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Resources

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Single parents who live in Ontario can find both federal and provincial help. The first programs detailed below are federal programs, so anyone who is a Canadian resident or has protected status can apply. The second listing is of provincial programs, specifically for residents of Ontario. Check them all out so you are sure not to miss anything you are entitled to.

Federal Family Assistance Programs (all Canadian residents)

Canada Child Tax Benefit (Federal)

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/cctb/menu-eng.html
This benefit is paid monthly, and comes to you completely tax free. It’s intended to help  anyone who has a child under the age of 18 living with them, and who is the main carer for that child. You also need to be a Canadian citizen or legal resident.

The final amount of the benefit varies according to your situation, and consists of two parts: the National Child Benefit Supplement and the Child Disability Benefit. Of course, the second part will only be applicable if you have a disabled child.

How do you apply, and how do you know if you are eligible? The best advice seems to be not to worry about eligibility, just go ahead and make the application and let the authorities decide if you could qualify, as eligibility rules are complex and can be confusing. Better to try and fail than not to try and miss out on your entitlement!  The time to make the application is as soon as you give birth to a child, or when a child you are looking after moves into your home, or immediately you receive official Canadian residency. Don’t waste time.

You can apply in several ways…so choose the one that is applicable to you. In fact, if you signed up and agreed to the automatic benefits service, you can apply through that.

Not sure about this service? Check out here:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/tmtd-eng.html

Or, you can apply online:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/myaccount/

If you prefer making an application on paper, then this is the link for you:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/rc66/README.html

Child Disability Benefit (Federal)

If you’ve got a seriously disabled child, you can get more help through the Child Disability Benefit. The disability can be physical or mental, but it does need to be classed as serious (and likely to last for at least a year) to confer eligibility.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/dsblty-eng.html

If your disabled child is under 18 and you are the main carer for that child, this will pay you up to $2,740 a year.  To apply, first you will need a certificate from your doctor. You need to complete a form, as does your doctor. You can download the form from the following link:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2201/README.html

It’s best to make sure you have completed and filed your tax return before you apply for the disability benefit or you could find there is a delay in processing your application. This is then sent to the Canada Revenue Agency for approval. Once approved, your payments can begin, and these are paid monthly.And, they’re tax free.

Universal Child Care Benefit (Federal)

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/family/uccb/index.shtml

Universal Child Care Benefit is payable to all Canadian families resident in Canada with a child or children under the age of 6 (born after the 1st July 2006), irrespective of income levels or financial situation. You can use it for anything connected to the care of your child or children, so if you need child care or school equipment for your child, this is very useful. The UCCB is taxable, but single moms will be taxed as two parent families. If you are married or living with the other parent, the benefit will be paid to whichever of you earns the least.  It offers 100$ per month. You may not even need to apply, as if you already get Canada Tax Benefit your application for UCCB will be made automatically. If not, this is what to do:

Get online at the website of the Canada Revenue Agency:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/uccb-puge/menu-eng.html

Or, get along to your local Service Canada Centre:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/cgi-bin/sc-srch.cgi?app=hme&ln=eng

Or, call 1-800-387-1193

RESP (Registered Education Savings Plan  (Federal)

If you’ve got an RESP set up for your child, he or she also becomes eligible to receive extra help and benefits. So, it makes really good sense to get one in place as soon as you can. You, your family and friends can all contribute to the fund, which has a lifetime limit of $50,000. And, it can run for up to 36 years, so your child doesn’t have to hurry  up to finish his studies! The money from this fund can be used to help finance any of your child’s educational costs: Full or part time courses, apprenticeships, college courses or university degrees. And tax is only payable on the funds that are actually disbursed from the fund, not on contributions made or funds that remain held within the RESP. So, an RESP makes sound financial sense.

To find what you need to know about choosing the best promoter for your RESP, follow the link below. It’s really important to choose the right one for your needs or you and your child could lose out on cash in the future.
http://www.canlearn.ca/eng/saving/resp/index.shtml

All you need to apply is a Social Insurance Number…both your child and the promoter need one of these.

You can find out more about an RESP and how to set one up on the link below:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/resp-reee/menu-eng.html

Canada Education Savings Grant  (Federal)

http://www.canlearn.ca/eng/saving/resp/index.shtml

This is a plan that pays out 20% on your RESP contributions to help you even further on the way to a good education for your child. If you’re a low to middle income family too, you can be paid an extra 10% or 20% on the first 500$ of contributions made every year added onto your CESG as described above. This can continue until your child is 17 years of age.

All youngsters of up to 17 are eligible for this, as long as they meet the basic criteria of being Canadian citizens and have a RESP already in place.

Don’t forget:  choose your promoter with care. Check the link given above in the section on the RESP, and be sure your promoter offers all the services you require.

Canada Learning Bond  (Federal)

The Canada Learning Bond can also help you pay educational costs through savings schemes. It is a federal incentive program, aimed at making it simpler for hard up families to get involved with the RESP scheme. It will contribute 500$ into your child’s RESP, whatever your level of contributions. After that, up until he or she reaches 15 years of age, $100 is deposited into the RESP. If the costs of setting up the RESP are a concern, an additional $25 can be put forward to help with that too.

If  all this extra help would make a difference to your family’s lives, then this is what you need to qualify:

  • Your child must have been born after 31st of December 2003.
  • You need to be receiving your National Child Benefit Supplement.

When you open your RESP, be sure to check that the promoter you choose offers this option or you won’t be able to take advantage of this bond.

http://www.canlearn.ca/eng/saving/clb/index.shtml

Nobody’s Perfect (Federal)

‘Nobody’s Perfect’ is a program that aims to help single parents get together and understand the help that’s available to them. More practical than financial, it is nevertheless an invaluable program that you should really try to get involved with.

