The Canada child benefit in shared custody
When a child lives with both parents in turn, the CRA pays each of them half of a CCB worked out on that parent’s own family income.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
In shared custody, each parent receives 50 % of the Canada child benefit they would get if the child lived with them full time, and that amount is calculated on their own adjusted family net income, not on the former couple’s combined income. The Canada Revenue Agency treats custody as shared when the child lives with you at least 40 % of the time, or on an approximately equal basis with you and another person at a different address. Both parents then apply. For July 2026 to June 2027, the maximum before any reduction is $8,157 per child under 6 and $6,883 per child aged 6 to 17, so each parent starts from half of those figures. The split is rarely equal in money. Take two children aged 6 to 17: a parent whose household reported $42,000 for 2025 receives $6,629 for the year, while a parent at $95,000 receives $3,526. A new spouse’s income counts in that parent’s household. Any change in the arrangement must be reported to the CRA right away, by each parent.
Shared custody: what each parent receives
Both homes together, per month
$846.22
| Parent A, per month | $552.42 |
| Parent B, per month | $293.80 |
| Gap between the two homes, per year | $3,103 |
Each household income includes a new spouse or partner, if any. The CRA notice of each parent gives the amount paid.
The rule in two sentences
The CRA calculation page puts it plainly: each parent with shared custody gets 50 % of what they would have received with full custody, and that amount is based on their own adjusted family net income. Everything else follows from those two ideas: a half, and a separate calculation for each home.
The threshold for being in shared custody comes from the CRA eligibility page: the child lives with you at least 40 % of the time, or on an approximately equal basis with you and someone at a different address. A two-week rotation, a five-two-two-five schedule or alternating weeks usually qualify. A child who spends every second weekend and part of the summer with one parent does not reach that level; the other parent, if primarily responsible for the child, receives the whole benefit.
Why the two halves differ
A half of what? Of the full-custody CCB for that parent, which depends on that parent’s household income. The CRA does not split one benefit computed on the former couple; it computes two benefits and pays half of each. Take two children aged 6 to 17, a parent A whose household income for 2025 was $42,000 and a parent B at $95,000:
- with full custody, parent A would receive $13,258 a year; in shared custody, $6,629, or $552.42 a month;
- with full custody, parent B would receive $7,051; in shared custody, $3,526, or $293.80 a month.
Together the two homes receive $10,155 a year. That is more than parent B alone would get with full custody, and less than parent A alone would get. The lower-income home ends up with the larger share, which is the point of a benefit that falls as income rises.
Shared custody amounts for common situations
The table gives one parent’s share for several family shapes, using the CRA formula for July 2026 to June 2027 through the site’s engine. Run it once for each parent with that parent’s own household income.
| Children under 6 / aged 6 to 17 | This parent’s household income | Full-custody CCB | Shared-custody share | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 / 0 | $35,000 | $8,157 | $4,079 | $339.88 |
| 1 / 0 | $70,000 | $5,934 | $2,967 | $247.23 |
| 0 / 1 | $60,000 | $5,360 | $2,680 | $223.32 |
| 0 / 2 | $50,000 | $12,178 | $6,089 | $507.42 |
| 0 / 2 | $110,000 | $6,196 | $3,098 | $258.18 |
| 1 / 2 | $80,000 | $13,988 | $6,994 | $582.83 |
Whose income goes into each half
Each parent’s calculation uses line 23600 of their own 2025 return, plus that of a current spouse or common-law partner if there is one, with the usual small adjustments of the adjusted family net income. The other parent’s income is never part of it. This is where blended families feel the rule: a parent who moves in with a partner earning a good salary sees their own half shrink, sometimes sharply, while the other home is untouched. The reverse holds after a separation from that new partner.
The CRA works from returns, so both parents must file every year even with little income, as the CRA page on keeping your payments requires. A parent who does not file risks seeing their own half stop, whatever the other parent does.
Applying and reporting a change
When custody becomes shared, each parent applies, either in My Account or with form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, as described on the CRA application page. If one parent was receiving the full benefit before, that parent should report the new arrangement at the same time. The CRA asks each parent to tell it immediately about a new custody arrangement. Until it does, the old split keeps running, and both homes are paid on a situation that no longer exists.
The same applies when shared custody ends, for instance when a teenager moves in full time with one parent. That parent then reports the change and can apply for the full CCB as the parent primarily responsible.
Small shares and the July lump sum
Halving can push a payment below the CRA’s monthly threshold. When a parent’s total benefit for the year is under $240, the CRA pays it once, with the July payment, rather than monthly. In shared custody this happens at lower incomes than in full custody, because only half the benefit is involved. Higher-income parents should not be surprised to see a single deposit in July and nothing until the next benefit year.
Children with a disability and other benefits
The child disability benefit is paid inside the CCB deposit; the CDB guide explains its own reduction. The Groceries and Essentials Benefit, the former GST/HST credit, also counts children, and each parent can check their own amount with the GST credit calculator. For the full picture of the CCB itself, see the Canada child benefit guide and, for the deposit days, the CCB payment dates.
The amounts here are estimates built on CRA rules. Each parent’s CRA notice of determination gives the amount actually paid.