CRAbhmm linktr.ee: in-progress Linktree about this topic
News articles about CCB clawbacks: Links to news articles about the CRA's pattern of targetting single mothers and Indigenous families
Reddit threads and advice in the comments: links to reddit posts, summaries and commentary based on my experience supporting someone else going through this.
My recollections and observations
Links and Resources
If you'd been receiving Canadian Child Benefits (CCB) and then got cut off for no apparent reason, you are not alone.
This website is for collecting information about how single parents and struggling families have fought or are still fighting for the benefits they are legally entitled to.
If the CRA subjects you to a random review, you make a typo, or you have a vindictive ex, you could be put through this hell.
When the CRA decides you are missing proof of your eligibility for CCB, they withhold further payments until you provide that proof. They also put you in debt equal to the amount of CCB you've already received. When in debt to the CRA, they can seize your rebates, clear your bank account, and garnish your wages. The people who are most affected have the least resources to challenge the CRA's rulings.
It can be very hard to get the specific documents the CRA asks for. It takes time and money people do not have. It may require documents that never existed, are lost for good, or take the cooperation of ex-partners. People provide what they can, but the CRA sticks to their rigid criteria without regard for individual circumstances. People go through multiple cycles of sending proof and receiving rejection. The goalposts for reinstating CCB can also move.
I've read about people who have had to fight for several months or even years to get their money paid back in full. This means struggling and going without essential income for a very long time, all the while working and doing childcare. This means taking out loans and paying interest, begging from friends and family constantly, and living with chronic stress over how to afford basic survival needs.
Learn about other people's stories and the steps they took to try to get their money back. I will also write about mutual aid -- how we can support each other and not leave struggling kids and caretakers behind.