Child assistance is a refundable tax credit administered by the Régie des rentes du Québec. It is paid directly to all eligible families with dependent children under age 18.
 
The measure has 2 components: the child assistance payment and the supplement for handicapped children.

The Régie des rentes du Québec.

All eligible families with one or more dependent children under age 18 are entitled to the child assistance payment. To be eligible for child assistance payments, a person must meet the following conditions:

• Be responsible for the care and education of a child under the age of 18
• The child lives with the beneficiary or has been placed elsewhere by a youth centre and the beneficiary pays the contribution required by the centre.
• Live in Québec (in accordance with the Québec Taxation Act)
• The beneficiary and his or her spouse has one of the following statuses:
• Canadian citizen
• permanent resident
• temporary resident who has been living in Canada for at least 18 months
• protected person.

• In the case of a birth in Québec, an application does not have to be made in order to receive child assistance payments. The Registrar of Civil Status informs the Régie of the birth and the child will automatically be registered for child assistance payments.
• In some situations (adoption, obtaining shared custody, change of custody, a family's arrival in Québec, obtaining or keeping custody of a child following the breakdown of a union), an application will have to be made to receive child assistance payments.

The amount of the child assistance payment varies from one family to another. The calculation takes into account:

• the number of dependent children under the age of 18 who live with the beneficiary
• whether or not the custody of a child is shared
• the net family income (the combined total of both spouses' income as indicated on line 275 of the Québec income tax return)
• the family situation (single-parent or two-parent)

(in dollars)
Characteristic	Amount
Maximum assistance
1st child	2 263 $
2nd child	1 131 $
3rd child	1 131 $
4th and subsequent children	1 696 $
Single-parent family	+ 793 $
Minimum assistance in all cases
1st child	635 $
2nd child	586 $
Single-parent family	+ 317 $
Monthly amount for a handicapped child	179 $
1. The amount of the child assistance payment is indexed in January of each year. 2. Total family income as of which the maximum payable is reduced.

For single-parent families, a supplement of not less than 317 $ and up to a maximum of 793 $ is added to the basic child assistance payment. CalculAide can be used to find out how much could be paid, depending on a given situation.

Yes. Child assistance payments and the supplement for handicapped child are indexed in January of each year.

First, when the beneficiary receives a Notice of Acceptance confirming entitlement to child assistance payments.

Then, in May and June of each year, the Régie sends all Québec families with a dependent child under age 18 an annual notice of child assistance. The notice indicates the information the Régie has about the beneficiary's family situation as well as the amount that will be paid from July of the current year to June of the following year.

The child assistance payment and the supplement for handicapped children are not taxable. Moreover, they cannot be transferred or seized.

The supplement for handicapped children is 179 $ a month, regardless of the family income. The supplement for handicapped children is indexed every year.

In cases of shared custody, child assistance payments are made to both parents at the same time, without interruption, and according to the payment frequency (quarterly or monthly) chosen by each parent.

The Régie considers that a child is in shared custody when the child lives alternately with each parent between 40% and 60% of the time each month.

Child assistance payments and the supplement for handicapped children stop in the month following the one in which the child turns 18.

The Minister of Families , Ms. Yolande James , is the minister responsible for the Régie in matters related to the administration of the child assistance measure.