Are you looking to deliver a baby in Canada? Congratulations in advance!
There are many reasons why people travel from different parts of the world to deliver their babies in Canada.
Notably, Canada has some of the most solid healthcare systems in the world. This directly contributed to the low infant mortgage rate in the country.
And for non-citizens, having a baby in Canada is the easiest way of gaining Canadian citizenship for their newborn. This is because the Canadian Citizenship Act recognizes everyone born in Canada as a citizen. The only exception applies to children born to foreign diplomats whose parents were neither citizens nor permanent residents of Canada.
Like you, in the process of preparing for child delivery in Canada, many parents usually ask the question: “how much does it cost to have a baby in Canada?”. This is a fundamental question since the cost of child delivery can vary considerably from one jurisdiction to the other.
This article discusses everything you need to know about the cost of having a baby in Canada for citizens and non-citizens.
The article also provides practical tips on how to prepare for child delivery in Canada. In the end, you will learn about the major things you need to do after delivering a baby in Canada.
Let’s get started
Table of Contents
How Much Does it Cost to Have a Baby in Canada?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. This is because the cost of delivering a baby in Canada varies from one province/territory to the other.
In addition, the cost varies across citizens vs noncitizens always as those with health insurance vs those without health insurance.
That being said, we can’t guarantee the actual cost of having a baby in Canada subject to inflation. So in what follows, you will learn about the average cost of delivering a baby in Canada.
The Cost of Giving Birth in Canada With Insurance
In most cases, the cost of delivering a baby in Canada is free for citizens with health insurance. But depending on the medical procedure of delivery, it may only cost a few hundred dollars for citizens.
In other words, the cost of having a baby for Canadian residents varies on home delivery with a midwife, vagina delivery at a hospital and cesarean section (CS) delivery at a hospital.
Below is the breakdown of the average cost of childbirth in Canada for citizens with insurance.
| Medical Procedure | Cost |
| A single prenatal care | C$0 |
| Prenatal ultrasound | C$300 |
| Home delivery with a midwife | C$860 to C$2,500 |
| Vaginal delivery at a hospital | C$1,000 |
| CS at a hospital | C$0 – C$1,000 |
In addition, the cost of having a baby in Canada for non-citizens with insurance could also be free depending on their health coverage. Although British Columbia and other provinces offer free child delivery services to non-citizens.
That being said, the following is the average cost of having a baby in Canada for non-citizens with medical insurance:
| Medical Procedure | Cost |
| A single prenatal care | C$0 to C$300 |
| Prenatal fetal screening | C$0 |
| Home delivery with a midwife | C$860 to C$2,500 |
| Vaginal delivery at a hospital | C$1,000 |
| CS at a hospital | C$0 to C$1,000 |
The Cost of Giving Birth in Canada Without Insurance
The cost of delivering in Canada for citizens without health insurance is relatively higher compared to those with insurance. This is expected since those without health insurance don’t have coverage that will offset the child delivery costs.
That being said, the following is the breakdown of the average cost of childbirth in Canada for citizens without insurance.
| Medical Procedure | Cost |
| A single prenatal care | C$100 to C$150 |
| Prenatal ultrasound | C$300 to C$500 |
| Home delivery with a midwife | C$2,500 |
| Vaginal delivery at a hospital | C$5,000 to C$8,000 |
| CS at a hospital | C$10,000 to C$12,000 |
Accordingly, the cost of delivering a baby in Canada for non-citizens without health insurance also differs per medical procedure as shown below:
| Medical Procedure | Cost |
| A single prenatal care | C$300 to C$500 |
| Prenatal fetal screening | C$100 to C$150 |
| Home delivery with a midwife | C$2,500 |
| Vaginal delivery at a hospital | C$5,000 to C$8,000 |
| CS at a hospital | C$10,000 to C$12,000 |
Let us now take an in-depth view of the cost of having a baby in Canada per medical procedure.
Costs of Having a Baby in Canada By Birth Method
As noted above, you can deliver a baby without spending a dime in Canada regardless of whether you’re a citizen or non-citizen. However, the actual cost of having a baby in Canada will boil down to the medical procedure used.
In what follows, we will take a detailed view of the average cost of delivering a baby in Canada across different medical procedures.
1. Natural Birth
As in other countries, you can deliver a baby in Canada without medical intervention. In this case, you have nothing to spend on child delivery.
Where a midwife is involved, you will spend an average of C$860 to C$2,500 regardless of whether you have health insurance or not as a Canadian citizen. But if you’re a non-citizen, it will cost you an average of C$5,000 to C$8,000 regardless of whether you have insurance.
Depending on your province and health insurance coverage, the midwife service could be provided for free, helping you save costs.
2. Hospital Birth
Hospital birth is the most popular method of child delivery in Canada. This method involves vaginal delivery and cesarean section (CS) delivery.
If a vaginal delivery method is adopted, your child delivery will cost you an average of C$1,000 if you have insurance or C$5,000 to C$8,000 if you don’t have insurance. This applies regardless of whether you’re a citizen or a non-citizen.
However, CS delivery will cost you an average of C$0 – C$1,000 if you have insurance or C$10,000 to C$12,000 if you don’t have insurance regardless of whether you’re a citizen or non-citizen.
3. IVF Birth
IVF, the abbreviation for In vitro fertilization, is another recognized child delivery method in Canada. However, this method is available only for couples who have fertility problems such as:
- Low sperm counts
- Unexplained fertility
- Severe endometriosis
- Missed or blocked fallopian tubes
- Failed intrauterine or artificial insemination
Unlike the above delivery procedures, the cost of IVF birth in Canada varies regardless of citizenship status. The cost usually depends on province/territory, medication costs, clinic and number of cycles.
