Universal Child Care Benefit

I'm finding the whole Child Tax Benefit thing to be a bit confusing and no one really tells you what to do. I thought I had applied for the Child Tax Benefit back in October 2008. I called today because I had not heard anything back from them (I know that's a really long gap in between, but I forgot about it!). The Canada Revenue Agency (www.cra.gc.ca), where you go to to apply, told me that they didn't even receive an application from me. The person that I spoke to on the phone said that I needed to reapply either online or by mail. She explained more of the process to me.

She said that we would be eligible for the 'Universal Child Care Benefit.' I believe this is for all families regardless of income, each family receives $100 per month per child under the age of six (www.cra.gc.ca). The Universal Child Care Benefit is different from the Canada Child Tax Benefit. The Canada Child Tax Benefit is a "tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families" under the age of 18 (www.cra.gc.ca). So i'm applying for the 'Universal Child Care Benefit' and not the 'Canada Child Tax Benefit.' Some families may be eligible for both.

She had mentioned that I needed to make sure that I applied before my daughter is 11 months old. As soon as 11 months has passed I guess the process gets even more complicated and more paperwork is required. Even if you do end up applying late you are still entitled to the full amount, they just add the previous months together. Needless to say I made sure that I reapplied today.