$100 per school-age child: payments to begin today

QUÉBEC CITY, January 26, 2018 – Starting today, families will receive $100 for each child aged 4 to 16 years as part of the new supplement for the purchase of school supplies. This supplement will reach almost 1.1 million children. The payments have been made by direct deposit today, Friday, January 26, 2018. Families who are not yet signed up to receive direct deposits will receive a cheque within the next few days. This payment is retroactive, covering the current school year (2017-2018).

Carlos J. Leitão, Minister of Finance, announced the creation of this supplement for the purchase of school supplies when the new Québec Economic Plan was unveiled in November 2017. This supplement adds to the financial aid already available to families who receive the child assistance payment for children aged 4 to 16 on September 30.

This supplement will be paid once per year, either in July by direct deposit or in August by cheque, to cover the following academic year. It constitutes a new addition to our child assistance measure, which includes the child assistance payment, the supplement for handicapped children, and the supplement for handicapped children with exceptional care needs.

Quotes:

The supplement for the purchase of school supplies is a form of non-taxable direct financial aid for families, representing an investment of $107 million. Through the child assistance measure, the government of Quebec now gives over $2.3 billion each year to Quebec families, contributing to improving their quality of life.

– Carlos J. Leitão, Quebec Minister of Finance

The start of a new school year often results in added expenses for parents. We have created this supplement in order to relieve this financial burden and support the parents of the 1.1 million school-aged children in Quebec.

– Sébastien Proulx, Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports and Minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region

Key facts:

• Families will receive $100 for each child aged 4 to 16 by September 30 as part of the new supplement for the purchase of school supplies.
• This supplement, which is part of the child assistance measure overseen by Retraite Québec, will reach almost 1.1 million children.
• The first payment is retroactive, covering the current school year (2017-2018).
• Subsequent supplement payments will be made once per year, either in July by direct deposit or in August by cheque, to cover the following academic year.
• Please note that the beneficiary must have custody of the child during the month in which the supplement is paid.
• In order to avoid postal delays on subsequent payments, families that have not yet signed up for direct deposit are invited to sign up online at www.retraitequebec.gouv.qc.ca/directdeposit or by telephone at 1 800 667-9625.