The Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) is a refundable tax credit for people who work but earn a low income. Because it’s refundable, you get it as money even if you owe no tax. For the 2025 tax year, the maximum is $1,633 for a single person and $2,813 for a family (a couple or a single parent), with a disability supplement on top. You claim it on your tax return, and CRA pays part of it in advance the following year. This page covers the amounts, who qualifies and how it’s calculated. For when the advance payments arrive, see CWB payment dates. Other programs are in the benefits guide.
CWB amounts for the 2025 tax year
| Situation | Maximum Basic CWB | Reduced Above | Fully Phased Out At |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single individual | $1,633 | $26,855 | $37,742 |
| Family (couple or single parent) | $2,813 | $30,639 | $49,393 |
Maximum CWB amounts vary for residents of Quebec, Nunavut, and Alberta, which run adjusted provincial/territorial versions of the benefit. Source: Canada Revenue Agency – Canada workers benefit (CWB): How much you can get for the 2025 tax year. View source
Disability supplement
People eligible for the Disability Tax Credit (an approved Form T2201) also get a supplement:
| Situation | Maximum Disability Supplement | Reduced Above | Fully Phased Out At |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single individual | $843 | $37,740 | $43,360 |
| Family, one spouse eligible | $843 | $49,389 | $55,009 |
| Family, both spouses eligible | $1,686 | $49,389 | $60,629 |
Maximum CWB amounts vary for residents of Quebec, Nunavut, and Alberta, which run adjusted provincial/territorial versions of the benefit. Source: Canada Revenue Agency – Canada workers benefit (CWB): How much you can get for the 2025 tax year. View source
| Situation | Basic + Disability Supplement |
|---|---|
| Single with disability | $2,476 |
| Family, one spouse with disability | $3,656 |
| Family, both spouses with disability | $4,499 |
Source: Canada Revenue Agency – Canada workers benefit (CWB): How much you can get for the 2025 tax year. View source
CWB calculator
An estimate using CRA's 2025 amounts outside Quebec, Alberta and Nunavut. It doesn't include the secondary earner exemption for couples, which can raise a two-earner family's benefit.
How the CWB is calculated
The CWB grows with your working income, then shrinks as your net income rises:
- Phase-in: 27% of working income above $3,000, up to the maximum. A single person reaches the maximum at about $9,048 of working income.
- Phase-out: minus 15% of adjusted net income above $26,855 (single) or $30,639 (family).
The disability supplement follows the same pattern but phases in from $1,150 of working income. When both spouses are eligible for it, each spouse’s supplement is reduced at 7.5%.
Couples where both partners work can also use the secondary earner exemption: the lower earner can leave part of their working income out of the family’s net income for the phase-out. The Income Tax Act sets it at $14,000, indexed to inflation each year, so the current amount is higher.
| Working and net income | Single person | Family |
|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $540 | $540 |
| $15,000 | $1,633 | $2,813 |
| $25,000 | $1,633 | $2,813 |
| $30,000 | $1,161 | $2,813 |
| $35,000 | $411 | $2,159 |
| $45,000 | $0 | $659 |
Basic CWB for the 2025 tax year when all income is working income, without the disability supplement or secondary earner exemption.
Who qualifies
You can claim the CWB if you:
- were a resident of Canada throughout the year
- had working income: employment income, net self-employment income, and taxable scholarships and research grants (not EI, pensions, investment income or social assistance)
- were 19 or older on December 31, or lived with a spouse, common-law partner or your child
You can’t claim it if you:
- were a full-time student at a designated educational institution for more than 13 weeks in the year, unless you had an eligible dependant on December 31
- were confined to a prison or similar institution for 90 days or more in the year
- don’t pay tax in Canada because you’re an officer or servant of another country, such as a diplomat
Only one spouse or partner can claim the CWB for a family. An eligible dependant is your child, or your spouse’s or partner’s child, who is under 19 and lives with you on December 31.
Quebec, Alberta and Nunavut
Residents of Quebec, Alberta and Nunavut get the CWB with different amounts and thresholds, set with those governments. Quebec residents claim it on the Quebec version of Schedule 6. The amounts on this page are for the rest of Canada.
How to claim it
Fill in Schedule 6 with your return; the credit goes on line 45300. Tax software completes it from your income and family details.
If you qualified for the CWB the year before, CRA also pays about 50% of your expected benefit in advance, automatically, in three payments. You report those advances on line 41500 from your RC210 slip, and the return settles the difference. What is the advance CWB? explains how that works, and CWB payment dates has the schedule.
The CWB replaced the Working Income Tax Benefit (WITB) starting with the 2019 tax year.
Related pages
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them on September 24, 2026. How we check facts.
- Canada Revenue Agency: Canada workers benefit (CWB): how much you can get