it is not recovered later.  

The following people are potentially eligible for federal CCB. Recipients in these circumstances may receive the temporary child benefit top-up supplement but must apply for CCB (often by filing an income tax return) and the top-up will be recovered through a deduction when their CCB comes into pay:

• Sponsored Refugees,
• Refugee Claimants (with a “Refugee Protection Claimant Document”),
• Protected Persons (with a positive “Notice of Decision”),
• Temporary Resident Permit holders, and
• people with Temporary Resident Visas issued through an emergency authorization process. 

The following people are ineligible for federal CCB. Recipients in these circumstances may receive the temporary child benefit top-up supplement without applying for CCB, filing an income tax return, or having the top-up recovered when their CCB comes into pay:

• Refugee Claimants,
• Temporary Resident Permit holders who have resided in Canada less than the previous 18 months, and
• people with Temporary Resident Visas issued through an emergency authorization process for humanitarian reasons related to an armed conflict.

These clients become eligible to apply for federal CCB after the following circumstances occur, at which time they also become eligible for a recoverable temporary top-up if they apply for federal CCB and file their taxes:

• A Refugee Claimant receives a positive Notice of Decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board and becomes a Protected Person.
• A Temporary Resident Permit holder meets their 18-month residency requirement.
• A person with a Temporary Resident Visa issued through an emergency authorization process meets a different federal citizenship requirement that is eligible for federal CCB.

Three-generation Families and Parenting Dependent Child

BCEA child benefit payments are available to eligible three-generation families, meaning cases that include a recipient (key player), their parenting dependent child, and their grandchild. The BCEA child benefit payments are available for both the parenting dependent child and grandchild.

Effective: July 1, 2017

An automatic child benefit top-up supplement may be issued after the federal government determines a recipient’s eligibility for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB). If a family unit’s federal CCB is less than the BC child adjustment amount, a BCEA top-up may be provided to make up the difference. The top-up is automatically added to the monthly assistance payment to make sure the family receives a guaranteed minimum amount.

The automatic top up is not repayable.

Every July, when the ministry adjusts the BC child adjustment amounts for the cost of living, it also adjusts a family’s automatic top-up amount using income information from their tax return.

The automatic top-up must not exceed the BC child adjustment amount for each eligible dependent child, review the general supplements and programs rate table.

Effective: July 1, 2017

If an unendorsed (unsigned) child benefits cheque is lost or stolen, the ministry may provide a repayable advance for the federal Canada Child Benefit (CCB) portion if:

• At least five business days have passed since the child benefits cheque issue date;
• The BCEA recipient applies for replacement of the lost or stolen child benefits cheque with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA); and
• The BCEA recipient signs a repayment agreement for the BCEA advance.

The advance will be recovered from the next month's assistance. If it cannot be fully recovered, the balance will be recovered from subsequent assistance payments. If the recipient stops receiving assistance, the amount is recovered through a repayment or collections.

The repayable advance is the lesser of either the lost or stolen federal CCB and the BC child adjustment amount for each eligible dependent child, review the general supplements and programs rate table.

Effective: July 1, 2017

Families with dependent children aged 18 years and older are not eligible for the federal Canada Child Benefit (CCB), and families with newborns may experience delays receiving their federal CCB. The ministry automatically increases the support allowance for families that include these dependent children:

• Newborn: for the birth month and next month
• Child over age 18: monthly, effective the second month following the child’s 18^th birthday. If the child then turns 19 while attending secondary school and remains in school, the family unit will continue to receive the increased support allowance until the end of the school year.

The increased support amount is equal to the BC child adjustment amount based on the number of children in the family unit, see the general supplements and programs rate table.

Effective: January 1, 2025

A family unit is not eligible to receive a BCEA child benefit supplement or increased support allowance if:

• The child is not a dependent child on the family’s case, including a supported child or child in a shared parenting situation
• The child is deceased, review housing stability supplement
• The recipient is a Child in the Home of a Relative
• The family refuses to apply for or accept the federal CCB
• The family refuses to provide information necessary to determine eligibility for the federal CCB  
• The family’s federal CCB is reduced to repay a debt

If a family’s federal CCB is reduced to repay a debt, the ministry will consider its CCB to be the amount they would have received before the reduction. The federal government may deduct up to 50 per cent for debt recovery. Clients in this situation may contact the CRA to discuss minimizing the recovery amount. 

Effective: July 1, 2017

The ministry can only issue you the first month’s child benefit top-up supplement after the information received (data match) from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) shows:

• The status is “matched” and
• The Canada Child Benefit is not in pay.

