As of Thursday, eligible Canadians can apply through the Canada Revenue Agency for funding as part of the first ever federal dental care program.

On November 17, the Liberal affordable care bill supported by the NDP, which brought both dental care benefits and rent increases for low-income Canadians – known as Bill C-31 – became law. At that time, the government committed to launching the application process before the end of the year.

On Wednesday, the federal financial agency briefed reporters on how the system works for Canadians looking to apply for these benefits, describing the system as "streamlined and easy to use."

Also, the Liberals unveiled details of dental care, enhanced rental benefits, and the GST tax credit in the NDP-supported affordable care package.

The CRA also said it would only take two minutes to apply, as there is some built-in pre-verification in the system, including checking whether your 2021 tax return has been filed.

Currently, the “Canada Dental Benefit” will be offered to children under 12 years old, with a family income under $90,000, with the amount provided per child annually depending on household income; for example, $650 will be provided for each child if the family’s net adjusted income is under $70,000, $390 for each child if the family’s net adjusted income is between $70,000 and $79,999, and $260 for each child if the family’s net adjusted income is between $80,000 and $89,999.

The first phase of dental care will provide eligible parents or guardians with “direct, tax-free payments to cover dental expenses.”

This temporary dental benefit is only available for two periods, and parents or caregivers can receive a maximum of two payments per eligible child.

The first period also covers retroactive expenses from October 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. The second period covers dental services received by children between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.

Applicants will also have two options to access the online portal: either through “My Account” at CRA or through a Service Canada account, and for those who do not have online access, CRA is setting up a dedicated phone line for dental benefits to receive applications.

In either case, applicants will need to provide a series of attestations to determine eligibility, as well as answer security questions to verify their identity.

Similarly, applicants can apply for this financial support before appointments, but they will have to provide proof of eligibility such as contact information for the dental service provider, the appointment date, and employer and spouse or partner information related to their benefit coverage.

The CRA strongly recommends signing up for direct deposit as the fastest and easiest way to receive this funding, noting that the estimated wait time for payments is five business days if registered for direct deposit, while it could take 10 business days to receive this funding otherwise.