The Canada child benefit, explained
The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment from the Canada Revenue Agency to families raising children under 18, scaled down as family income rises.
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For the July 2026 to June 2027 benefit year, the Canada child benefit pays up to $8,157 a year for each child under 6 and $6,883 for each child aged 6 to 17, which is $679.75 and $573.58 a month. Those maximums go to families whose adjusted family net income for 2025 was $38,237 or less. Above that line, the Canada Revenue Agency trims the benefit in two tiers: a percentage of income between $38,237 and $82,847 that depends on how many children you have, then a fixed amount plus a smaller percentage beyond $82,847. A family with one toddler and one school-age child and an income of $70,000 keeps $10,752 for the year. The benefit is tax-free. To receive it, you must live with the child, be the parent mainly responsible for daily care, be a resident of Canada for tax purposes, and you or your spouse must hold a qualifying status. When the yearly total falls under $240, the CRA pays it in one sum in July instead of monthly.
Your Canada child benefit, July 2026 to June 2027
Per month
$952.25
| Maximum before reduction | $15,040 |
| Income reduction | $3,613.01 |
| Reduction tier | First tier, $38,237 to $82,847 |
| Children counted | 2 |
Under $240 for the year, the CRA pays one sum in July. Your notice from the CRA gives the amount paid.
Who can receive the CCB
The CRA eligibility page sets five conditions, and all of them must be met. You live with a child under 18. You are the person primarily responsible for that child’s care and upbringing, which the CRA describes as supervising daily activities and needs, making sure medical needs are met and arranging child care when necessary. You are a resident of Canada for tax purposes, meaning you normally live here and have significant residential ties such as a home, a spouse or dependants in Canada. And you or your spouse or common-law partner is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a protected person with a positive decision, a person registered or entitled to be registered under the Indian Act, or a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months and holds a valid permit in the 19th month.
The fifth condition concerns foster care: no CCB is paid for a child in any month when the Children’s Special Allowance is payable for that child, because that allowance already goes to the agency or caregiver.
What adjusted family net income means
Everything after eligibility turns on one number. Adjusted family net income is your net income on line 23600, plus the line 23600 of your spouse or common-law partner if you have one, minus any universal child care benefit and registered disability savings plan income you reported (lines 11700 and 12500), plus any repayments of those amounts (lines 21300 and 23200). For the payments made from July 2026 to June 2027, the CRA uses the 2025 returns. Net income is lower than gross pay: RRSP contributions, union dues, child care expenses and support payments you deduct all reduce line 23600, and therefore raise the CCB.
A new spouse changes the picture: once you live together as spouses or common-law partners, the family figure includes that person’s line 23600 too, which can reduce the benefit sharply. A separation works the other way. Either change of marital status has to be reported to the CRA.
The two reduction tiers
The CRA starts from the maximum: $8,157 for each child under 6 and $6,883 for each child aged 6 to 17. It then subtracts a reduction that depends only on income and on the number of children, whatever their ages. Up to $38,237, nothing is subtracted. Between $38,237 and $82,847, the reduction is a percentage of the income above $38,237. Beyond $82,847, it becomes a fixed amount, equal to the full first-tier reduction, plus a smaller percentage of the income above $82,847.
| Children in the family | Rate from $38,237 to $82,847 | Reduction over $82,847 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 % | $3,123 + 3.2 % |
| 2 | 13.5 % | $6,022 + 5.7 % |
| 3 | 19 % | $8,476 + 8 % |
| 4 or more | 23 % | $10,260 + 9.5 % |
The rates rise with family size because the reduction is shared across more children. A household with four children loses 23 % of each extra dollar of income in the first tier, against 7 % for an only child. In the second tier the pace slows, which is why the benefit fades slowly for middle and higher incomes rather than stopping at a cliff.
One family across the income range
Take a household with one child under 6 and one aged 6 to 17. Its maximum is $15,040 a year. The table applies the CRA formula through the site’s engine at six income levels.
| Adjusted family net income 2025 | Reduction | CCB for the year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $0 | $15,040 | $1,253.33 |
| $50,000 | $1,588 | $13,452 | $1,121.00 |
| $70,000 | $4,288 | $10,752 | $896.00 |
| $90,000 | $6,430 | $8,610 | $717.52 |
| $120,000 | $8,140 | $6,900 | $575.02 |
| $160,000 | $10,420 | $4,620 | $385.02 |
At $70,000, the family sits in the first tier: 13.5 % of the $31,763 above $38,237 gives a reduction of $4,288, leaving $10,752, or $896.00 a month. When the younger child turns 6, the maximum for that child drops to $6,883 and the monthly payment falls accordingly. The CCB calculator handles any mix of ages and incomes.
Small amounts are paid once, in July
A family whose total benefit for the year is under $240 does not receive monthly payments. The CRA payment dates page says the whole amount comes as one lump sum with the July payment. This mostly affects higher-income families near the end of the second tier. Every other family is paid around the 20th of each month; the CCB payment dates guide lists the 2026 days, including the early December deposit.
How to apply
There are three routes, described on the CRA application page. At a birth, you can apply while registering the newborn at the hospital or birthing centre, through the automated benefits application. Otherwise, sign in to My Account, open the benefits and credits section and add the child. The third route is paper: form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, mailed to your tax centre. Newcomers attach schedule RC66SCH, which records status in Canada and income earned outside Canada before arrival.
Apply as soon as you meet the conditions: when the child is born, comes to live with you, or when custody changes. If the child started living with you more than 11 months ago, the CRA asks for supporting documents such as proof of residence and of your responsibility for the child, so delay costs paperwork as well as payments.
Keeping the benefit year after year
The CRA page on keeping your payments is blunt: once you have applied, you must file a return every year, and so must your spouse, even with no income or income that is tax exempt. The CRA also expects to hear about a new address or bank account, a change in marital status or custody, a child who no longer lives with you or has died, and a change in residency.
Children with a disability and provincial top-ups
If a child is approved for the disability tax credit, the CRA adds the child disability benefit to the same deposit, up to $3,480 a year per child; the child disability benefit guide explains its own reduction above $82,847. Parents who split time with a former partner should read the shared custody guide, since each parent then gets half of an amount computed on their own household income. Several provinces and the territories run their own child benefits on the same income data; see the Ontario child benefit and the territorial programs.
These figures follow the CRA calculation page for July 2026 to June 2027. The amount actually paid is the one on your CRA notice of determination.