New parent benefits checklist: what to apply for, and in what order

Before the baby arrives

Two small tasks save the most trouble later. First, set up direct deposit with the CRA. The CRA recommends doing this before the birth so the first child benefit payment is not delayed, and if you already receive benefits for another child by direct deposit, the newborn’s payments go to the same account. Second, check your own social insurance number is on hand, because both the benefit applications and the EI application ask for it.

If you work for an employer and plan to take leave, find out how the employer issues your record of employment. Electronic records go straight to Service Canada, while paper records you must request and send in. You can view issued records in your My Service Canada Account. If you are not in Quebec, EI covers maternity and parental benefits. Quebec residents deal with the Québec Parental Insurance Plan instead.

After the birth: register it and apply for the child benefit

The CRA describes a shortcut called the Automated Benefits Application. When you register the birth with your province, you can apply for the Canada child benefit in the same form, give consent for the province to share the information with the CRA, enter your social insurance number and submit. The province sends the birth information, including proof of birth, to the CRA, which says it will send a notice or a payment within 8 weeks. Ontario is one of the participating provinces.

If you do not give consent, nothing is sent to the CRA. You then apply through My Account using the option to apply for child benefits, or on Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, and you provide proof of birth for the child. Leaving out your social insurance number can delay processing or payments. A child’s own social insurance number is applied for through Employment and Social Development Canada, and the application sets out the documents it needs.

Apply for EI maternity and parental benefits

Apply as soon as you stop working. Service Canada says that applying more than 4 weeks after your last day of work may cost you benefits. As a guideline, you need 600 insured hours in the 52 weeks before your claim starts and a drop of more than 40% in regular weekly earnings, but Service Canada asks you to apply and let it decide. Maternity benefits are for the person who gave birth and can start up to 12 weeks before the due date. They run up to 15 weeks and cannot be shared.

Parental benefits are where families make a lasting choice. Standard parental benefits pay 55% of insured earnings up to $729 a week in 2026, for up to 40 weeks shared between parents with no more than 35 for one parent. Extended benefits pay 33% up to $437 a week, for up to 69 weeks shared and no more than 61 for one parent. You cannot switch once a week of parental benefits has been paid to you or to the other parent, and both parents must choose the same option. As an illustration, one parent might take 15 weeks of maternity plus 35 weeks of standard parental, leaving the other up to 5 weeks of standard parental.

You can apply for maternity and parental at once. The online form takes about an hour, and your progress is saved for 72 hours. You can submit it before you have every document and send those afterward. You will later receive a benefit statement with a 4-digit access code, which is not a decision on your claim.

Know what the child benefit may pay

The Canada child benefit is tax-free and does not go on your return. For July 2026 to June 2027, a family with an adjusted family net income under $38,237 receives the maximum, which is $8,157 a year for each child under 6, or $679.75 a month. Above that, the amount is reduced, and the CRA recalculates every July using the prior year’s return, so the income that counts in 2026-27 is your 2025 income. Do not budget around the maximum unless your income is under the threshold. Our CRA benefit payment dates 2026 guide lists when payments are scheduled.

The CRA also administers some provincial child and family programs, and certain amounts may be combined with the federal payment while others arrive separately. Check your benefit notice to see what is included. If the other parent is the one who will be primarily responsible for the child’s care, ask the CRA what extra documents it needs before you send an application.

Keep the payments going

Once you apply, the CRA says you must file your tax return every year, and so must your spouse or common-law partner, even with little or no income. Filing late can stop payments temporarily, and the CRA says missed amounts are paid retroactively once the return is assessed. The date to protect is April 30. Payments also stop if you do not answer a CRA letter or if you fail to report a change of address, bank account or marital status.

Keep a folder with the birth registration confirmation, your benefit notices, the EI benefit statement and access code, and the tax slip you receive for your EI leave income. Our tax planning for a new baby article covers how leave income shows up on the return and when to open an RESP, and our RESP opening checklist covers that account separately. Bring your slips and benefit notices to your accountant at filing time.