Harper Government sent almost $3 billion of Universal Child Care Benefit payments to more than 3.8 million families on July 20
WATERLOO, ON, July 29, 2015 /CNW/ - As parents across the country prepare to send their kids back to school, the Government of Canada is providing them with much-needed support through the increased Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB). Today, the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, highlighted the boosted payments provided to families in Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo. The enhanced UCCB provides almost $2,000 per year for each child under 6 and $720 per year for each child aged 6 through 17.
The first payment included a one-time retroactive payment from January 1, 2015, which means that families were sent $520 for each child under 6 and $420 for each child aged 6 through 17.
While the majority of eligible families will automatically receive the payment, an estimated 200,000 families in Canada may have missed out because they did not apply. This represents potentially millions of dollars in unclaimed benefits.
The good news is that these families need only to apply to receive everything they are owed, including any retroactive payments. Families that are not currently receiving the UCCB, that have never received the UCCB, or that have never applied for the Canada Child Tax Benefit but still have children under 18 in their care, are encouraged to go to www.canada.ca/taxsavings to find out how to apply.
Although all payments were sent July 20, those who do not receive payments via direct deposit may not receive their cheques until later in the month.
Quick Facts
On July 20, approximately $1.15 billion in UCCB payments was sent to about 1.5 million families in Ontario. About 60,650 families are eligible to receive the enhanced UCCB in Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo.
The UCCB has increased from $100 to $160 per month, totalling up to $1,920 per year, for each child under the age of 6, and parents have started receiving a new benefit of $60 per month, up to $720 per year, for each child aged 6 through 17.
Combined with other family measures and tax relief introduced by the Government of Canada since 2006, a typical family of four can receive up to $6,600 in tax relief and enhanced benefits in 2015.
Quotes
"Thanks to the increased Universal Child Care Benefit, every family with children has more money in their pockets to spend on their priorities as a family, which could include school supplies or child care. If you have kids under 18, you should have received a payment. Please check to make sure you received yours."
– The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development
"Our Government is committed to making life more affordable for hard-working families in Kitchener–Waterloo and across the country by increasing the Universal Child Care Benefit. I am pleased that families will now have more money in their pockets to spend on their own priorities."
–Peter Braid, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for Kitchener–Waterloo
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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
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