Life-event guide · Household change
Separation and divorce benefits guide
When you separate or divorce, household income, custody arrangements, and living situations can change. This guide lists government benefits, tax credits, and services you may need to review. It is not legal advice.
Start with what is urgent for you. You can seek safety, housing and income support now, without waiting for CRA to recognize a separation.
This is not an eligibility test
Last reviewed: August 2026
Before you choose a province
Family justice services
Justice Canada lists family justice services offered through provinces and territories. The list includes information and help to obtain, recalculate, or enforce child or spousal support, where those services exist. Not every province or territory offers the same service. A link is not a decision that you qualify.
Tailor this guide
Legal aid, family justice, and childcare subsidy links below match your province or territory.
Provincial legal aid and childcare subsidy links update with your province. Child benefit sections appear when children are involved.
Your situation
Child benefit and custody sections adjust when children are involved.
Safety and confidential help
If you are experiencing family violence, you can get crisis support. Steps for CRA benefits, safe contact details, and account access are in the taxes section. This section is separate from routine benefit updates.
Find local crisis lines and shelters
Federal directory of provincial and territorial family violence crisis lines and support services.
Open crisis support directoryCRA benefits in an abusive situation
How to apply for or receive child and family benefits when sharing information may not be safe. You do not have to contact an abusive person, and a partner's signature is not required on benefit forms.
Read CRA guidance
Start here
What to do first
Choose the action that fits today. You do not need to complete everything in order.
What matters first
If safety, food, shelter, or money for essentials is urgent, seek help now. You can view safety-support contacts above without describing your circumstances on this page. The CRA 90-day rule does not delay access to help.
Go to sectionWhat can wait: reporting a separation
For CRA marital status, wait until you have lived apart for 90 consecutive days because the relationship broke down, then report the separation using the first day you lived apart. Do not wait to seek help or report a change in who cares for a child.
Go to sectionWhat to do next
Check which household details have changed before updating benefits. Payments may rise or fall. A separation does not mean every benefit needs an immediate change.
Go to sectionIf children are involved
Tell CRA promptly if a child moves or the care arrangement changes. For CCB, shared custody generally means 40% to 60% of the time with each parent. Each eligible parent receives 50% of their own full-custody amount, based on their own adjusted family net income.
Go to sectionWhere to get official help
A federal family justice list sits above the province selector, including child or spousal support where a province offers that service. Choose your province for local legal aid and family justice contacts if you need them. You do not need legal representation to read this guide or contact CRA.
Go to section
Optional preparation
These details can help when you contact an office. Missing documents should not stop you from asking for urgent food, shelter, or safety help.
- The date you started living apart
- Where a child actually stays, if a child is involved
- A safe address, phone number, or email
- Tax, housing, and income information you already have
File a tax return each year, even if you had no income. The CRA uses that return to calculate benefit and credit payments.
Read the CRA note on filing with no incomeBenefits that may change
These federal programs may be recalculated when household income, marital status, or custody changes. Amounts can go up or down depending on your situation.
- Federal (CRA)May recalculate
Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
CRA may adjust CCB when marital status, custody, or household income changes. Payments are based on last year's tax return and current family details.
What to know
- Update CRA when custody or living arrangements change
- Shared custody has specific rules about who receives payments
- Provincial child benefits often follow the same household picture
- Federal (CRA)Household-based
Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly GST/HST credit)
This benefit replaced the GST/HST credit in July 2026. Quarterly payments depend on family income and circumstances. Separation may change the amount; CRA determines your entitlement.
What to know
- Usually assessed from your tax return
- Marital status on your return affects the calculation
- Update direct deposit and address in CRA My Account
- Federal (CRA)Check timing
Update marital status with CRA
For separation due to relationship breakdown, wait 90 consecutive days, then report the first day you lived apart as the effective date. For other marital-status changes, notify CRA by the end of the following month.
What to know
- Separation date matters for benefit calculations
- Update through CRA My Account or by phone
- Also update address and direct deposit if they changed
- Federal (CRA)Tax credit
Amount for an eligible dependant
You may qualify if you support an eligible dependant in your home and meet CRA conditions. Child support and shared custody can affect the claim; it is not automatic for single parents.
What to know
- Paying child support usually prevents a claim, but CRA lists exceptions
- Only one person can claim per dependant
- Filed on your annual tax return
- Federal (CRA)Tax deduction
Child care expenses deduction
The lower-income rule generally applies when you live with another supporting person. After separation, shared custody, who paid and the period of care matter. Check CRA’s child care rules for your tax year.
