What child care benefits are available in BC?

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Have you just had a baby or are you thinking about having one?

Children can be expensive, but the federal and British Columbia governments offer some financial help for parents with children under 18.

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From the ACCB and CCFRI to the federal CCB, here’s an introduction to the different types of child care subsidies you may be eligible for and how to apply for them.

Affordable Child Care Benefit

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BC’s Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB) is a monthly payment to help eligible families with the cost of child care.

The amount you would qualify for depends on your income, the size of your family, and the type of child care you are using, whether it is a licensed, unlicensed center, or home care.

Occasional child care or child care provided by a family member who lives with you is not eligible for funding.

Families must renew their application each year.

Families earning up to $111,000 a year may qualify for funding. The ministry says if you earn more than that, but have significant deductions for family size or children with special needs, you may also qualify.

To check if you qualify: https://myfamilyservices.gov.bc.ca/s/estimator

This benefit goes directly to the child care provider. Once your plan is approved, your child care provider can file a claim for payment.

For more information about the affordable child care benefit, visit here.

Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative

The Provincial Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) offers funding to licensed and eligible child care providers to reduce monthly child care fees.

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Families do not need to apply for this. It is up to providers to choose to participate in the program.

To find providers who participate in CCFRI, use this child care map: https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/ccf/

To get an estimate of your CCFRI child care cost savings, you can use the estimate tool: https://mychildcareservices.gov.bc.ca/ccfri-estimator. You will need to have the center’s full-time parent rate to calculate the reduction.

$10 per day daycare

This is the Holy Grail of child care subsidies.

If you can get a coveted spot in a child care center that costs $10 a day, you could save about $10,000 per child per year.

Getting a place does not depend on income or family size, but on luck, if you are lucky enough to get a place.

Many parents get on as many waiting lists as they can when they find out they are pregnant and cross their fingers for when their child is ready to go to a child care center.

The British Columbia government is adding more child care centers to its $10-a-day program, including 25 facilities earlier this year in Vancouver, Surrey, Squamish and Houston. Its goal is to have 15,000 such places by spring 2024.

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Here is a list of $10 a day child care centers in bc

Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

This is a federal benefit administered by the Canada Revenue Agency, a monthly payment made to eligible families to help with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age.

Payments are based on the number of children in your care, the children’s age, and family income. The maximum amount is $619.75 per month for each child under six years of age and $522.91 per month for each child between six and 17 years of age.

Payments decrease when the family’s adjusted net income is greater than $34,863 per year.

To calculate your profit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/child-family-benefits-calculator.html

In BC, some families may also be eligible for the BC Family Benefitwhich is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Formerly called the BC Child Opportunity Benefit, this is a tax-free monthly payment for families with children under 18 and is combined with the CCB into a single monthly payment.

The BC Family benefit provides a maximum of $145.83 per month for the first child, which is gradually reduced for adjusted net family income over $27,354.

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