When opening a case or adding a child to a case, the information is usually received (a data match occurs in the IT system) over-night. Other assistance may be issued before the data match occurs (i.e., support and shelter allowances), but the child benefit top-up supplement cannot.

Effective: July 1, 2017

The ministry may issue you a temporary child benefit top-up supplement after you provide verification you have applied for the CCB (when adding a child) or filed your taxes.

If you or your family unit do not meet the federal immigration-related requirements to be eligible for CCB, the four-month limit for the child benefit top-up supplement does not apply and verification of a CCB application or filing their taxes is not required. You will not be required to repay the temporary top-up for the time period you were ineligible for federal CCB. Families who do not qualify for the CCB include:

• Refugee Claimants (who have a “Refugee Protection Claimant Document”),
• Temporary Resident Permit Holders who have resided in Canada less than the previous 18 months, and
• people with a Temporary Resident Visa issued through an emergency authorization process for humanitarian reasons related to an armed conflict.

Immigration	Potentially Eligible for Federal CCB from CRA?	Request verification?*
Canadian Citizen   Permanent Resident	Yes	Yes
Sponsored Refugee	Yes, immediately upon arrival	Yes
Refugee Claimant   w/the IMM1442 Refugee Protection Claimant Document (waiting for a Notice of Decision)	No	No
Protected Person   w/a positive Notice of Decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board (previously a Refugee Claimant before receiving this document)	Yes, upon receipt of a positive Notice of Decision	Yes
Temporary Resident Permit Holder   w/a valid IMM1442 Temporary Resident Permit** and in Canada less than 18 months	No	No
Temporary Resident Permit Holder   w/a valid IMM1442 Temporary Resident Permit** and in Canada the previous 18 months or more	Yes, after residing in Canada for the previous 18 months	Yes
Temporary Resident Visa Issued Through an Emergency Authorization Process for Humanitarian Reasons Related to an Armed Conflict   w/an IMM1442B with text stating “CUAET”	No	No

 

Immigration	Potentially Eligible for Federal CCB from CRA?	Request proof?*
Canadian Citizen Permanent Resident	Yes	Yes
Sponsored Refugee	Yes, immediately upon arrival	Yes
Refugee Claimant w/the IMM1442 Refugee Protection Claimant Document (waiting for a Notice of Decision)	No	No
Protected Person w/a positive Notice of Decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board (previously a Refugee Claimant before receiving this document)	Yes, upon receipt of a positive Notice of Decision	Yes
Temporary Resident Permit Holder w/a valid IMM1442 Temporary Resident Permit** and in Canada less than 18 months	No	No
Temporary Resident Permit Holder w/a valid IMM1442 Temporary Resident Permit** and in Canada the previous 18 months or more	Yes, after residing in Canada for the previous 18 months	Yes
Temporary Resident Visa Issued Through an Emergency Authorization Process for Humanitarian Reasons Related to an Armed Conflict w/an IMM1442B with text stating “CUAET”	No	No

*Verification is either a CCB application or income tax filing. Newcomers or returning residents in Canada may not be able to file taxes. Instead, they may fill out a RC66SCH, Status in Canada/Statement of Income instead of a tax return. RC66SCH is not proof of CCB application.

**Excludes permits that say “does not confer status” or “does not confer temporary resident status”.

Effective: July 1, 2017

If you are eligible, the ministry system will automatically calculate the child benefit top-up supplement amount (the difference between the BC child adjustment amount per child and the family’s federal Canada Child Benefit) and add that amount to your monthly assistance.

If a child is added to your case after assistance has already been issued for the month, the ministry may issue a one-time payment manually. If the system does not display an amount, you are not eligible for the supplement. If you remain eligible, the system will automatically add the supplement to the next month’s assistance.

When there are more children on the BCEA case than the CRA case, the ministry calculates the automatic child benefit top-up supplement using the CRA number of children. A temporary child benefit top up may be issued for any additional children on the BCEA case.

When there are more children on the CRA case than the BCEA case, the ministry calculates the automatic child benefit top-up supplement using the following formula: 

A – [(B/C) x D]

Where:

• A is the BC child adjustment amount based on # of children on the BCEA case;
• B is the scheduled CCB payment;
• C is the # of children on CRA case; and
• D is the # of children on BCEA case.

Effective: July 1, 2017

If you and your family unit are eligible for increased support due to your child’s age, the ministry’s IT system will automatically calculate the amount and add it to your support on your monthly assistance cheque. If a child is added to the case after assistance has already been issued for the month, the ministry will issue a one-time payment manually.

The increased support amount is equal to the BC child adjustment amount based on the number of children in the family unit, see the general supplements and programs rate table.