A first baby brings a run of paperwork with deadlines: leave and benefit applications, registrations, insurance and estate documents. This guide lists them in the order they come up, before and after the birth, and points to the pages that explain each benefit in full. It is part of our guide to life stages and life events.
What the first year costs (birth, gear, lost income on leave) is covered in the cost of having a baby in Canada, and child care in how much daycare costs in Canada.
Checklist by trimester
| Trimester | Tasks |
|---|---|
| First | Review your workplace benefits and any employer top-up for leave; check whether you qualify for EI or QPIP leave benefits; start a baby budget; review life and disability insurance |
| Second | Tell your employer and plan the leave dates; work out the income gap during leave; look into child care (waitlists can be long) |
| Third | Gather what you need to apply for leave benefits (your employer issues a Record of Employment); buy the essentials; set the budget you’ll live on during leave |
Parental leave benefits
Outside Quebec, maternity and parental benefits come from EI; Quebec parents are covered by the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan instead.
You need 600 insured hours in the 52 weeks before your claim (or since your last claim), and your regular weekly earnings must have dropped by more than 40% because you're pregnant, recently gave birth, or are caring for a newborn or newly adopted child.The weeks, the standard and extended options, the benefit rates and the weeks reserved for a second parent are explained in the EI maternity and parental benefits guide. The parental leave calculator estimates what you’d receive each week, and how much to save for maternity leave works out the gap between that and your pay. Many employers top up EI for part of the leave; the terms are in your employment contract or collective agreement.
After the birth: the first 60 days
| Action | Timing | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Register the birth | Within your province’s deadline | Needed for the birth certificate, SIN and benefits |
| Apply for the baby’s SIN | Once the birth is registered | Needed for the CCB and an RESP |
| Apply for the Canada Child Benefit | As soon as possible after the birth | Payments start only once the CRA has an application |
| Apply for EI or QPIP leave benefits | When your leave starts | Delays can push back your first payment |
| Add the baby to provincial health insurance | Within your province’s deadline | Coverage for doctor and hospital visits |
| Add the baby to workplace health and dental benefits | Within the plan’s deadline | Late additions may need medical evidence |
| Update beneficiaries, insurance and your will | In the first months | Names a guardian and protects the baby’s share |
| Open an RESP | Any time, the earlier the better | Grants start with your first contribution |
Many provinces let you register the birth, apply for the CCB and request a SIN in one online form at the hospital or through the provincial vital statistics office.
The Canada Child Benefit
The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment for each child under 18. For a child under 6 it is up to $8,157 a year (July 2026 to June 2027), reduced once adjusted family net income passes $38,237. Both parents must file a tax return every year to keep receiving it. An application covering a period that began more than 11 months earlier needs extra documents. The full amounts are on the CCB amounts page, the steps in how to apply for the CCB, and the CCB calculator estimates your payment. Most provinces add their own child benefit, paid with the CCB from the same application.
The baby’s documents
| Step | How |
|---|---|
| Register the birth | At the hospital or with the provincial vital statistics office |
| Birth certificate | Through provincial vital statistics |
| SIN | Service Canada (free); needed for an RESP and the CCB |
| Passport (optional) | IRCC; fees are on the cost of a Canadian passport |
An RESP
A Registered Education Savings Plan grows tax-sheltered, and the government adds the Canada Education Savings Grant on contributions, with extra grant money and the Canada Learning Bond for lower-income families (no contribution needed for the bond). How the grants work, including catching up on missed years, is in the CESG guide; providers are compared in the best RESP providers. Group (scholarship) plans have their own fees and rules, covered on those pages.
Life insurance
With a child depending on you, life insurance pays for their care if a parent dies. The usual approach adds up years of income to replace, the mortgage and other debts, and future costs such as education. A parent at home with the baby is often insured too, since replacing their unpaid work costs money. Ways to size the cover are in how much life insurance you need, and policies are compared in the best term life insurance in Canada.
Your will and designations
Without a will, a court decides who raises your child and the estate passes under provincial rules that may not match your wishes. A will after a birth usually covers:
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Guardian | Who raises your child if both parents die |
| Executor | Who settles your estate |
| Trustee | Who manages money left to your child until the age you choose |
| Distribution | At what age the child receives the money |
The steps are in how to make a will in Canada. Naming a minor child directly as beneficiary on an RRSP, TFSA or insurance policy usually means the money is held for the child under provincial rules until they are legally adults, so parents often name a trust or trustee instead; the trade-offs are in the beneficiary designation guide.
Related guides
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 29, 2026 and October 13, 2026. How we check facts.
- Canada Revenue Agency: How much you can get - Canada child benefit (CCB)
- Canada Revenue Agency: Canada Child Benefit
- Government of Canada: EI maternity and parental benefits: Eligibility