BC Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB): Who Qualifies and How Much

The Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB) is a monthly payment from the BC government that helps eligible families pay for child care. Families that earn up to $111,000 may generally qualify, and some with higher incomes can still apply. In most cases the benefit goes to the child care provider, and the family pays the rest of the fee.

Looking for the BC Family Benefit? It is a different program, covered on our provincial child benefits page. The federal Canada Child Benefit is separate too.

Who is eligible?

In BC, a family can get the ACCB when:

• a parent or guardian lives in British Columbia and has a current BC address
• that parent or guardian is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection
• the child is in a type of care the benefit funds (see which care qualifies)
• the family has a qualifying reason for needing care, listed below
• the family’s income passes the income test

The application asks for the Social Insurance Number of the parent and of the parent’s spouse, if there is one.

The qualifying reasons are:

• working or self-employed
• attending school
• taking part in an employment program
• job hunting, which only one parent or guardian can give as a reason
• a medical condition that gets in the way of caring for your child
• your child attends a licensed preschool program
• a social worker with the Ministry of Children and Family Development or an Indigenous Child and Family Services Agency, or staff authorized by an Indigenous authority, arranged or recommended the care

Maternity or parental leave doesn’t count as a reason for care. A child in a licensed preschool program may not need a reason at all.

Which child care qualifies?

Most kinds of child care can be funded, and the rates differ by class of care:

• Licensed care (group, multi-age, family and preschool care, and school-age care on school grounds): regional health authorities monitor and regularly inspect these providers.
• Registered licence-not-required care: Unlicensed care providers registered with a Child Care Resource and Referral Centre.
• Licence-not-required care: Providers that operate legally without being registered, licensed, monitored or inspected.
• Care in the child’s home, such as a nanny or babysitter, with no children from other families, and the caregiver can’t be a relative who lives there.

Not funded: Unlicensed care by a family member who lives in the same household, licensed occasional care, drop-in care and recreational care.

How does the income test work?

The ACCB is income-tested, using annual income from your Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment or an income declaration form, less adjustments. Two adjustments lower it:

• $2,000 for each family member after the first 2
• $3,000 for each child with support needs

A family may get the maximum benefit when its adjusted income is no more than:

• $45,000 for a child in licensed care
• $39,000 for registered licence-not-required care
• $24,000 for licence-not-required care or care in the child’s home

Above those amounts, a family may get a partial benefit. BC’s ACCB pages don’t show how the partial amount is worked out; its ACCB estimator gives a guide figure, not a promise of payment. Families earning more than $111,000 can still apply when deductions for family size or children with support needs are large.

A family may be exempt from the income test for a child living with the applicant under an agreement under the Child, Family and Community Service Act or an Indigenous law.

How much can you get?

The monthly maximum depends on the class of care and the child’s age. BC’s maximums (As posted March 25, 2026):

• Licensed preschool: up to $225 a month.
• Care around the school day for a child enrolled in school: up to $210 a month.
• Care in the child’s home: up to $394 for a first child under 19 months, $318 for a first child 19 months or older, $198 for a second child under 19 months, and $147 for each other child.

A child is school age when they turn 5 on or before December 31 of that school year. Part-time care is paid at a prorated amount.

A child with support needs who needs extra support services may get up to $150 more a month. To show support needs, families can send the Support Needs form (CF2951) or proof of the federal Child Disability Benefit or the disability tax credit. The benefit and the supplement together can’t be more than the provider’s fee.

How is it paid?

Once approved, you get a benefit plan with your monthly amount and its start and end dates. In most cases, the provider is paid after it sends a monthly claim form; for care in the child’s home, the parent sends the claim and pays the caregiver. You pay the rest of the provider’s fee.

The benefit pays only for care provided. During a vacation, it still pays for up to 2 weeks in a month and 4 weeks in a calendar year; during an illness of the child or parent, up to 2 weeks in a month. If a child leaves care partway through a month and the space isn’t filled, the full monthly amount is paid when the child attended half the month or more, and half of it when the child attended less.

How do you apply?

1. Find a child care provider and fill out the Child Care Arrangement form (CF2798) with them; it goes in with your application.
2. Gather one piece of government-issued ID for each family member, the SINs, and papers for your reason for care, such as a work schedule or school timetable.
3. Apply online through My Family Services: you have 60 days to finish once you start, and processing takes about 10 business days. Or send the paper application by mail or fax, which can take 3 weeks or longer.
4. Apply by the end of the month in which you need care: for care starting September 1, by September 30.

BC posts the dates it is currently processing applications up to on its ACCB page. In-person help is available at Child Care Resource and Referral Centres, immigrant settlement service agencies and Service BC locations.

Which forms do you need?

All of these are on BC’s ACCB forms page:

• CF2900, the paper application
• CF2798, the Child Care Arrangement form, completed with your provider
• CF2930, CRA records consent, for paper applications
• CF2914, the medical condition form
• CF2951, the support needs form

How do you renew, and what changes do you report?

The ACCB must be renewed every year, and again whenever your reason for needing care changes. BC recommends renewing 30 days before the plan’s expiry date, which is on your eligibility assessment letter in My Family Services.

Tell the ministry, online or by phone, when your address, job, family situation or size, or reason for care changes. A new provider means a new Child Care Arrangement form. If you consented to the ministry getting your income records from the CRA, you don’t need to report an income change. Not reporting a change could mean losing the benefit or having to repay money.

If you disagree with a decision, you have 20 business days from being told of it to ask the Child Care Service Centre for a reconsideration. The reconsideration decision can be appealed to the Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal within 20 business days.

Does it work with $10 a Day spaces and fee reduction?

In B.C., only designated $10 a Day ChildCareBC centres charge $10 a day, up to $200 a month, for full days; other licensed centres set their own fees, which the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative lowers at participating centres. See child care costs by province.

Households earning up to $111,000 may be able to lower a $10 a Day fee further by applying for the ACCB. Combined with other ChildCareBC programs such as the ACCB, BC says some families may pay little to nothing for child care.

The Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative lowers fees at participating licensed centres for children aged 12 and under, with no income test and no application. Full-time savings are up to $900 a month per child, but with limited exceptions the family’s full-time fee isn’t reduced below $200 a month. Families with household income up to $111,000 can also apply for the ACCB for more savings. For fees outside these programs, see how much daycare costs in Canada.

Signing in and contact

• Families: My Family Services, to apply or check an application’s status; sign in with a Basic BCeID.
• Licensed and registered licence-not-required providers: the ACCB Service Provider Portal, for claims, benefit plans and payments, with a Business BCeID.
• Child Care Service Centre: 1-888-338-6622 (option 1), Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT.