How to Transfer the Canada Child Benefit to a Grandparent in Ontario

When the CCB Needs to Follow the Child

When a grandchild moves into your home, the Canada Child Benefit keeps flowing to the biological parent until somebody tells the CRA otherwise. That payment — up to $679.75 a month for a child under six or $573.58 for ages six to seventeen in the 2026–2027 benefit year — rightfully belongs to whoever is buying the groceries, paying for school supplies, and sitting in the paediatrician's waiting room. The transfer is not automatic: you need to file.

File Form RC66 — You Don't Need the Parent's Permission

The form you need is CRA Form RC66, the Canada Child Benefits Application. You can submit it online through CRA My Account or mail the paper version. The crucial point most grandparents miss: you do not need the biological parent to sign anything, agree to the transfer, or even cooperate. The CRA evaluates who has primary care and control of the child — not who holds a court order or who filed first.

When you submit Form RC66, the CRA looks at daily-life factors:

• Who feeds the child and manages daily routines
• Who takes the child to medical and dental appointments
• Who registered the child for school and activities
• Who the child lives with full-time

These facts support your claim, but the CRA determines eligibility based on the full primary care and control circumstances.

Gathering Your Proof-of-Care Documents

The CRA may ask for supporting documents, especially when the biological parent disputes the transfer. Collect these before you file:

• School registration showing your name and address as the primary contact
• Doctor or paediatrician letter confirming the child attends appointments with you
• Dental or immunisation records at your address
• A statutory declaration (sworn at any commissioner of oaths, often free at city hall) stating when the child moved in and why

You do not need a custody order, a Children's Aid Society file, or a lawyer. Third-party letters from professionals who see the child regularly can help document your primary care and control.

What Happens After You File

CRA processing can take several months. When approved, the benefit starts the month after the child moved into your home. The CRA stops payments to the biological parent and will seek recovery of amounts paid to them after they lost physical care.

If the parent was still collecting CCB after the child left their home, the CRA assesses that overpayment separately. Your claim is assessed based on your primary care and control of the child.

Filing Also Triggers the Ontario Child Benefit

Submitting Form RC66 for the CCB automatically enrols you for the Ontario Child Benefit — up to $146.66 per month per child, income-tested. There is no separate OCB application. Both payments arrive in a single combined monthly deposit.

If you are already receiving Ontario Works or ODSP in your own right and the OCB takes months to process, your local OW office should provide the Transition Child Benefit (up to $230 per month per child) to bridge the gap.

What to Do If the Transfer Is Delayed or Denied

The CRA sometimes sends a questionnaire asking both the caregiver and the biological parent to describe the child's living situation. Answer thoroughly and attach your proof-of-care documents. For a CCB or OCB denial, file a Notice of Objection (Form T400A) within 90 days of receiving the Notice of Determination; subsequent judicial review falls under the Tax Court of Canada.

Community legal clinics across Ontario handle CCB disputes for free. Call 211 Ontario or visit the Steps to Justice website to find the clinic closest to you.

Our Ontario Kinship Financial Help guide walks through the entire RC66 process with a document-gathering checklist, sample proof-of-care letters, and a timeline tracker so nothing falls through the cracks.

See more Ontario guides →