Minister Poilievre welcomes first printing of the boosted Universal Child Care Benefit cheques

WINNIPEG, June 30, 2015 /CNW/ - The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development welcomed the printing of the first Universal Child Care Benefit cheques (UCCB) that will be mailed and received by families starting July 20th.

In July, about 1.2 million cheques will be printed, with production done at centres in Winnipeg and Quebec City. The remainder of UCCB payments will be made via direct deposit, for a total of approximately 3.8 million payments. Last year, the Winnipeg Production Centre printed just under 28 million cheques in total for a variety of programs.

The majority of families with children, approximately 3.8 million, are known and will automatically receive the enhanced UCCB or be contacted by the Government to confirm their information. However, an estimated 200, 000 eligible families are not currently captured by the Government's UCCB system and may miss out on receiving money that is owed to them unless they apply. It is estimated that more than 7, 600 families with children in Manitoba including 4,500 families with children in Winnipeg are not currently registered. In 2015 alone, this represents potentially millions of dollars in unclaimed benefits.

Under the proposed enhancements to the UCCB, families would receive almost $2,000 per year for each child under 6 and $720 per year for each child aged 6 through 17. The new benefit amounts would be retroactive to January 1, 2015 and be reflected in monthly payments to families in July 2015. The proposed enhancements to the UCCB are expected to more than double the number of families that benefit from 1.6 million to more than 4 million.

If your family is not currently receiving the UCCB, has never received the UCCB, or has never applied for the Canada Child Tax Benefit and you still have children under 18 in your care, please go to www.canada.ca/taxsavings in order to find out how you can apply.

Quick Facts

• All families with children will benefit from the new Family Tax Cuts and Benefits Plan, which includes the Family Tax Cut, and enhancements to the UCCB, Child Care Expense Deduction and the Children's Fitness Tax Credit.
• Low- and middle-income families will receive two-thirds of the overall benefits provided by the Government of Canada's new family measures.
• The Family Tax Cut will eliminate or significantly reduce the difference in the federal tax payable by a one-earner couple relative to a two-earner couple with a similar family income.

Quote

"The Government of Canada wants to ensure hard-working families start receiving their benefits as soon as possible. If you've ‎got kids under 18, you qualify. It doesn't matter how much you make or the type of child care you choose. Apply now so you can receive the money that is owed to you."
– The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development

Associated Links

www.canada.ca/taxsavings
Backgrounder on new measures: Helping Families Prosper

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

Aaron Bell, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Employment and Social Development, 819-994-2482, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]; Follow us on Twitter