Canada workers benefit calculator
Enter your earnings and your family net income to see the refundable tax credit the CRA adds to your 2026 return.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The Canada workers benefit for 2026 pays up to $1,665 to a single worker and up to $2,869 to a family, meaning a worker with a spouse, a common-law partner or an eligible dependant. It is a refundable credit claimed on line 45300, paid even when no tax is owed. The benefit builds up at 27 % of working income above $3,000 until it reaches the maximum, then falls by 15 % of adjusted net income above $27,392 for a single person or $31,251 for a family. In a couple, up to $16,714 of the lower earner’s working income is left out of the reduction. A worker approved for the disability tax credit can add a supplement of up to $860. Half can arrive early as advance payments. Quebec, Alberta and Nunavut set their own amounts, which this calculator does not model.
Canada workers benefit for 2026
$1,665
up to $833 of it as advance payments
| Basic amount | $1,665 |
| Disability supplement | $0 |
| Income used for the reduction | $20,000 |
General federal rates: Quebec, Alberta and Nunavut use their own and are not modelled. Estimate only: the CRA, Service Canada or your province sets the amount actually paid.
What the calculator works out
It applies the federal formula of section 122.7 of the Income Tax Act with the 2026 amounts the CRA published in its indexation table: the basic amount, the disability supplement for a worker approved for the disability tax credit, the income used for the reduction after the secondary earner exemption, and the share that can be paid in advance, 50 % of the total. It returns an annual figure for the 2026 tax year, the one you claim when you file your 2026 return in spring 2027.
Worked cases for 2026
| Situation | Basic amount | Disability supplement | Total | Advance share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single, earns $12,000 | $1,665 | $0 | $1,665 | $833 |
| Single, earns $25,000 | $1,665 | $0 | $1,665 | $833 |
| Single, earns $32,000 | $974 | $0 | $974 | $487 |
| Single with the DTC, earns $20,000 | $1,665 | $860 | $2,525 | $1,263 |
| Family, one earner at $30,000 | $2,869 | $0 | $2,869 | $1,435 |
| Family, one earner at $42,000 | $1,257 | $0 | $1,257 | $628 |
| Family, $28,000 + $14,000 | $2,869 | $0 | $2,869 | $1,435 |
The single worker at $12,000 is already at the maximum, because the phase-in stops long before that income. At $25,000 nothing has been lost yet, since the reduction begins at $27,392. At $32,000 the 15 % reduction has eaten a large part of the credit. For families the threshold is $31,251, and the last two rows show why the second earner matters: the same family income gives two very different results.
Inputs to have at hand
Working income is employment plus net self-employment income for 2026; family net income is line 23600 of your return, plus your spouse’s. Net income is never taken below working income. The supplement guide covers the disability part. By our arithmetic the basic amount reaches zero near $38,492 for a single person and $50,378 for a family, levels the CRA had not yet published for 2026.
What it does not cover
It does not model the separate amounts of Quebec, Alberta and Nunavut, a change of marital status during the year, or someone who was not resident in Canada for the whole year. It does not tell you what was already paid in advance: those payments appear on an RC210 slip and are reconciled on your return, as the advance payments guide shows. The amount you receive is the one on your notice of assessment from the CRA. Sources: CRA, Indexation of personal income tax and benefit amounts for 2026 (modified 2026-03-12), CRA, Line 45300, Canada workers benefit: how much you can get and CRA, Line 45300, Canada workers benefit: how to claim (modified 2026-06-12).