Dear Oral Health Professional,

Nobody knows better than you that seeing an oral health professional is important not only for our oral health, it is essential for overall health as well. In Canada, one third of Canadians do not have dental insurance and are unable to visit an oral health professional to prevent or treat oral diseases because it is too expensive. That is why the Government of Canada is taking concrete measures to address cost barriers to dental care for families in Canada.

The new interim Canada Dental Benefit will be available for children under 12 in families who have an adjusted net income of less than $90,000 and who do not have access to private dental insurance. It will allow eligible families to receive upfront, direct payments per child up to $650 per year, for two years, for oral health services. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will be processing the applications and payments for the benefit, and applications will start being accepted starting on December 1, 2022.

With this benefit, which will run until 2024, families can start addressing some of the basic dental care that their young children need while the Government continues to develop a longterm Canadian dental care program. We have prepared some helpful tools and resources to answer questions about the interim Canada Dental Benefit and to better equip you to help your patients, clients, and members understand and access the benefit.

The communications toolkit contains the following products.

  • The Canada Dental Benefit: What You Need to Know: This is a good starting document for you and your members/clients to learn more about the new, interim Canada Dental Benefit.
  • Shareable social media material: We have provided some messaging that you can use on your own social media channels to help your members, patients and clients be informed about the Canada Dental Benefit.
  • Infographic: We have provided an 11X17 sheet that you might find useful for your own staff/members, or for sharing with clients/patients.
  • Information sheet in Punjabi, Cantonese and Mandarin: We have provided a textonly version of the Infographic in the form of an information sheet in languages that may be common in your communities.
  • Poster: We have provided a poster to put up in high traffic areas that directs people to Canada.ca/dental for more information.

As a trusted oral health professional, we are asking for your support in distributing our educational information and informing patients/clients of this important benefit so that more kids can visit you to get brighter smiles. Please feel free to use and distribute this material to your patients/clients/members, partner organizations and other stakeholders. Resources will be updated as new information becomes available.

What You Need to Know

To be eligible, families need to meet all of the following conditions for each child they apply for:

  • Have a child under 12 years of age who does not have access to private dental care coverage (employer-based or purchased through the applicant or other family member);
  • Have an adjusted family net income under $90,000 per year;
  • Have filed last year’s income tax and benefit return (for the taxation year 2021, to be eligible in 2022—for more information on how to file a return, visit Canada.ca/doingyour-taxes);
  • Be the parent (or legal guardian) who receives the Canada Child Benefit for that child;
  • Have incurred—or will incur—out of pocket costs for the dental care of the eligible child which have not been fully reimbursed under another federal, provincial or territorial government program; and
  • Provide information on the recent or planned oral health care visit that the benefit would be used to pay for, along with information about the oral health care provider.

Eligible children need to be 11 years old or under as of December 1, 2022, for the first year of the benefit, and 11 years old or under as of July 1, 2023, for the second year of the benefit.

The Canada Dental Benefit can be used for any oral health care provided by a regulated oral health professional licensed to practice in the place where care is provided.

Coverage

The interim Canada Dental Benefit provides payments up to $650 per child under 12, per year for two years, for families with an adjusted net income under $90,000 per year.

  • $650 is provided for each eligible child, per year, if the family’s adjusted net income is
    under $70,000.
  • $390 is provided for each eligible child, per year, if the family’s adjusted net income is between $70,000 and $79,999.
  • $260 is provided for each eligible child, per year, if the family’s adjusted net income is
    between $80,000 and $89,999.

No, the benefit is tax-free.

No, the benefit will not reduce other federal benefits.

Yes. We know that provincial and territorial programs do not cover dental care needs for children under 12 equally across Canada, and that in some cases, the programs focus only on emergency needs. Children under 12 who are currently covered by provincial or territorial programs will still be eligible for the interim Canada Dental Benefit so long as they are incurring out of pocket costs for dental care services – costs which are not reimbursed under another federal, provincial or territorial government program – and if their family meets all of the criteria to qualify for the benefit.

However, families whose needs are met by their provincial or territorial programs and don’t have out-of-pocket costs are not eligible for the benefit and should not apply.

Yes. Children under 12 covered by Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) continue to be covered by the robust dental coverage available to them under that program. Parents covered by NIHB are eligible to apply for their children under 12 if they meet all of the other criteria for the benefit and are incurring out of pocket costs for dental care services that are not reimbursed by a federal, provincial or territorial government program. However, we anticipate that in most cases, NIHB will meet their needs and they will not have out-of-pocket expenses for their dental care.

Applicants must have out-of-pocket expenses that are not fully reimbursed by any other federal, provincial or territorial government program in order to be eligible for the Canada Dental Benefit. 