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/dca-dea/parent/nobody-personne/index-eng.php

It is aimed at you if you are a single mom, have a low income or you are experiencing other difficulties and feeling lost and alone. Group meetings help you not just to meet others in a similar situation as you, but also gives you access to expert advice on topics like health and parenting skills. You can go along if your child is under 5. It’s a great way of building up a support network of other parents and also professionals that can be there for you throughout your child rearing years and even throughout life.

Find out more about ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ and how to apply here at the appropriate office for your locality:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/dca-dea/parent/nobody-personne/coord-eng.php

Child Rearing Drop Out Provision  (Federal)

You probably already know that on your retirement from work (or if you have to stop work due to disability) you will become entitled to your basic benefits from the Canada Pension Plan. And, when you’re gone, your kids can benefit from this.  But did you also know that if you have to drop out of work (thus normally decreasing your pension entitlement) because you have children to raise, you can take advantage of the Child Rearing Drop Out Provision to offset these losses. You can apply for CRDP at the same time as you apply for your CPP, but be aware it takes about 6 months before you’ll start receiving your benefits.

Your  CRDP is payable for any months when you either received your National Child Benefit payments or were eligible for the Canada Child Tax Benefit. Your earnings have to have been less than normal during this time due to you having had to stop working or work fewer hours in order to care for your children. (Children need to have been seven years of age or less to count.) Finally, to qualify, your child has to have been born after the 31st of December 1958.

To find out more, here’s the link.
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/isp/pub/factsheets/chidropout.shtml

To make your application online, click here:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/cgi-bin/search/eforms/index.cgi?app=profile&form=isp1000&lang=e

And, this link will take you to a site that details your nearest Service Canada Office where you can pop in to grab an application kit.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/cgi-bin/sc-srch.cgi?app=hme&ln=eng

Canada Pension Plan Children’s Benefits  (Federal)

If your parents are now deceased or have become disabled, you could be eligible for Children’s Benefits as long as your parents made sufficent contributions during their lifetimes/working lives. CPP Children’s Benefits give you an extra monthly pay out of an amount ascertained by the level of their previous contributions. You can have a look at the charts to see what those levels and pay out amounts could be here:

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/isp/pub/factsheets/rates.shtml

As long as your parents did make sufficient contributions, you’ll be eligible if you are between 18 and 25 and attending full time school or college at an approved educational institution, or if you’re under 18. Here’s how to apply:

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/cpp/answer_childapply.shtml

Full information is available on the following link:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/cpp/childrenpension.shtml

Employment Insurance  (Federal)

Employment Insurance can cover you if you should lose your job for a number of reasons. It could be that you’ve been laid off due to job cuts, become sick or disabled, or just if you can’t find a job in spite of trying your best. As long as your unemployment isn’t your fault, you should be able to claim if you have this cover.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/ei/benefits/regular.shtml

The insurance pays around 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum payout of $468 a week. You can claim for 14 to 45 weeks, but it’s dependent on how many insurable working hours you accrued in the previous 52 week period. It’s also worth noting that if you manage to get back into work before you’ve used up all the benefit, you can keep the rest to use in the future should you suffer further employment problems. It is also important to keep a provable record of your attempts to find work during your period on the benefits.

Are you eligible? You are if you have:

  • Paid your Employment Insurance premiums
  • Have become unemployed through circumstances not under your control and not your fault.
  • Have received no pay for work nor been in work for seven consecutive days or more during the pervious year
  • Have accrued enough insurance hours to qualify during the last year or since the beginning of your last EI claim.

You can apply online …see the link below:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/application/employmentinsurance.shtml

Or you can go to a Service Canada Centre.

Employment Insurance Family Supplement  (Federal)

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/ei/family/familysupplement.shtm

This is an additional feature of the Employment Insurance as explained above. It offers you even more benefits if you are a carer who has a low income, and you lose your employment leaving you really struggling. It’s really worth having as it pays up to a massive 80% of your insurable earnings, so if you’re eligible ( you need to receive Canada Child Tax and have an income of below $25,921), it can really help.And, you don’t even have to worry about filling in forms to apply for the supplement as it will simply be added to your existing EI if you meet the criteria.

Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities. (Federal)

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/dca-dea/prog-ini/ahsunc-papacun/index-eng.php

If you are Inuit, First Nation or Métis in origin and you live off reserve, this is for you. It offers  classes in aboriginal culture and language, education and preparation for school, health, nutrition, parenting and general support.

If you live on reserve, there’s a similar program for you.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/famil/develop/ahsor-papa_intro-eng.php

To find out how to apply, follow the link below:

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/dca-dea/prog-ini/ahsunc-papacun/contact-eng.php

Provincial Family Assistance Programs for Residents of Ontario

The following programs are for residents of Ontario only. Residency is a requirement for all.

Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities  (Provincial)

http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/specialneeds/disabilities/index.aspx

If you have a child who has severe disabilities, you need more help than moms whose children are healthy. Not just practical help and advice is needed, but also help to cope with the extra expense conferred by a disability. With this program, you could receive (according to need and circumstances)  anywhere between 25$ to 440$ every month to help offset those costs.

The assistance is available if you have expenses like these:

  • Transport to and from the doctors, hospital or clinic for treatments and consultations.
  • Respite care.
  • Special equipment such as wheelchairs or hoists.
  • Repairs to necessary equipment.
  • Special clothing or surgical shoes.
  • Dental care
  • Optical care