The application for the BC Recovery Benefit that will be made available as a one-time direct deposit payment for eligible families, single parents or individuals opens today. You’ll want to take advantage of this benefit.
The key aspect to be aware of: You must apply to receive the benefit.
Now, the John Horgan could very easily have foregone what will turn out for many to be an arduous application process, if they’re even aware there is a benefit for which they are eligible, and could have held off payment until January 5th, 2021, when they very easily might have included the $500 for eligible individuals, and the $1000 for couples and single parents — as they did in April, when they combined the then Climate Action Credit of $330 — with the issuance of GST cheques to households across the province.
No fuss, no muss, no application process — just a tidy sum of money deposited in every eligible adult’s bank account on the first Tuesday of 2021 — not a bad way to start the new year, don’t you think?
But in a blunder of immense proportion, not to mention a disingenuous way to commence Mr. Horgan’s first real mandate, our B.C. New Democratic Party provincial government has decided that not only will eligible British Columbians have to jump through the hoops of an online application process, eligibility for the BC Recovery Benefit is dependent on what you earned in the 2019 calendar year — before COVID-19 was on anyone’s radar, before businesses shut down due to the pandemic, causing the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs across our province — disallowing the full $500 recovery benefit to individuals who in 2019 earned more than $62,500 (with a sliding scale up to a cutoff of $87,500), with households with lower than a $125,000 combined income eligible for the full $1000 recovery benefit, decreasing that amount up to a cutoff point of $175,000.
If you lost you job or your business in 2020, and your income has plunged into the abyss in this very troubling year, you’ll be out of luck when it comes applying for the BC Recovery Benefit.
What is that you’re saying? “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth?”
For those who are unfamiliar with VanRamblings’ modus operandi, well … even with Hanukkah ending yesterday, we nonetheless just love to kvetch.
Okay, enough of this foofaraw, let’s get on with acquiring tax free moolah.
First off, you going to have to click on this link to be taken to the British Columbia government’s BC Recovery Benefit application website.
Next, you’re going to have to get all your ducks in a row, and make sure you have the following information and documentation available in order to complete the application process …
Note should be made: persons who are in receipt of the provincial Persons with Disabilities benefits are eligible to apply. The benefit will not be clawed back from existing benefits, as the recovery benefit is non-taxable.
On Tuesday, December 8th, the BC government introduced legislation to secure funding for the BC Recovery Benefit, projected to help around 3.7 million British Columbians.
Charlotte Aiden, a writer for The Ubyssey has written this story on student eligibility for the BC Recovery Benefit.
Students who are at least 19 years old and reside in British Columbia on December 18, filed a valid 2019 Canadian personal income tax return and have a social insurance, individual tax or temporary tax number are eligible to apply.
Unlike the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, international students are included in this benefit, given they meet the eligibility requirements.
You’ll need four things to apply on the government website: your net income from your 2019 tax return; your social insurance, individual tax or temporary tax number; your driver’s licence number if you have a BC driver’s licence (but this isn’t necessary); and your direct deposit information.
Unlike past benefits, this benefit will only be issued through direct deposit, so those who apply must have an account with a Canadian financial institution.
Toll free telephone support is available by phone starting Monday, December 21st, 2020.
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Call 1-833-882-0020 (within North America);
- Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, excluding statutory holidays;
- You have until June 30, 2021 to apply.
The COVID-19 BC Recovery Benefit will cost as much as $1.7 billion, up from an estimate of $1.4 billion announced during the election.