Application process

Applications opened for the interim Canada Dental Benefit on December 1, 2022. The benefit will cover dental care expenses retroactive to October 1, 2022, for qualifying children and families who were eligible as of the December 1, 2022. For the second benefit period, applications will be opened on July 1, 2023.

Eligible families who are unable to access the Internet can apply for the Canada Dental Benefit through CRA’s client contact centre at 1-800-715-8836.

To receive the Canada Dental Benefit, applicants will need to make sure they have filed the previous year’s income tax (e.g. 2021 tax return for the first benefit year) and currently receive the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for their eligible child. Filing taxes is easy with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (if eligible) or through NETFILE-certified software. They can also file online through the services of an electronic filer certified to use our EFILE service.

If applicants are unable to apply for these new programs online, they can call the CRA and complete their application over the phone with an agent. Before calling, applicants should check the approximate wait times on Canada.ca. To validate their identity, applicants should make sure they have their social insurance number address, date of birth, and a copy of their assessed tax return from last year on hand for the CRA agent.

CRA’s My Account is a quick, easy and secure way to apply. In order to receive this benefit, parents/guardians must also be in receipt of the Canada Child Benefit. As a result, many applicants may already be familiar with My Account. Most applicants can expect to receive their payments within 5 business days if they are enrolled for direct deposit, and within 10-12 business days if they are receiving a cheque by mail.

Need to enroll for direct deposit? Follow the steps outlined on Canada.ca.

The CRA will use its full suite of existing compliance tools to verify an applicant’s identity and eligibility, including an up-front verification of the applicant’s income, child’s age and family relationship, and confirmation that they are in receipt of the Canada Child Benefit for the presence and age of children. Applicants will be asked to save the receipts for that child. When applying, parents or guardians of eligible children will need to attest that:

  • the child does not have access to private dental care coverage;
  • the child has received, or will receive, dental care services between October 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023

Parents and guardians must keep their dental receipts for 6 years in case the CRA contacts them in the future to validate eligibility. Applicants that are found to be ineligible for the benefit during the verification processes will be will be required to repay the benefit they received.

The CRA continues to enhance the security of its digital services to protect Canadians from fraudulent activity. Security features include multi-factor authentication and making email addresses mandatory for those who use CRA My Account.

The CRA has a range of existing tools that it uses to conduct verification and collections activities for ongoing benefit programs. These tools will be used in the administration of the Canada Dental Benefit, to ensure compliance with regards to eligibility and the use of funds for dental care services.

Canadians should sign up for CRA My Account and direct deposit, ensure they have applied for or currently receive the Canada child benefit, file the previous year’s income tax return if they have not already done so, and update their address and banking information if it has changed.

Kherani Dental at Aspen

A Guide to the Canada Dental Benefit

Tooth decay is the most common, but preventable, childhood chronic disease both in Canada and around the world. Oral diseases frequently begin in the preschool years which is why it is so important to establish good oral hygiene behaviours in those early years.

The Government of Canada has implemented the interim Canada Dental Benefit, which is designed to provide some financial support to help Canadian families access dental care.

With this benefit, families can start addressing some of the basic dental care that their young children need while the Government continues its plans to develop a long-term Canadian dental care program.

What is the Benefit?

The interim Canada Dental Benefit provides payments up to $650 per eligible child under 12 years of age, per year for two years.

$650

if the family’s adjusted net income is under $70,000

$390

if the family’s adjusted net income is between $70,000 and $79,999

$260

if the family’s adjusted net income is between $80,000 and $89,999

The benefit can be used for any dental care provided by any regulated dental professional.

Who can apply?

  • Have a child under 12 years of age, who does not have access to private dental care insurance.

  • Have an adjusted family net income under $90,000 per year.

  • Have filed last year’s income tax return — for more information on how to file a return, visit Canada.ca/doing-your-taxes.

  • Receive the Canada Child Benefit for each eligible child.

  • Have or will have dental care expenses for each eligible child that have not been fully reimbursed under another federal, provincial or territorial government program.

How can you apply?

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) My Account will be the quickest, easiest and most secure way to apply for the Canada Dental Benefit. If you don’t yet have a CRA My Account, you can register at Canada.ca/my-cra-account.

You will need to provide information on the dental care visit, including the name of your child’s dental care provider(s) and your employer information.

If you apply online and are signed for CRA direct deposit, you can receive your payment within five business days!

If you’re unable to apply for the Canada Dental Benefit online, call 1-800-715-8836 to get your application started.

Make sure you have your Social Insurance Number, address, date of birth and a copy of your income tax return from last year.

When can you apply?

Parents can apply starting December 1, 2022, for dental care received by their eligible child back to October 1, 2022, so long as their child will still be under 12 on December 1. For the second payment, parents can apply starting July 1, 2023.

Smile! It is here.

For kids under 12 years old

For families with an adjusted net income under $90,000 per year

For those who don’t have access to private dental care insurance