A Grandchild Just Moved In: What Benefits to Claim First in Canada

When a grandchild arrives at your door — whether it happened last night or last month — the most important thing you can do financially is start gathering evidence of care immediately and file Form RC66 with the CRA within the first few weeks. The CCB is automatically backdated up to 11 months before the CRA receives your application; you can request up to 10 years with evidence for each historical year. The CRA pays after processing your application.

Here is the order that matters, broken into what to do now, what to do within 30 days, and what to handle in the first three months.

First Week: Secure the Basics and Start Your Evidence File

The child needs a roof, food, clothes, and school enrollment. Those are the immediate priorities. But while you handle the daily reality of a child who has just arrived, start a simple folder — paper or digital — for every document that shows this child lives with you.

Evidence to start collecting immediately:

• School enrollment — if the child is school-age, contact the school to update the child's address and emergency contact to your name and address. Ask the school to provide a written enrollment confirmation letter. This is one of the strongest pieces of evidence the CRA accepts.
• Medical appointments — book a routine checkup with a doctor or walk-in clinic. Have the appointment recorded under your address as the child's home. Ask the doctor's office for a letter confirming the child's primary contact.
• Receipts — keep receipts for children's clothing, school supplies, groceries, and anything else that shows you are providing for the child's daily needs. The CRA does not typically ask for receipts, but they support your case if a review happens.

You do not need a court order to start this process. The CRA evaluates primary care based on facts, not legal custody documents.

First Two Weeks: File Form RC66

Download Form RC66 (Canada Child Benefits Application) from Canada.ca and complete it. The form is designed for parents, so the non-parent sections — especially Part 5, which deals with changes in who is primarily responsible for a child — need careful attention.

Critical points for grandparent applicants:

• If the biological parent was previously receiving the CCB, Part 5 of RC66 handles the transfer. The CRA will contact the other parent to confirm the change.
• Attach your evidence of primary care when you submit the form. Do not wait for the CRA to ask — applications with evidence included up front process faster than applications that trigger a review request.
• If you have any of the third-party letters (school, doctor) ready, include them. If not, submit the form with the evidence you have and send remaining documents promptly, following any deadline the CRA sets. A filed application with some evidence is better than a perfect application that sits on your kitchen table for two months.

Mail or upload the completed RC66 through CRA My Account if you have online access. Processing is about 8 weeks online and up to 16 weeks for paper applications from the date the CRA receives your application.

First Month: Apply for Additional Federal Programs

Once your RC66 is submitted, turn your attention to the other federal programs the child may qualify for.

Canada Learning Bond (CLB): Open an Individual RESP at a bank or credit union. You can do this as a non-parent subscriber. For eligible children from modest-income families, the government provides an initial $500 and $100 for each eligible year through age 15, up to $2,000 over the child's lifetime, with no contribution from you. The bond must be requested before the beneficiary turns 21.

Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP): If you're the relative receiving the CCB, apply for the child through My Service Canada Account or Canada.ca. If you can't use either online route, call Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342. Eligibility is based on household income and lack of private dental insurance. The plan covers dental treatment through participating providers.

Child Disability Benefit (CDB): If the child has a severe and prolonged physical or mental impairment — including conditions related to early-childhood trauma, FASD, or developmental delays — the CDB adds up to $3,480 per year for 2026–2027. You will need Form T2201 certified by a medical practitioner.

First Three Months: Strengthen Your Evidence and Monitor Your Application

By this point, your RC66 is in the CRA's processing queue. Use this time to build a stronger evidence portfolio in case the CRA sends a benefit review letter.

Additional evidence to gather:

• A letter from a community contact (neighbour, religious leader, family friend) confirming the child lives at your address
• Updated school records showing your name as the primary contact
• Any correspondence from a social worker, child welfare agency, or court that confirms the care arrangement (if applicable — informal arrangements without agency involvement are equally valid for the CCB)

Check your application status through CRA My Account or by calling 1-800-387-1193. If the CRA has requested additional information, respond within the deadline — late responses can result in your application being closed.

If the CCB is approved, your payments will be retroactive to the month the child began living with you (up to 11 months back for a current application). Check that the payment amount matches your expected entitlement based on your income and the child's age.

The Full Federal Picture

Once the CCB is flowing, you will have the financial foundation. The complete set of federal programs a grandchild may qualify for includes:

1. Canada Child Benefit — up to $8,157/year per child under 6, or $6,883 for ages 6–17
2. Child Disability Benefit — up to $3,480/year if the child qualifies
3. Canada Learning Bond — up to $2,000 total in education savings
4. Canadian Dental Care Plan — dental coverage for eligible children
5. CPP Children's Benefit — if a parent has died with CPP contributions
6. Provincial top-ups — automatic in most provinces once the federal CCB is approved (Ontario Child Benefit, BC Family Benefit, Alberta Child and Family Benefit, etc.)

At maximum rates, the CCB and CDB together can provide up to $11,637 a year for one eligible child under 6. The CLB is up to $2,000 in lifetime RESP savings, and the CDCP provides dental coverage; neither is an annual cash payment.

Who This Is For

• Grandparents who have just taken in a grandchild and need to know what to do first
• Relatives who have been caring for a child for weeks or months but have not started the benefit application process
• Anyone who took in a child suddenly and feels overwhelmed by the number of agencies, forms, and programs

Who This Is NOT For

• Foster parents with a formal agency placement — the Children's Special Allowances restriction means the CCB is blocked until the placement ends
• Grandparents whose grandchild visits regularly but does not live with them full-time — the CCB requires primary, ongoing care
• Anyone looking for provincial court processes (guardianship, custody) — those are separate from federal benefit applications

The Organized Path

The Canada Child Benefit and Federal Help When You're Raising a Grandchild guide covers every step — RC66 completion for non-parent applicants, evidence templates, the six federal programs in claim order, and the CRA review response process. It is built for the situation you are in right now: a child has arrived, the paperwork feels overwhelming, and you need a clear path through the system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a court order before I can apply for the CCB?

No. The CRA evaluates primary care based on evidence — school records, medical appointments, community statements — not custody documents. You can file Form RC66 as soon as the child is living with you. A court order can help if the biological parent disputes the change, but it is not a prerequisite for the application.

What if the biological parent is still receiving the CCB for my grandchild?

File your RC66 anyway. The CRA will contact the other parent as part of the process. If the parent does not respond or confirms the child no longer lives with them, the benefit transfers to you. If the parent disputes it, the CRA reviews the evidence from both sides. Having your evidence portfolio ready before you file gives you the strongest position.

Can I claim retroactive CCB payments for months before I applied?

Yes. The CCB is automatically backdated up to 11 months before the CRA receives your application. You can request a longer retroactive adjustment, up to 10 years, with three residency proofs and three primary-care proofs for each historical year requested.

What if I do not have a Social Insurance Number for the child?

You need the child's SIN for the application. If the child does not have one, contact Service Canada for the current application process and required documents.

Should I wait until I have all my evidence before filing RC66?

No. File as soon as you can complete the form, even if your evidence portfolio is not finished. Attach whatever you have — the school letter, the medical record, the receipts. You can submit additional evidence later. A filed application with partial evidence starts the clock; a perfect application that is never mailed does not.

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