Canada Child Benefit (CCB): Who Gets It, How Much and Why It Changes

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is a tax-free monthly payment from the Canada Revenue Agency to families raising children under 18. For July 2026 to June 2027, it pays up to $8,157 a year for each child under 6 and $6,883 for each child aged 6 to 17 (table below). Families with adjusted family net income under $38,237 get the full amount, and it shrinks as income rises. The amount is worked out again every July from the previous year’s income. For a figure at your own income, use the CCB calculator.

The Canada child tax benefit was one of the federal child benefits that came before it. Quebec’s Family Allowance, for families with a child under 18, is a separate provincial program (see Quebec).

On this page: Who can get it · How much · Income · Payment dates · Why it changed · Shared custody · Parental leave · When it stops · Contact

Who can get the CCB?

The CRA lists these conditions:

• You live with a child who is under 18 years old.
• You are the person primarily responsible for the child's care and upbringing: the one who supervises daily activities and needs, makes sure medical needs are met and arranges child care when necessary.
• You are a resident of Canada for tax purposes, meaning you normally live in Canada and have significant residential ties (such as a home, a spouse or common-law partner, or dependants in Canada).
• You or your spouse or common-law partner is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a protected person (a person with a positive Notice of Decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board), a temporary resident who meets the test below, or a person registered or entitled to be registered under the Indian Act. A refugee protection claimant with only a Refugee Protection Claimant Document is not eligible.
• A temporary resident counts only if they have lived in Canada for the previous 18 months and hold a valid permit in the 19th month that does not state "does not confer status" or "does not confer temporary resident status".
• The permit must be valid in the 19th month and must not say it does not confer status.
• You are not applying for a foster child for whom Children's Special Allowances are payable: the CCB is not paid for a foster child for any month in which those allowances are payable. A child cared for under a kinship or close relationship program can still qualify if no Children's Special Allowance is payable.
• You must meet every condition for each child you apply for.

Two parents in the same home. When spouses or common-law partners live with the child, the law presumes the female parent is the one mainly responsible for all the children in the home, so she is the one who applies. If the other parent is the one mainly responsible, that parent applies and attaches a signed letter from the female parent saying so. Same-sex parents choose one parent to apply for all the children. A household gets one payment, and the amount is the same whichever parent receives it.

Both of you file a tax return every year. You must file even if you had no income or your income is tax exempt, and a spouse or common-law partner must file on time too; if returns aren’t filed, payments stop. A partner you have lived with in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 continuous months counts as common-law (are you common-law?). What the CRA means by residency is explained in am I a Canadian tax resident?

Newcomers and returning residents apply with Schedule RC66SCH, which reports their status in Canada and any income earned outside Canada while they didn’t live here. The application page covers it: applying as a newcomer.

How much is the CCB per child?

The maximum for July 2026 to June 2027, paid in full when adjusted family net income is under $38,237:

These maximums apply to families with adjusted family net income (AFNI) below $38,237. Source: Canada Revenue Agency – Canada child benefit (CCB): How much you can get, for the July 2026 to June 2027 benefit year (based on 2025 AFNI). View source

The under-6 rate lasts through the month of the sixth birthday; the lower rate starts the next month. The amounts are indexed to inflation.

The most a family can get (income under $38,237):

How does your income reduce the CCB?

The CCB depends on three things: how many children you have, their ages, and your adjusted family net income from the previous year’s return. That income is your net income (line 23600) plus your spouse’s or common-law partner’s, less any Universal Child Care Benefit and RDSP income received, plus any UCCB and RDSP amounts repaid.

• Up to $38,237: the full amount.
• From $38,237 to $82,847: reduced by a percentage of the income above $38,237, a percentage that depends on the number of children. With one child it is 7%.
• Above $82,847: reduced by a fixed amount plus a percentage of the income above $82,847. With one child that is $3,123 plus 3.2%.

The calculator page shows estimates at different incomes and the income where the CCB runs out.

When is the CCB paid?

The CRA generally pays the CCB on the 20th of each month, or on the last business day before it when the 20th is a weekend or federal holiday. The schedule sets its own December date, December 11, 2026 (all CCB payment dates). The first payment is for the month after you become eligible. If your monthly amount is under $20, it comes as one lump-sum payment in July or later. If a payment doesn’t arrive, the CRA asks you to wait 5 business days before calling. This year’s dates are on the payment calendar; the bank deposit’s name is explained in what a CRA deposit means.

