News Release

Apply for Working Parents Benefit today

Working parents have until March 31 to apply to receive a one-time $561 per child benefit to help with the cost of child care.

Parents who used child care from April to December of 2020 while working or attending school, can apply now to receive the Working Parents Benefit at alberta.ca/WorkingParentsBenefit.

“The pandemic and the economic downturn has created significant stress for working parents, many of whom have continued to fuel our economy and provide essential services through extreme challenges. The Working Parents Benefit puts money directly into the pockets of the families who need it most to assist them with the financial pressures they have faced this past year.”
Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Children’s Services

Families will be eligible to apply for the Working Parents Benefit if they have:

A household annual income of $100,000 or less.

Paid a total of $561 or more per child for at least three months of child care between April 1 and Dec. 31, 2020 (must provide receipts).

Children born on or after Feb. 29, 2008, in any form of child care, including licensed or unlicensed child care.

A MyAlberta Digital ID is needed to apply for the benefit. Sign up for your MyAlberta Digital ID.
The Working Parents Benefit is in addition to the recently announced Critical Worker Benefit, a $1,200 payment to 330,000 front-line and essential workers, and the Enhanced COVID Business Benefit, a $10,000 support for businesses hit hardest by the pandemic.
Alberta’s government is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by protecting lives and livelihoods with precise measures to bend the curve, sustain small businesses and protect Alberta’s health-care system.

Quick facts

As a result of the pandemic, fewer families have been using child care, which has meant that money normally used to support families through child care subsidies has not been spent.

This $108 million of unspent funds from Children’s Services will be redirected under the Working Parents Benefit to support up to 100,000 families and 192,000 children.

As of Feb. 12:

96 per cent of daycares, preschools and out-of-school care programs (2,739 programs) are open.

Four per cent of programs (102 programs) are not open.

The 2,739 open programs have 115,285 spaces available. On average, 58,003 children attended during the week, representing a 50 per cent enrolment rate.

Child care operators have received more than $100 million in COVID relief payments over the past year to address cost pressures and adhere to health, cleaning and safety guidelines.

Alberta’s government is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by protecting lives and livelihoods with precise measures to bend the curve, sustain small businesses and protect Alberta’s health-care system.



Related information

Working Parents Benefit
MyAlberta Digital ID
Protecting Lives and Livelihoods

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