This checklist is for anyone expecting a baby or caring for a newborn in Canada, whether you work, study or stay home. A new baby can open the door to several federal and provincial payments, and most of them start with one step: ticking the benefits box when you register the birth.
Before the baby arrives
- Check whether you can get EI maternity and parental benefits. If you have a job, you need at least 600 insured hours of work in the 52 weeks before your claim (or since your last claim, if that is shorter). Maternity benefits pay up to 15 weeks, and you can start them as early as 12 weeks before your due date. If you live in Quebec, skip this step and go to step 2.
- In Quebec, apply to the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) instead. Quebec runs its own plan for maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits, so you do not apply to EI for these. Apply online through the QPIP website, which also has a calculator to estimate your benefits.
- Choose standard or extended parental benefits. You pick one option, and you can’t switch once payments start.
- Standard: up to 40 weeks shared between parents (one parent can take up to 35), paid at 55% of your earnings up to $729 a week. Use them within 52 weeks of the birth.
- Extended: up to 69 weeks shared (one parent can take up to 61), paid at 33% of your earnings up to $437 a week. Use them within 78 weeks of the birth.
- Set up direct deposit with the CRA. The CRA suggests signing up before the birth so your child benefits aren’t delayed. You can do this in CRA My Account or through your bank.
In the first few weeks
- Apply for EI within 4 weeks of your last day of work. If you apply more than 4 weeks after you stop working, you may lose benefits. Apply online at canada.ca. You need your SIN, your employers’ names and dates for the past 52 weeks, your baby’s birth date and your bank details. Your employer sends your Record of Employment (ROE) to Service Canada, and you don’t need to wait for it before you apply. For help, call 1-800-206-7218 (TTY 1-800-529-3742).
- Register the birth and tick the box to apply for benefits. When you register your baby’s birth with your province or territory, you can give consent for your information to go to the CRA. This is called the Automated Benefits Application. It applies you for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and related provincial and territorial child benefits in one step. The CRA sends a notice or a payment within 8 weeks.
- If you didn’t tick the box, apply for the CCB yourself. Sign in to CRA My Account and add your child, or mail Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, to your tax centre. Apply as soon as you can. If you apply more than 11 months after your child starts living with you, you have to send extra documents.
- Get a Social Insurance Number (SIN) for your baby. In every province, you can apply for your baby’s SIN when you register the birth, through the Newborn Registration Service. In the territories, apply to Service Canada directly. There is no fee. See how to apply for a SIN. Your child needs a SIN to get the Canada Learning Bond and education grants.
In the first year
- File your taxes every year, even with no income. The CRA uses your tax return, and your spouse’s or partner’s, to work out the CCB, provincial child benefits and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. If either of you doesn’t file, payments can stop. The CCB pays up to $8,157 a year for each child under 6, depending on family income.
- Look for your provincial child benefit. Most provinces and territories have one. You don’t apply separately: the CRA checks when you apply for the CCB. The main ones are in the table below.
| Where you live | Benefit | How it’s paid |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Ontario Child Benefit, up to $1,760 a year per child | Monthly, with the CCB |
| British Columbia | BC Family Benefit, up to $145.83 a month for a first child | Monthly, with the CCB |
| Alberta | Alberta Child and Family Benefit | Four times a year |
| Quebec | Family Allowance from Retraite Québec | Every 3 months, or monthly on request |
- Open an RESP and ask for the Canada Learning Bond. The Canada Learning Bond is free money for children from low-income families: $500 in the first eligible year, then $100 for each year after, up to age 15, for a maximum of $2,000. You don’t have to put in any money of your own. It goes into a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), which you open at a bank or other provider, and it can be requested until your child turns 21. If you do save in an RESP, the Canada Education Savings Grant adds 20% on the first $2,500 you put in each year (up to $500 a year and $7,200 per child). BC adds a one-time $1,200 grant, and Quebec has its own RESP tax credit.
- Know that an RESP may soon open automatically. For children born in 2024 or later, the government plans to open an RESP and deposit the Learning Bond automatically starting in April 2028, if your family qualifies, your child has a SIN and you get the CCB. Details are on the automatic enrolment page.
- Apply for dental coverage for your child. The Canadian Dental Care Plan covers families with an adjusted family net income under $90,000 and no private dental insurance, who have filed their taxes. You can apply for yourself and your dependants online or by calling 1-833-537-4342 (TTY 1-833-677-6262). Applications are open for the 2026 to 2027 benefit period.
Money you may now qualify for
- Canada Child Benefit: the largest monthly payment for most new parents.
- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit: your quarterly payment adds an amount for each child under 19, and your baby is added automatically once you get the CCB.
- EI payment dates: how and when maternity and parental payments arrive.
- Ontario Child Benefit, BC Family Benefit, Alberta Child and Family Benefit and Quebec Family Allowance: provincial payments for families with children.
- Canada Workers Benefit: a tax credit for low-income working families, with part paid in advance.
- Separation or divorce checklist: if you are raising your child on your own.
Common questions
How many hours do I need for maternity leave EI?
You need 600 insured hours of work in the 52 weeks before your claim, or since your last claim if that is shorter. In Quebec, QPIP has its own rules.
How long does it take to get the Canada Child Benefit for a newborn?
If you applied when you registered the birth, the CRA sends a notice or a payment within 8 weeks. Setting up direct deposit early helps avoid delays.
Can I switch from standard to extended parental benefits?
No. Once parental payments start, you can’t change your choice. If you share the weeks, both parents must choose the same option.
Does my baby need a SIN?
Your child needs a SIN to get the Canada Learning Bond and education savings grants in an RESP. You can apply at the same time as you register the birth.
Do I have to put money into an RESP to get the Canada Learning Bond?
No. The Learning Bond is paid into the RESP even if you never add your own money.
Not sure what else you can get? Try our benefits checkup. And watch for scams: the CRA and Service Canada never ask for fees, gift cards or passwords by text or email.