Child benefit cheques delayed, but still coming, amid Canada Post strike – National
Parents expecting this month’s Canada Child Benefit (CCB) cheques will have to wait a little while longer because of the ongoing Canada Post strike.
Under an agreement between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), some benefit cheques, including the Canada Child Benefit, will continue to be delivered despite the national postal strike that reached the four-week mark on Thursday.
December payments of the CCB are set to go out to eligible families who have children under the age of 18 on Friday. But those who are expecting cheques will see a one-week delay, according to the Canada Revenue Agency.
“Canada Post will deliver benefit cheques for the Canada child benefit and related provincial and territorial benefits on December 20, 2024, one week later than expected,” CRA says on its website.
However, direct deposit payments will still be made as per the schedule on Friday, Dec. 13.
Canada Post told Global News on Thursday that under the agreement with the union, “CUPW has committed to provide enough volunteers to deliver the cheques.”
How much can parents expect?
The CCB amounts were increased in July after a routine annual recalculation based on a family’s net income from the previous year and inflation.
In December, parents could receive a maximum payment of $648.91 for each child under the age of six years. That is an annual increase of 4.7 per cent relative to 2023.
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For every child aged six to 17 years, the maximum CCB payment will be $547.50, which is also a 4.7-per-cent increase from last year.
Families will get the maximum amount for each child if their adjusted family net income is less than $36,502.
“The payments gradually start decreasing when the adjusted family net income is over $36,502,” the CRA states on its website.
Families whose total benefits for the year are less than $240 would have received a lump sum amount in July and therefore won’t be getting anything in December.
What about other benefits?
Other government benefit cheques that will continue to be delivered this month amid the strike include the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, Veterans Affairs Canada payments and provincial cheques from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
CRA is encouraging Canadians to set up direct deposit payments to avoid any interruptions in receiving their benefits.
“Direct deposit is the most efficient and surest method of payment that will not be impacted by a postal disruption,” the agency says.
The nationwide strike by more than 55,000 Canada Post workers still shows no signs of a resolution.
Both sides are still at odds over wage increases and weekend delivery among other issues including health and pension benefits in their labour negotiations.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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