Learn what to do if your marital status changes
Question & Answer
What life changes might affect my child benefit payments from the CRA?If your marital status changes, this could affect your Canada child benefit (CCB) payments.
Changes in marital status include getting married or divorced, starting to live common-law, or separating from your partner.
When to tell the CRA
If you separate from your partner, tell the (CRA) only after you’ve lived apart for 90 days in a row.
You must tell the CRA about other changes in your marital status by the end of the month that follows the month when the change happens. For example, if you get married in July, you must tell the CRA by the end of August.
How to tell the CRA
You can tell the CRA about the changes by:
- using the My Account service on the CRA website
- calling the CRA at 1-800-387-1193
- filling out and sending the CRA’s Marital Status Change form to your local tax centre
Information about a new spouse or partner
On the Marital Status Change form, you must include the name, address, and (SIN) of your new spouse or .
If you send the form in by mail, both of you must sign the form.
How changes affect CCB payments
In opposite-sex relationships, the woman automatically gets the CCB payments.
In same-sex relationships, one person gets the CCB payments for all of the children.
Only one parent can get CCB payments for the household.
If both you and your new spouse or partner continue to get CCB payments, one of you will have to pay back the amount you get to the CRA.
When your marital status changes, the CRA decides if your CCB payments also change. The amount you’ll get is based on your new family .
If you’re getting a different amount, this starts the month after your marital status changed. This means that if you got married in July, the new amount applies in August.
