Canada Workers Benefit payments launch Friday

The bank accounts of millions of Canadians will get a boost Friday, with the first payment of the newly-enhanced Canada Workers Benefit set to launch.

The federal program provides financial support to low- and modest-income earners intended to aid with the cost of essentials like groceries and rent, with different amounts designated for singles, couples, and parents, depending on which province you live in.

In Alberta, for example, a single individual without children must have earned less than $33,093 in 2022 to be eligible, while a family with children must have earned less than $43,952 to qualify.

The government says the Canada Workers Benefit will provide up to $2,616 total for an eligible family, and $1,518 total for eligible single workers — split between three payments in July, October, and January. Eligible Canadians will receive a final payment after filing their 2023 tax return, it adds.

Those who received the benefit last year will automatically receive their advance payments from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), with no need to apply.

Eligibility for the program was expanded by the federal government in 2021, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland saying as many as 4.2 million “hardworking Canadians” will receive the cash “because no one working full-time should be struggling to put food on the table or to pay their rent.”