Second application period for Canada Dental Benefit opens Saturday

The second application period for the federal government’s dental benefit program starts Saturday, so parents or guardians of eligible children can get up to $650 per child for dental services for the next year.

The second application period for the federal government’s dental benefit program starts Saturday, so parents or guardians of eligible children can get up to $650 per child for dental services for the next year.

The amount of the “Canada Dental Benefit” available per child under the age of 12 depends on their annual family income, from $260 if the family’s adjusted net income is between $80,000 and $89,999, to $390 if it’s between $70,000 and $79,999, to $650 if it’s under $70,000.

As of July 1, parents can apply for the benefit through their Canada Revenue Agency online account, if they meet the following criteria:

Health Canada is advising that parents applying for the benefit should also have on hand the contact information for their child’s dental care professional, as well as the contact information of their employer, and the date (or expected date) of their child’s dental appointment.

Last November, the NDP-backed Liberal affordability bill bringing in both the dental-care benefit and a rental boost for lower-income Canadians — known as Bill C-31 — became law. The first application period for the dental benefit started on Dec. 1, 2022.

Last fall, the federal financial agency briefed reporters on how the system will work for Canadians looking to apply for these benefits, billing the system as "streamlined and user-friendly."

According to Health Canada, more than 315,000 children accessed the benefit during the first eligibility period, from October 2022 to June 2023.