Blog Categories
Our Experts
- Brenda Bryant
Senior tax pro and community supporter
View Their Posts - Peter Coles
Tax research guru with 25 years of experience
View Their Posts - Cleo Hamel
Senior tax pro and national spokesperson
View Their Posts - Doug Morgan
Master tax pro and franchise owner
View Their Posts
Getting married can affect your Child Tax Benefit
For people receiving the Child Tax Benefit, changing your marital status from single to married or common-law will now mean the benefits will be recalculated before the end of the year.
As of July 2011, the rules for the Child Tax Benefit (CTB) changed. Under the old rules, if you were receiving the CTB and got married or became common-law, you continued to receive the same amount until the end of the benefit period. The CTB is paid from July to June. Now the benefit will be recalculated the month after a change in marital status based on your combined household income which means it could affect the amount you receive.
For tax purposes, you are considered common-law if you have lived together for 12 continuous months or if you move in with the parent of your child, you are considered common-law immediately. If you get married or become common-law during the tax year, you should notify the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) by completing a RC-65 Form.
CTB recipients are required to notify the CRA of a change in marital status by the end of the month after their status actually changed. So if you got married in July, you would need to let the CRA know in August. Your CTB payments would also be recalculated based on household income starting in August.
If you become separated, the CRA has always recalculated the CTB payment based on the single parent’s net income starting the month after the separation. The separation needs to last for 90 days before the CRA considered you separated. This will not change under the new rules.
Brenda BryantSenior tax pro and community supporter
sending...
COMMENTS
What if you were married prior to July 2011? Do your benefits still change?
Your child tax benefits only change if your marital status changed and you shared custody of children. CH
My husband and I got married in 2008. We seperated in 2009 and jus got back together in 2011. I filed my taxes and put married on there. I then received something in the mail saying I needed to send in my husbands social etc. Because of this I havent received my credit for 2 months. When they recalculate my credit will I get back pay? Also I have not received my GST or any other tax credits. Will I get back pay for these?
Dolaura – Yes, if you qualify you will get retroactive payments. ~ CH
Hi there, in 2010 I was able to claim my son as a tax write off because I was single. Now that I have remarried in the 2011 tax season, will I still be able to write off my son for 2011 as I was not married the entire year? Thanks for your info
Trina – congratulations on your recent marriage. Since you remarried in 2011, you are allowed to claim the amount for eligible dependant for the entire year. You do not have to pro-rate based on your marriage date. However, you will not be eligible to claim this amount next year. ~CH
Im planning to get married this year 2013, will the marriage affect my child benefit tax, universal child care benefit, and subsidy housing and daycare?
Samantha – congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Once you get married, the Canada Revenue Agency will calculate benefits like the Child Tax Benefit and GST/HST payments based on your household income. You should notify them the month you get married. Usually, this means your benefits will decrease but it depends on how much income your partner earns. It will not affect your Universal Child Care Benefit – that program is tied to the age of the child. You will need to check with other agencies about your daycare and housing subsidies. ~CH
If I were to get married an 3months later seperate would I have to show proof of seperation to the government to get the same amount on my child tax before I had got married?
Amanda – you will need to file a marital status change with the CRA and they will probably ask for a separation agreement as proof. ~CH
COMMENT