Program directory · Canada Revenue Agency
Benefits
- Department
- Canada Revenue Agency
- Program code
- BRB01 (CCRA)
- Core responsibility
- Benefits
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
We deliver a range of ongoing benefits, credits, and one-time payment programs that support the economic and social well-being of Canadians. Through processing activities, we make sure that Canadians receive their rightful benefits in a timely manner. We offer benefit recipients timely and accessible information on their entitlements and obligations through our contact centres, secure online services, and through the Benefits Outreach Program, which helps Canadians become more aware of the benefits they are entitled to and how to receive them. We also support community organizations and volunteers in their efforts to help individuals with modest income file their tax returns through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP).
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2017-18. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits | This program | 2017-18 – 2028-29 | $48.7B |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | Spending $1.13B, against $479M in 2017-18 (+135%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Spending $3.14B, against $1.13B in 2018-19 (+178%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators added: % of notices and payments, if applicable, issued within 11 weeks of receiving a paper Canada child benefit application; % of notices and payments, if applicable, issued within eight weeks of receiving a digital Canada child benefit application | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators dropped: % of targets for external service standards that the CRA met or mostly met for processing benefit applications on time | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Spending $5.15B, against $3.14B in 2019-20 (+64%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Employees (FTEs) 2,067, against 1,463 in 2020-21 (+41%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Employees (FTEs) 2,614, against 2,067 in 2021-22 (+26%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $7.66B, against $4.4B in 2021-22 (+74%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Spending $10.5B, against $7.66B in 2022-23 (+37%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Spending $16.2B, against $10.5B in 2023-24 (+54%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025 | Budget 2025 measure “Renewing the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program Grant”: $7M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2025, PDF page 278 |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $4.86B, against $16.2B in 2024-25 (−70%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
| 2026-27 | Planned employees (FTEs) 1,556, against 2,156 in 2025-26 (−28%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Planned spending $660M, against $4.86B in 2025-26 (−86%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 95% | 2021 | 98% | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 95% | 2022 | 95% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 95% | 2023 | 90% In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, 90% of these paper benefit applications were processed within this standard. The Canada child benefit program experienced higher-than-expected volume of applications, affecting the CRA’s ability to respond to paper applications within the established service standard. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 95% | 2024 | 73% Since 2022-23, the Canada child benefit program experienced an unprecedented increase of 22% in the number of paper applications, affecting the CRA’s ability to process these applications within the established service standard. In addition, population growth due to immigration and the new requirement to provide proof of birth with all applications made it challenging to meet the processing timef… | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 95% | 2025 | 79.6% The Canada child benefit program experienced a 13% increase in paper applications compared to 2023-2024, adding up to a 37% increase over the last three years, which has affected the CRA’s ability to meet this target. The CRA continues to improve process efficiency and adopt enhanced technology solutions to increase automation and better serve Canadians. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 95% | 2021 | 97% | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 95% | 2022 | 96% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 95% | 2023 | 92% In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, 92% of these digital benefit applications were processed within this standard. The Canada child benefit program experienced higher-than-expected volume of applications, affecting the CRA’s ability to respond to digital application within the established service standard. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 95% | 2024 | 90% This year, the Canada child benefit program experienced a 9% increase in the number of digital applications compared to 2022-23, affecting the CRA’s ability to meet its service standard. In addition, the requirement to provide proof of birth with all applications made it challenging to meet processing timeframes. The CRA continues to identify opportunities to improve process efficiency and levera… | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 95% | 2025 | 89.1% The Canada child benefit program experienced a 5% increase in digital applications compared to 2023-2024, adding up to a 14% increase over the last three years, which has affected the CRA’s ability to meet this target. The CRA continues to review its procedures and allocate resources strategically in an effort to maintain service standard and ensure timely support for eligible families. | Not met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 100% | 2019 | 100% | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 100% | 2020 | 67% This indicator consists of three external service standards. Two of the three service standards met their targets representing a 67% result. The service standard that did not meet its target was the standard for processing a Disability Tax Credit certificate. | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 95% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 95% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | — | $479M |
| 2018-19 | $483M | $1.13B |
| 2019-20 | $500M | $3.14B |
| 2020-21 | $3.93B | $5.15B |
| 2021-22 | $6.43B | $4.4B |
| 2022-23 | $7.68B | $7.66B |
| 2023-24 | $9.68B | $10.5B |
| 2024-25 | $12.3B | $16.2B |
| 2025-26 | $4.86B | — |
| 2026-27 | $660M | — |
| 2027-28 | $661M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $669M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 1,592 | 1,253 |
| 2018-19 | 1,506 | 1,135 |
| 2019-20 | 1,627 | 1,302 |
| 2020-21 | 1,433 | 1,463 |
| 2021-22 | 1,572 | 2,067 |
| 2022-23 | 1,991 | 2,614 |
| 2023-24 | 2,389 | 2,658 |
| 2024-25 | 2,360 | 2,303 |
| 2025-26 | 2,156 | — |
| 2026-27 | 1,556 | — |
| 2027-28 | 1,549* | — |
| 2028-29 | 1,540* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $482,609,132 | $474,246,261 | $477,744,586 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $499,962,083 | $494,389,657 | $494,701,282 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $3,929,115,162 | $4,889,329,806 | $5,559,277,731 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $6,432,006,014 | $7,316,092,644 | $7,310,327,657 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $7,676,246,779 | $7,927,540,647 | $7,702,542,229 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $9,683,526,641 | $11,150,834,566 | $12,616,887,655 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $12,294,047,102 | $13,026,627,344 | $14,863,904,258 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $4,858,170,167 | $673,866,260 | $681,511,620 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $659,834,747 | $661,373,883 | $669,356,015 | ||||||||
| Actual | $1,128,379,061 | $3,140,851,353 | $5,147,281,793 | $4,403,123,715 | $7,661,832,665 | $10,514,068,342 | $16,182,472,509 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
