Is your Canada Child Benefit much lower, or nil, this month? You're not alone

Some parents who have been receiving the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) say they were taken aback this week when they didn't get their normal payments.

Beginning this month, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) began recovering any CCB overpayments it says it made during the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, according to CRA, CCB money wasn't collected between May 2020 and this month.

"I woke up and checked my account like most parents do on the 20th, and I had zero. It's a huge ding to us," said Jodi Waite, 43, of London, Ont. 

Waite and her partner have six children, three of whom qualify for the CCB.

The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment delivered to eligible families with children under 18. Among other things, it's based on number of children, marital status and income.

You bank on that money. Every month, it's there. To not have it, it's a real letdown. There's going to be a lot of people struggling.- Jodi Waite, London, Ont., mom of three

Waite's family usually collects $833, but her CRA account shows she owes $3.724.97. So she didn't get her normal monthly CCB payment issued March 20. 

According to Waite, she doesn't owe the CRA $3,724.97. She plans to file a dispute saying that amount is based on an incorrect date when she and her partner moved in together.

She said she had no idea her CCB would be held back.

"It's kind of scary because as of a week ago, I checked my CRA and it said I was still getting my March payment," said Waite, who is on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

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A CRA spokesperson confirmed to CBC that CCB overpayments are being recovered.

"The first CCB payment impacted by offsetting is the March 2023 payment," said Sylvie Branch.

"If a recalculation shows that an individual was overpaid CCB, the CRA sends a notice of redetermination that includes a remittance voucher to inform the individual of the balance owing. 

"The CRA may keep all or a portion of future CCB payments, income tax refunds, or goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credits until the balance owing is repaid."

Waite said her family relies on the CCB funds.

"If you have children, you bank on that money, every month it's there. To not have it, it's a real letdown. There's going to be a lot of people struggling, not just myself."

We'll work with people, says CRA

Kyra-Lynn Audet, 26, of London is another parent whose family is being impacted by the government's recovery of CCB overpayments. 

"They dropped me about 60 per cent," said Audet, who usually receives nearly $800 for her two-year-old daughter. 

"They said they sent a letter and everything. I didn't receive any letter," added Audet, who doesn't have daily access to a computer and is expecting her second child in November. "I have no idea why, but now they say they overpaid me."

Audet's outstanding debt was pegged at around $1,300, but is now down to $900 after the CRA took nearly half of her March cheque.

She relies on the CCB for diapers, groceries and other bills, she said.

"I'm beyond nervous especially because I'm also preparing to have a newborn," said Audet. "How am I going to get a car seat? How am I going to get their stroller? How am I going to get all of their needs and stuff along with also making sure my daughter currently is provided for when they keep taking more and more and more?"

The CRA will work with people on a case-by-case basis, said Branch.

"If a taxpayer believes that the use of their benefits and/or credits to pay down their debt has caused significant financial hardship, they should contact the CRA directly to discuss their options at 1-888-863-8662, even if they already have a payment plan in place."

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