Climate action incentive payments going out to some Canadians today

People in some provinces are getting climate action incentive payments today

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The government is sending out a second batch of Climate Action Incentive Payments (CAIP) to Canadians today, and you might want to keep an eye on your bank account.

The payments began being issued on Friday, October 13. They’re usually sent out on the 15th of a payment month, but the date has been moved since it’s a Saturday.

The CAIP is a tax-free amount paid to help individuals and families offset the cost of federal pollution pricing and is available to residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI, and Ontario.

It consists of a basic amount and a supplement for residents of small and rural communities and is paid quarterly.

The climate action incentive was paid as a refundable credit claimed annually on personal income tax returns. However, starting in July 2022, the government changed it to quarterly tax-free payments made through the benefits system.

Residents of New Brunswick will receive a double payment this month, as they did not get theirs in July.

A fourth-quarter payment is also scheduled for eligible Canadians in January 2024.

How much will you receive?

On its website, the federal government has outlined projected payments to eligible Canadians as follows:

Alberta

$193 — Individual
$96.50 — Spouse or common-law partner
$48.25 — Per child under 19

Manitoba

$132 — Individual
$66 —Spouse or common-law partner
$33 — Per child under 19

Ontario

$122 – Individual
$61 – Spouse or common-law partner
$30.50 – Per child under 19

Saskatchewan

$170 — Individual
$85 — Spouse or common-law partner
$42.50 — Per child under 19

Newfoundland

$164 – Individual
$82 — Spouse or common-law partner
$41 — Per child under 19

Nova Scotia

$124 — Individual
$62 — Spouse or common-law partner
$31 — Per child under 19

PEI

$120 — Individual
$60 — Spouse or common-law partner
$30 — Per child under 19

New Brunswick

Double payment for October:

$184 — First adult
$92 — Second adult
$46 — First child
$46 — Second child

Are you eligible?

To be eligible for the upcoming CAIP payment, you must:

Be a resident of Canada for income tax purposes at the beginning of October 2023
Be a resident of one of the CAIP provinces as of October 1
Be at least 19 years old

If you’re younger than 19, you must meet the following conditions:

Have (or previously had) a spouse or common-law partner
Are (or once were) a parent and live (or once lived) with your child

Eligible kids

According to the feds, your child or children are also eligible if, at the beginning of October:

They are under 19 years of age
They live with you
They registered for the Canada Child Benefit
You are the child’s primary guardian, responsible for their care and upbringing.

“If you are eligible for the Canada child benefit, a credit for each eligible child will be included in the calculation of the CAIP,” reads the government’s guide on CAIP.

If you share custody of your child/children with a former spouse and are entitled to climate action incentive payments, you’ll get half the amount you would receive if the child lived with you full-time.

New to Canada?

New residents of Canada can apply for CAIP, too, but will need to fill out some forms and mail them out to your nearest tax centre.

If you have kids, fill out the following:

If you don’t have kids, fill out the following:

FormRC151 GST/HST Credit and Climate Action Incentive Payment

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