Working Parents Benefit

COVID-19: Alberta Provincial Government – Alberta’s Income Support

On February 24^th, 2021, the Alberta Government released a new benefit for working parents. The following is a brief summary of the benefit and the eligibility criteria required. There are ongoing changes and updates regularly, please check back or give us a call at 1 (844) 382-7337 for questions. 

The Government of Alberta has recognized the issues faced by many families due to the pandemic and want to support working parents who require, and have, paid childcare in order to continue working. The Alberta Government is providing a one-time payment of $561 per child. The applications for the benefit will open on March 1^st.

Eligibility of this benefit is as follows:

• You had a household income of $100,000 or less in the 2020 tax year.
• You are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident living in Alberta.
• You are the parent or legal guardian of a child who was born on or after February 29, 2008.
• You paid $561 per child or more for 3 months of childcare between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 (receipts required).
• You required the childcare above because you were working or attending school.
• The childcare you paid for was provided by a licensed daycare, a licensed out-of-school care program, a licensed preschool, a licensed group family childcare program, an approved family day home, a private day home, a nanny or a relative, or any another childcare provider (receipts required).

Things to know:

• To apply for the benefit, a MyAlberta Digital ID account is required.
• Share Custody:
  • In case of shared custody, only one parent can apply for each child.
• Tax information:
  • The benefit will need to be deducted from any childcare expenses claimed on your 2020 tax return.
• To ensure decreased processing time, the application opening dates have been organized by regions as follows:
  • March 1^st: Southern Alberta
  • March 2^nd: Northern Alberta
  • March 3^rd: Urban Centres
  • March 4^th: Edmonton Metro Area
  • March 5^th: Calgary Metro Area
  • March 6^th: Applications open to everyone.

More information regarding the application for this program as well as the regional breakdown can be found below.