Canada Child Benefit calculator
Estimate Canada Child Benefit amounts using household, child, and income assumptions.
Estimate Canada Child Benefit amounts using household, child, and income assumptions.
Estimate Canada Child Benefit amounts using household, child, and income assumptions.
Ontario adds up to $1,680/yr per child via the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB).
You can verify this tool directly: run the same family through the CRA's own child and family benefits calculator and the monthly figure should match within a dollar or two — the only drift comes from the CRA rounding to the nearest dollar at each phase-out tier.
For the July 2025 → June 2026 benefit year:
BC families also get the BC Family Benefit on top — separate cheque, also paid by CRA.
For the July 2025 → June 2026 year, the CCB max went up modestly with inflation indexation: $7,787 per child under 6 (was $7,437) and $6,570 per child 6–17 (was $6,275). The phase-out thresholds also shifted up to $36,502 and $79,087, meaning slightly more middle-income families now qualify for the full benefit.
Primary source: CRA — Canada Child Benefit overview
For informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Based on 2025–2026 benefit year.
The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment from the federal government to help families with the cost of raising children under 18. The amount you receive depends on your adjusted family net income, the number of children, and their ages.
For the 2025–2026 benefit year (July 2025 to June 2026), the maximum annual benefit is $7,787 per child under 6 and $6,570 per child aged 6 to 17. These amounts are reduced as family income exceeds $36,502.
The CCB is recalculated every July based on your tax return from the previous year. If your income changes significantly, your payments will adjust the following July. For the exact next-payment date, see our 2026 CCB payment schedule.
Most families don't realize the CCB has two separate income thresholds where reductions kick in. The first tier starts at $36,502 — a relatively low threshold meant to keep the maximum benefit going to lower-income families only. Once you cross it, every additional dollar of family net income reduces your CCB by 13.5–25 cents depending on how many kids you have.
The second tier kicks in at $79,087. It's a slower phase-out (5.7–14 cents per dollar) layered on top of the first-tier reduction. Practical impact: a single-child family making $100,000 still receives roughly $4,200/yr; the same family at $150,000 receives about $1,500/yr. That's why RRSP contributions are doubly valuable for parents — every dollar contributed reduces your AFNI and increases next year's CCB.
If you have shared custody (the child lives with each parent at least 40% of the time), each parent gets 50% of the CCB they would have received as a sole caregiver. The split is based on each parent's individual AFNI, not combined — so the lower-income parent typically gets the larger half.
You don't need a court order. The CRA accepts a written agreement between parents stating the custody arrangement. If circumstances change (one parent gets primary custody), you can update the CRA via My Account or Form RC65 and the next monthly payment reflects the change.
The CCB benefit year runs July to June. Payments from July 2025 → June 2026 are based on your 2024 tax return. Payments from July 2026 onward will use your 2025 return. This means a major income change today won't affect your CCB until the following July.
The CCB pays a higher base for kids under 6 because childcare costs peak in those years. Once a child turns 6 the base steps down to the 6–17 amount on the next July payment. Quick reference table for full-benefit families (AFNI under $36,502):
| Child age band | Annual max / child | Monthly max / child | When base changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 (under 6) | $7,787 | $648.91 | Steps down July after 6th birthday |
| 6–17 | $6,570 | $547.50 | Stops month after 18th birthday |
| Disability supplement (any age) | +$3,322 | +$276.83 | Requires approved DTC (form T2201) |
AFNI phase-out reduces all amounts above $36,502 — see the methodology box for exact reduction rates.
The flip side: if you had a low-income year and didn't file because you owed nothing, you still need to file to keep the CCB flowing. Newcomers should file Form RC66 within months of arriving — see our newcomers checklist and benefits finder for the full first-year benefits map. The GST/HST credit uses the same return.
Ontario families receive both the federal CCB and the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB), which pays up to $1,680/year per child under 18 (roughly $140/month). The OCB is delivered by the CRA in the same monthly deposit as the federal CCB — most Ontario parents don't realize the two amounts are bundled. The OCB phases out at 8 cents per dollar of adjusted family net income above $25,646, so a single-parent family on $40,000 still gets meaningful OCB on top of federal CCB. Worked example: an Ontario single parent with 2 kids (one under 6, one aged 6–17) and $42,000 AFNI receives roughly $13,650/yr federal CCB plus $2,055/yr OCB — total $15,705/yr tax-free, deposited as a single $1,308 monthly payment from the CRA.
Outside Quebec, every province either bundles its top-up into the federal CCB or has no provincial program at all. Here's the lineup of provincial top-up amounts paid on top of federal CCB for the 2025–26 benefit year:
| Province | Program | Max / child / yr | Phase-out starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) | $1,680 | $25,646 |
| British Columbia | BC Family Benefit | $2,188 | $27,354 |
| Alberta | Alberta Child and Family Benefit (ACFB) | $1,469 | $27,024 |
| New Brunswick | New Brunswick Child Tax Benefit (NBCTB) | $250 | $20,000 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit (NLCB) | $1,497 | $17,397 |
| Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia Child Benefit (NSCB) | $1,525 | $26,000 |
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, PEI, and the territories have no separate child benefit (or fold it into a different working-income credit).
Quebec residents receive the same federal CCB as the rest of Canada, plus the Quebec Family Allowance (Allocation famille), administered by Retraite Québec rather than the CRA. The Family Allowance pays roughly $2,923/year base per child, plus supplements for single parents (~$1,026/yr) and a $121-per-child school supplies bonus each July. Unlike the monthly federal CCB, Quebec pays the Family Allowance quarterly (January, April, July, October). Both benefits are tax-free. Use the Quebec Family Allowance Calculator → for the Quebec portion, then add it to the federal CCB above.
The CCB benefit year runs July to June, so "CCB 2026" generally refers to the July 2025 → June 2026 cycle (based on 2024 tax returns). Maximum amounts are indexed to inflation each July:
| Component | 2024–25 (prev yr) | 2025–26 (this yr) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max per child under 6 | $7,437 | $7,787 | +$350 |
| Max per child 6–17 | $6,275 | $6,570 | +$295 |
| Phase-out tier 1 starts | $36,502 | $36,502 | unchanged |
| Phase-out tier 2 starts | $79,087 | $79,087 | unchanged |
| Disability supplement | $3,173 | $3,322 | +$149 |
Phase-out thresholds were not indexed for the 2025–26 year — only the maximum amounts moved. Next adjustment lands July 2026.
The Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) was a $160/month per child taxable payment for kids under 6 (and $60/month for kids 6–17 from 2015 onward) that ran from 2006 to June 30, 2016. It was rolled into the enhanced, tax-free Canada Child Benefit on July 1, 2016 by the federal government. The big differences:
Newcomers to Canada can claim the CCB once they meet the CRA's residency test for tax purposes — typically after living in Canada for 18 consecutive months with valid immigration status. Apply by submitting Form RC66 (Canada Child Benefits Application) along with proof of birth and proof of your immigration status. The CRA back-pays the CCB from the month you became a resident, so don't wait — file as soon as you have a SIN. See our newcomers checklist for the full first-year benefits stacking strategy.