The Government of Canada's Contribution to the National Child Benefit Initiative

The Government of Canada contributes to the NCB initiative through a supplement to its Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) system. This additional payment is called the NCB Supplement. It provides extra support to low-income families with children by topping up the monthly payments they receive under the CCTB system.

Since the NCB was introduced in 1998, the Government of Canada has steadily increased its investment in children and their families through the base benefit of the CCTB and NCB Supplement.

• The base benefit of the CCTB provides child benefits to all low- and middle- income families. In 2003-2004, the Government of Canada provided $5.5 billion through the base benefit of the CCTB to 3.1 million families with 5.6 million children, or approximately 82 percent of Canadian families with children.
• The NCB Supplement provides low-income families with additional child benefits on top of the base benefit. In 2005-2006, the Government of Canada provided $3.4 billion through the NCB Supplement, providing benefits to 1.5 million families with 2.7 million children, or 40 percent of all Canadian families with children.

The CCTB is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Each July, the CRA send CCTB recipients a “Child Benefit Notice” which provides an explanation of the benefits they will receive for the next 12 months.