Ontario COVID-19 Child Benefit Applications Are Now Open
Beginning on April 26, 2021, Ontario will provide another round of direct payments to families and students through a new program, the Ontario COVID-19 Child Benefit. It will provide financial support to families with young learners and students to help with additional educational costs that they have incurred during the pandemic.
Please note, this new round of payment through the Ontario COVID-19 Child Benefit is in addition to payments provided by Support for Families and the Support for Learners programs.
What is the benefit?
Eligible parents will receive a one-time per child payment of:
- $400 for children aged 0 to Grade 12
- $500 for children or youth aged 0 to 21 with special needs
Who is eligible?
COVID-19 Child Benefit is available to parents if their child is attending either in-person or online:
- Ages 0 up to Grade 12
- up to 21 years old with special needs
How to apply for the benefit?
You do not need to apply for this additional payment if you have received Support for Learners payments. This round of payments will automatically be sent to parents starting April 26, 2021. If you are a secondary student over the age of 18, you can apply on your own, or one of your parents or guardians can apply for you.
If you missed applying for the Support for Learners program, you will have the opportunity to apply. Applications will open from May 3, 2021 to May 17, 2021.
Click here to apply for the Ontario COVID-19 Child Benefit.
Payment
The payment will be done by e-transfer, direct deposit or cheque, based on what you chose when you applied for the Support for Learners program. Payments will be made individually per child, youth or student to the account of:
- The parent or guardian who applied for their child
- Secondary students who are over the age of 18 and applied on their own
- If you applied for more than one child, you may not receive all payments at the same time
For more information, visit Ontario’s webpage.
Updated on Tuesday, May 04, 2021.