Do I claim my 18 year old daughter as a dependent? She is attending university in the fall and I still receive child support for her.

 

After you file

Thank you for your question.

 

You can claim your daughter as a dependent if she is over the age of 18 and physically or mentally impaired. For more information, please see the link below:

 

Who Can I Claim as a Dependant on my Tax Return?

 

If you have any questions, you can contact our phone support team or contact us via private chat on Facebook or Twitter.

After you file

As per CRA...

 

Do you qualify

To be eligible, the child must be either:

  • under age 18, or
  • under age 25 and in full-time attendance at a recognized school or university

The child must also be:

  • the natural child of the contributor
  • a child adopted “legally" or "in fact" by the contributor while under the age of 21
  • a child "legally" or "in fact" in the custody and control of the contributor while under the age of 21

A child may be eligible if the parent or guardian:

  • is receiving a CPP disability benefit (either the disability benefit or the post-retirement disability benefit)
  • has died and met the CPP contributory requirements for a CPP death benefit

If the child is age 18 to 25, the child must be attending school full-time at a recognized educational institution in order to receive a children’s benefit.

Once a child turns 25, they are no longer eligible for these benefits.

 

Benefits for children under 25

COVID-19

Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, there are changes to this program.

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) children's benefits provide monthly payments to the dependent children of disabled or deceased CPP contributors.

There are 2 types of CPP children's benefits:

  • a disabled contributor's child's benefit – a monthly payment for a child of the person receiving a CPP disability benefit
  • a surviving child's benefit – a monthly payment for a child of the deceased contributor. For the benefit to be paid, the deceased contributor must have made sufficient contributions to the CPP

A maximum of 2 children’s benefits can be paid to a child.

 

For more information please visit CRA.

 

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