On average, you should expect to spend C$9,2500 to C$17,000 per IVF cycle in Canada. Due to the high cost of IVF, some Canadian provinces (such as Ontario, Manitoba, Québec and News Brunswick) assist their residents financially with IVF treatments.
The exact financial assistance you will get depends on the province you reside and your eligibility.
4. Surrogacy Birth
Surrogacy is the process of delivering a child through another woman (surrogate mother). The process involves a medical transfer of your eggs to a surrogate mother who will hold and deliver a pregnancy on your behalf.
Even though surrogate mothers are not paid in Canada, there’s an underlying cost of surrogacy birth in the country.
The average amount ranges between $58,000 to $90,000 based on the clinic fees, agency fees, and other applicable fees.
5. Child Adoption
If you can’t have a baby through the above options in Canada, your last option could be to adopt a child. This will cost you nothing depending on the type of adoption.
Below are the various child adoption methods in Canada and their average costs:
| Method | Average Cost |
| Public Adoption | C$0 |
| Private Adoption | C$15,000 to C$25,000 per Canadian-born and $25,000 C$50,000 per overseas-born child |
| International Adoption | $30,000 to $50,000 |
Note that each of the above methods has different requirements you must meet to qualify. Click here for more information on child adoption in Canada.
How to Financially Plan for a Baby in Canada
From the above, it’s obvious that the cost of child delivery is extremely lower for those with health insurance compared to those without insurance. So the wise thing to do when preparing to deliver a baby in Canada is to sign-up for health insurance with maternity coverage.
If you already have health insurance without maternity coverage, it’s essential to switch to another plan.
While the cost of having a baby in Canada is affordable, the cost of raising one is expensive. So if you’re a non-citizen, it’s essential to also factor in the costs of raising a child in Canada before moving to the country.
As expected, the cost of raising a child in Canada varies per province and lifestyle. On average, you could spend C$10,000 to C$15,000 annually before your child turns 18. The exact amount depends on the costs of basic amenities such as:
- Feeding
- Daycare
- Diapers
- Clothing
- Schooling
- Birthday parties
- Babysitting
- Extracurricular activities
With this, you need to save as much as you can for child delivery in Canada. This could mean taking side hustles to improve your regular income since you will not be working when you deliver.
If you’re a Canadian citizen and have worked up to 600 hours in the previous year, you could receive 33% or 55% of your weekly earnings depending on the length of your parental leave. That could not be enough to cover your regular expenses especially if you don’t have other sources of income
That being said, It’s interesting to note that even if you’re self-employed, you can get maternity and parental benefits in Canada. All you need is to apply for the benefits online immediately when you stop working.
What Next After Child Delivery in Canada?
There is quite a lot to do after child delivery in Canada. But the most important of them include registering for your child’s birth, applying for your child’s SIN and registering for government benefits.
1. Register Your Child’s Birth
To get your child’s birth certificate, you need to register the birth at the province/territory you deliver.
In addition, you should apply for your child’s health card from the province/territory you deliver. This will provide your child access to free healthcare services.
2. Apply for Your Chid’s SIN
Some provinces allow you to apply for a newborn Social Insurance Number (SIN) simultaneously when registering their birth. But if that’s not the case in your province or you reside in Canadian territory, you need to apply online.
A Social Insurance Number is a 9-digit private number assigned to each Canadian for accessing government programs and benefits.
3. Register for Government Benefits
Once you get your child’s SIN, you can start applying for government benefits that apply to your child. Some of the popular government benefits for children in Canada include:
- Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
If you deliver yourself, you can register for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) when registering your child’s birth.
This benefit offers tax-free payment to reduce the cost of raising under 18-year old children in Canada. The payment is administered monthly by the CRA and it’s adjusted annually to reflect inflation rate.
However, not everyone receives the CCB payment. You must meet the following requirements to qualify:
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person or recognized Indian
- Pay your taxes in Canada
- Live with under 18-year old child
- Be the main person responsible for raising the under 18-year child
How much you get from CCB payment depends on your:
- Marital status
- Adjusted family net income (AFNI)
- Number of under 18-year children you are for
- Number of children in your family that are below the age of 18
The interesting part is that you will receive other related provincial and territorial benefits under the CCB program.
Click here to learn more about CCB.
- Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)
A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is a tax-advantaged account that provides you access to government benefits.
The primary purpose of this account is to help you save for your children’s post-secondary school tax-free while receiving government grants and loans under the following programs:
To get started, all you need is to sign-up with a financial institution that supports RESP. The eligibility depends on the financial institution you choose.
Click here to learn more about RESP.
- Registered Disability Savings Plan
If your child has a severe and prolonged disability, you should open a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) to access tax advantages and government benefits.
Like RESP, RDSP also offers grants and loans under the following programs:
Click here to learn more about RDSP.
The Bottom Line
How much does it cost to have a baby in Canada? Hopefully, you can answer that by now.
The bottom line is that the cost of child delivery in Canada varies across different medical procedures.
Depending on the medical procedure and your insurance coverage, you can deliver a child at no cost in Canada.
To be on the safer side, you should save above the estimated average amount when preparing for child delivery in Canada.
And after having your baby, ensure you get their birth certificate, health card and SIN to access free government benefits.
That brings us to the end of this article. If you need more clarification on how much it costs to deliver a baby in Canada, kindly hit me up in the comment section.
Wishing you a safe delivery!
