A reminder to those who qualify that we are in Period 2 of the Canada Dental Benefit and the Province of Manitoba is still accepting applications for the Hearing Aid Grant
Canada Dental Benefit Period 2
Applications for period 2 of the Canada Dental Benefit are as of July 1 2023.
During the first benefit period, the Canada Dental Benefit helped more than 315,000 children. Seeing a dental professional is important not only for oral health, but for overall health and wellbeing too. In Canada, a third of people do not have dental insurance, and many are unable to afford a visit to a dental health professional to get oral health services.
For the details, search Canada Dental Benefit. The Benefit is administered by Canada Revenue Agency, CRA.
Here is information on who is eligible, how to apply, and how applicants can get ready so that you can get their payments quickly once you apply.
Who is eligible and how much money can you receive?
To access the second benefit period, you must meet all the following criteria:
- You have a child or children under 12 as of July 1, 2023, and are currently receiving the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for that child;
- You have a family net income of less than $90,000;
- Your child does not have access to private dental care coverage;
- You have filed your 2022 tax return; and
- You have or will have out of pocket expenses for your child’s dental care services between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, for which the costs have not been fully covered under another dental program provided by any level of government.
The Canada Dental Benefit provides families with a maximum of two payments per child and a maximum of $1,300 over the two periods.
In the second benefit period, applicants can apply for one or two payments for each eligible child depending on their situation.
If you received a payment for a child in the first benefit period (October 1 2022 to June 30 2023): that child will only be eligible for one more payment.
If you did not receive a payment during the first benefit period: you could get up to two payments in the second period. If eligible, you could apply for both:
- A basic payment for their child’s dental care between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.
- The additional payment for the second period if their child’s dental costs were, or will be, over $650 and you meet the criteria.
How to make the application process faster and easier:
CRA My Account is the quickest, easiest, and most secure way to apply for the Canada Dental Benefit.
If you are unable to apply for this new benefit online, you can call CRA at 1-800-715-8836 to complete your application with an agent. Before calling, make sure you have your SIN, address, date of birth, and a copy of your most recently assessed tax return.
Manitoba Seniors Hearing Aid Program
The program opened to applications in June. Are you eligible? You need to be:
- Resident of Manitoba
- Be age 65 or over
- Have a household net income below $80,000 in 2022
- Require hearing aids as prescribed by a certified hearing aid dealer licensed in Manitoba
You must apply for the grant BEFORE you purchase the hearing aid(s).
Step 1: get a hearing assessment!
You need to have a hearing assessment before you can apply for the grant. You will need a recent audiogram or prescription of your hearing test from your hearing aid dealer. The hearing test must be dated within the last six months.
Step 2: get the Proof of Income Statement from CRA
You will also need a “Proof of Income” Statement from Canada Revenue Agency for 2022. The regular Notice of Assessment is not sufficient. The NOA does not contain your birthdate or marital status or your spouse’s net income.
To get your Proof of Income statement from CRA:
- Call CRA, 1.800.959.8281; when you call, make sure you have your 2021 or 2022 Notice of Assessment or Tax Summary handy as they will ask some questions about it in order to identify you;
- Access your CRA My Account and you can get a copy to print;
- Ask your tax professional; they should be able to get the Proof of Income Statement for you if they have access to your CRA account.
- Call the CRA automated line: 1.800.267.6999; you will need your SIN, date of birth, postal code, and line 15000 from your most recent notice of assessment; (since June, CRA has NOT been sending out the correct Proof of Income Statement and we have complained to CRA several times and have escalated to the CRA ombudsmen; we recommend the other options)
For almost all our clients, we have CRA authorization to access our clients’ CRA account and can get the Proof of Income Statement and print it off for you or send it to you as a PDF. There is a $25 fee for this additional service.
Step 3: apply for the grant
Search “Manitoba Seniors Hearing Aid Program” to get the application form. The hearing aid offices also have the forms. The application must include the Proof of Income statement and the hearing test. The applications can be mailed or faxed to the Department of Seniors. The hearing aid offices can also fax for you.
Step 4: receive approval
Once your application is approved, you will be sent the approval letter with the unique application number.
Step 5: purchase the hearing aid(s)
The $2,000 is not paid directly to you, it will be paid to the participating hearing aid dealer as a reduction to your purchase. The hearing aid dealer will need your approval letter with the unique application number.
If you only need one hearing aid at this time and the cost is under $2,000, the remaining unpaid grant may be used for the other ear if needed within the 5-year period. If you have some coverage through your private health plan, this program may pay the difference if your coverage is less than $2,000.
Paper Notice of Assessments
CRA has been warning for a couple of years that they plan to stop sending out paper Notice of Assessments. This month CRA announced that they have backed off from their intention. Taxpayers will continue to receive paper Notice of Assessments if that is their preferred method to receive them. Good news for all of us!
Anni Markmann is a Personal Income Tax Professional and Certified Financial Planner; living, working, and volunteering in our community. Contact Ste Anne Tax Service at 204.422.6631 (phone or text!) or 36 Dawson Road in Ste Anne (near Co-op) or info@sataxes.ca