A sign at the Canada Revenue Agency national headquarters is seen in Ottawa on June 28, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
Eligible households in Canada will see increased payments from the federal child benefit program starting July 20.
The Canada Child Benefit (CCB), a monthly tax-free payment, will pay households up to $679.75 a month ($8,157 annually) per child under 6, and $573.58 a month ($6,883 annually) per child aged 6 to 17, depending on their prior year’s adjusted family net income, this coming Monday.
The figures represent an increase of up to $160 per child under 6 years of age, and up to $135 per child from age 6 to 17, for the 2026–27 benefit year, compared to the previous year, according to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in a July 17 news release.
The CRA says CCB payments have been adjusted annually for inflation since 2018. The yearly indexation takes effect on July 1 to coincide with the start of the payment year, which runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.
The payment amount depends on several factors, which include the number and ages of children in care and the prior year’s adjusted family net income.
Households with an adjusted family net income under $38,237 will receive the maximum amount of the benefit for each eligible child. A family with one child aged 5 and another child aged 9, with an adjusted net family income of $65,000, would receive about $11,430 in 2026–27, based on the CRA’s calculation method for two eligible children.
To be eligible for the benefit, the CRA says applicants must fulfill a range of requirements, including being residents of Canada for tax purposes who “normally live” in the country and have established “significant residential ties” such as having a home, a spouse or common-law partner, or dependents in Canada. Applicants must also be the primary caregiver of the child.
In addition, an applicant or his or her spouse or common-law partner must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person, or temporary resident. The CCB program defines temporary residents as individuals who have resided 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.”
Data from CRA last December showed that approximately $29 billion was distributed as CCB payments to about 3.8 million eligible families for the 2023 tax year., paid in the 2024–25 benefit year from July 2024 to June 2025.
The federal tax agency says in its July 17 news release that as of “today,” the CCB program distributes “approximately $30 billion in annual tax-free payments” to about 3.6 million families caring for 6 million children across the country.