Why did your CCB payment change?

The CRA lists these reasons a payment changes or stops:

• The July recalculation. Each July the CCB is recalculated from the previous year’s income, so a higher income last year means less from July on.
• A reassessed return. A change to your or your partner’s return that affects the amount triggers a recalculation.
• A child turned 6 or 18, or left your care. The rate drops after the sixth birthday, and payments for that child end after the 18th birthday or once the child no longer lives with you.
• A missing or late tax return, yours or your partner’s. Payments can stop until the return is assessed; any amount missed comes with the next payment.
• A change in marital status. The CCB changes from the month after the change, based on the new family income. Tell the CRA by the end of the following month; for a separation, wait until you have been apart more than 90 consecutive days.
• A custody change, or a new child in your care who hasn’t been added yet (apply for the child as soon as they’re born or start living with you).
• A change you didn’t report, such as a new address or bank account, or an unanswered CRA letter.
• An overpayment being recovered. If the CRA paid too much CCB, it sends a notice, and it may keep part or all of future CCB payments, tax refunds or Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit payments until the amount is repaid. More on overpayments.

To see how the CRA worked out your amount, check your benefit notice in your CRA account.

How does shared custody affect the CCB?

• You have shared custody if the child lives with you between 40% and 60% of the time, on a roughly equal basis with another individual at a different address (for example, one week with each).
• Each parent with shared custody gets 50% of what they would have received with full custody, calculated on their own adjusted family net income.
• CRA will not split the amount in any other proportion, or give the full amount to one parent, when it considers the custody shared.
• Both people in a shared custody arrangement should apply for the CCB for that child.
• If the child lives with you more than 60% of the time you have full custody for the CCB; with less than 40% of the time you are not an eligible individual and should not apply.
• You must tell CRA if your shared custody situation changes.

When shared custody starts, each parent must tell the CRA right away. If a child moves in with you for a while, such as for the summer, you can apply for the payments for that period.

Does parental leave lower the CCB?

Not at first: the CCB for July to June is based on the previous calendar year’s family income, so lower earnings during a leave show up in the payments that start the July after that year. EI maternity and parental benefits are taxable, so they count in that income. How the leave benefits work is covered in EI maternity and parental benefits. For a newborn, apply for the CCB as soon as the child is born. For earnings during a leave, see working while on maternity leave.

When does the CCB stop?

The last payment for a child is in the month of the child’s 18th birthday. Payments for a child also stop the month after the child is no longer in your care, and they stop if you no longer meet a condition such as residency. If a child dies, the CRA needs to be told as soon as possible; for a child who died on or after January 1, 2026, the parent who was getting the CCB may keep getting it for 6 more months, or until the date the child would have turned 18.

What if your child has a disability?

The child disability benefit is paid with the CCB for each child who is approved for the disability tax credit: you need to be eligible for the CCB and the child's Form T2201 must be approved by CRA; there is nothing separate to apply for if you already get the CCB for that child. The CRA works it out for you and adds it to the CCB payment. How to get the disability tax credit approved is on its own page. Amounts and back payments are on the Child Disability Benefit page; other help for children is listed in disability benefits in Canada.

Does your province add a child benefit?

The CRA runs child benefits for some provinces and territories, and you don’t apply for them separately: the CCB application covers them. Some are paid with the CCB in one monthly payment and others are paid on their own. See provincial and territorial child benefits. BC parents paying for child care can also look at the BC Affordable Child Care Benefit.

How do you apply for the CCB?

You can apply when you register a newborn’s birth at the hospital or birthing centre (not currently available in Nunavut), through “Apply for child benefits” in your CRA account, or with Form RC66. The same application signs your children up for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. Steps, documents and late applications are on how to apply for the CCB.

How do you contact the CRA about the CCB?

Call 1-800-387-1193 (1-866-426-1527 from Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut), Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern time (closed weekends and public holidays). Have your social insurance number, details about the children in your care and information from past payments ready. Your CRA account lets you update your address, marital status and the children in your care.

Where next: CCB calculator · Apply for the CCB · Provincial child benefits · Child Disability Benefit · Benefits and your tax return · RESP grants · Government benefits in Canada