What to know
- Receipts from eligible providers are required
- Provincial childcare subsidies are separate programs
- Quebec also has a provincial childcare tax credit with its own conditions
Children and shared custody
Child benefit amounts depend on where the child lives and the care arrangement. MyEligible does not determine custody. Review official rules and update CRA when arrangements change.
If children are involved, focus on where they live and who provides care. The blocks below cover shared-custody CCB rules and childcare subsidy nuance without repeating the full CCB overview above.
CCB shared custody rules
Tell CRA promptly if a child moves or the care arrangement changes. For CCB, shared custody generally means 40% to 60% of the time with each parent. Each eligible parent receives 50% of their own full-custody amount, based on their own adjusted family net income.
Read shared custody rulesWhat to know
- Based on actual care arrangement, not court orders alone
- Both parents must apply or update their information
- Rules differ from sole custody situations
Child care expenses and provincial subsidy
Federal child care expense deductions and provincial fee subsidies are separate. After separation, who can claim and who qualifies for subsidy may change.
Read child care expense rulesWhat to know
- Who can claim depends on living arrangements and who paid eligible expenses
- Provincial childcare subsidy uses its own income and custody rules
- Quebec also has a provincial childcare tax credit with its own conditions
Essentials
Food, shelter, and housing
If you need money for food or a place to stay, or your housing changed, local help may be worth asking about. Programs differ by province. This guide does not confirm eligibility or a payment date.
Start with food, shelter, and short-term financial help, not only a housing search. A local office decides whether any help applies.
Ontario's emergency assistance page is shown only when Ontario is selected. It is not a national program, and it does not promise eligibility or a payment date.
If no local emergency financial page is listed for your province or territory, use 211 to find local food, shelter, and community help.
- 211 Canada
Free referral to local food banks, shelters, meal programs, and community services.
When to check housing help
- Your household income dropped after separating
- You need a new place to live or temporary shelter
- You need local rent, transit, or municipal fee help quickly
Housing and essentials navigator
Search your province and city for rent banks, shelter contacts, transit passes, and municipal fee assistance.
Official pathways
Legal help and family justice
Publicly funded legal aid, family court information, and mediation services vary by province. These links go to official government resources only.
Choose your province or territory above to see official local contacts.
Taxes and CRA updates
Check the timing for marital-status updates and the rules for tax claims. Address and custody changes can need attention before the 90-day separation period ends.
A marital-status change you report to the CRA updates CRA benefits and credits. The CRA says it does not share your new marital status or other personal information with other government departments. Contact each organization that pays you. The 90-day separation timing on this page is a CRA rule. Do not use it as the timing for a provincial or territorial program.
If sharing contact details is not safe
You do not have to contact an abusive person to give information to the CRA or to apply for benefits. A spouse or common-law partner's signature is not required on benefit forms. If you cannot get a document the CRA asks for, contact the CRA and ask what other document they will accept. Review who can access your CRA account, remove anyone who should not have access, and use a safe address, phone number, or email. The CRA may still contact another person to verify marital status or child custody. Do not assume a former partner will not learn of a change.
Read CRA guidance on abusive situationsChild support and spousal support
Child support under an order or agreement made after April 1997 is generally not deductible by the payer or taxable to the recipient. Qualifying spousal support is generally deductible and taxable. Older agreements, lump sums and unpaid child support can change the treatment. Check CRA before claiming.
Check CRA support-payment rulesUpdate marital status with CRA
Federal (CRA)For separation due to relationship breakdown, wait 90 consecutive days, then report the first day you lived apart as the effective date. For other marital-status changes, notify CRA by the end of the following month.
Amount for an eligible dependant
Federal (CRA)This non-refundable credit has household, relationship, support and income conditions. Only one person may claim for the same dependant. If eligible claimants cannot agree, neither can claim.
Child care expenses deduction
Federal (CRA)Who can claim child care expenses may change after separation based on custody and who pays for care.
Check benefits for your new household
Rerun the quiz with your updated marital status, income, and children to see federal and provincial programs that may apply.
Common questions
Official sources
Last verified for this tool: 2026-08-13. Amounts may change.
- Canada Child Benefit (CRA)
- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly GST/HST credit)
- CRA marital status and life events
Last reviewed: August 2026 ·