Federal

Canada Dental Benefit

Complex application

Need you to file taxes and apply separately

The interim Canada Dental Benefit is intended to help lower dental costs for eligible families earning less than $90,000 per year. Parents and guardians can apply if the child receiving dental care is under 12 years old and does not have access to a private dental insurance plan. You can get a tax-free payment of $260, $390, or $650 for each eligible child, depending on your family income. If you have shared custody of the child, each parent/guardian can get half of those amounts.

This interim dental benefit is only available for 2 periods. The first period goes from October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, and the second period goes from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. You can get at most 2 payments for each eligible child.
Additional payment for higher dental costs

An additional payment may be available starting on July 1, 2023 for some eligible children.

You must have already applied and been eligible in order to meet the criteria for the additional payment.

The eligibility conditions are different for each Period of the benefit

Period 1: October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023

Your child may qualify for Canada Dental Benefit if all the items below are true: 

  • Your child was born on or after December 2, 2010 (under 12 years old as of December 1, 2022).
  • Your child gets dental care services in Canada between October 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.
  • Your child does not have access to a private dental insurance plan.
  • Your child's dental costs are not fully covered by another dental program provided by any level of government.
  • You are the only parent or caregiver getting the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for your child as of December 1, 2022, or you have shared custody of your child and get half of the CCB for your child as of December 1, 2022.
  • You filed your 2021 taxes.
  • Your spouse or common-law partner filed their 2021 taxes or you do not have a spouse or common-law partner as of December 1, 2022.
  • Your adjusted family net income is less than $90,000 in 2021.

Period 2: July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024: 

Your child may qualify for Canada Dental Benefit if all the items below are true: 

  • No one has applied for the additional payment for your child's dental costs in the first benefit period.
  • Your child was born on or after July 2, 2011 (under 12 years old as of July 1, 2023)
  • Your child gets dental care services in Canada between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.
  • Your child does not have access to a private dental insurance plan.
  • Your child's dental costs are not fully covered by another dental program provided by any level of government.
  • You are the only parent or caregiver getting the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for your child as of July 1, 2023, or you have shared custody of your child and receive half of the CCB for your child as of July 1, 2023.
  • You filed your 2022 taxes.
  • Your spouse or common-law partner filed their 2022 taxes or you do not have a spouse or common-law partner as of July 1, 2023.
  • Your adjusted family net income is less than $90,000 in 2022.
  • An additional payment may be available starting on July 1, 2023 for some eligible children.

You must have already applied and been eligible in order to meet the criteria for the additional payment.

Social Insurance Number

For example:

  • confirmation of SIN letter
  • plastic SIN card (non-expired)

To get this benefit in Period 1 (October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023) you must apply by Friday, June 30, 2023.

To apply, you will need:

  • Each eligible child's dental care provider's name, address and telephone number.
  • The date or expected date of your child's dental appointment
  • Your employer's name, address, and telephone number (if applicable)
  • Your spouse or common-law partner's employer's name, address, and telephone number (if applicable) You can apply online or by phone. There is a 5-to-10 day average payment processing time after you apply.

Apply Online You can apply using your CRA My Account If you do not have a CRA My Account You can sign in or register for My Service Canada Account (MSCA) to access your CRA My Account. How to access CRA My Account from MSCA.

Apply by phone or TTY

You can apply by calling 1-800-715-8836. To confirm your identity, you'll need your:

  • Social Insurance Number (SIN)
  • full name and date of birth
  • complete address
  • assessed tax return, notice of assessment or reassessment, other tax document, or be signed in to CRA My Account

TTY number

If you use a teletypewriter: 1-800-665-0354

If you use an operator-assisted relay service, call: 1-800-715-8836

Keep your dental care receipts

Keep your receipts for 6 years in case the CRA needs to validate your eligibility. You do not need to call CRA if your child's dental appointment is rescheduled within the same benefit period.

Last updated: March 17, 2023