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Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). It is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age. The CCB may include the child disability benefit and any related provincial and territorial programs.

Who can get the Canada child benefit

You must meet all of the following conditions:

  • See who is primarily responsible

    • a Canadian citizen
    • a permanent resident
    • a protected person (has received a positive Notice of Decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board)
      • NOTE: An individual with a “Refugee Protection Claimant Document” is not eligible for the CCB
    • a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months, and who has a valid permit in the 19th month other than one that states "does not confer status" or "does not confer temporary resident status"
    • an individual who is registered, or entitled to be registered under the Indian Act

You cannot get the Canada child benefit (CCB) for a foster child for any month in which Children's special allowances (CSA) are payable.

You may get the CCB if you live with and care for a child under a kinship or close relationship program from the governments of Canada, a province, a territory or an Indigenous governing body, as long as CSA are not payable for that child.

For more information, see Children's special allowances.

Who is primarily responsible for the care of the child

The person who is primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of the child should apply for the CCB. That person is responsible for things such as:

  • supervising the child’s daily activities and needs
  • making sure the child’s medical needs are met
  • arranging for child care when necessary

When there is a female parent who lives with the child

When two individuals who are spouses or common-law partners reside in the same home as the child, the female parent is presumed to be primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of all the children in the home. She should be the one applying for the CCB. The female presumption is a legislative requirement and only one payment per household can be issued under the Income Tax Act. No matter which parent receives the CCB, the amount will be the same.

However, if the other parent is primarily responsible, they should apply and attach a signed letter from the female parent stating that they are primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of all the children in the home.

If the child resides with same-sex parents, only one parent should apply for all the children in the home.

Child custody arrangements and your benefits

If a child only lives with you part of the time, you need to determine if you are considered to have shared custody.

Determine if you have shared custody

Does the child spend their time:

about equally between you and another individual (between 40% and 60%)

If the child lives with you at least 40% of the time or on an approximately equal basis with you and another individual at a different address, then both individuals are considered to have shared custody for the purposes of the CCB.

For example, the child lives with you one week and with another individual one week, or with you 4 days a week and with the other individual 3 days a week (between 40% and 60%).

mostly with you (more than 60% of the time)

If the child lives with you more than 60% of the time, you are considered to have full custody for the purposes of the CCB.

For example, the child lives with you during the week and with another individual every second weekend.

  • You should apply for the CCB for the child
mostly with another individual (less than 40% of the time with you)

If the child lives less than 40% of the time with you and mostly with another individual, you are not considered an eligible individual for the purposes of the CCB and should not apply.

For example, the child lives with you every second weekend.

mostly with another individual, but for a temporary period mostly with you (e.g. summer period)

Changes in custody can sometimes be temporary. This can happen, for example, if the child usually lives with one individual, but goes to live with another individual for the summer.

In these cases, the individual that gets custody on a temporary basis can apply to get CCB payments for that period. When the child returns to live with the other individual, they need to reapply to start getting the payments again.

If you start or end a shared custody situation, let the CRA know that your situation changed.

Calculate your payments

Use the child and family benefits calculator to help plan your budget: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/child-family-benefits-calculator.html 

How are payments calculated

Every month of the benefit year (July to June of the following year), CCB payments are adjusted based on:

Current year

The following amounts are for the payment period from July 2024 to June 2025 and are based on your AFNI from 2023.

Maximum Canada child benefit

If your AFNI is under $36,502, you get the maximum amount for each child. It will not be reduced.

For each child:

  • under 6 years of age: $7,787 per year ($648.91 per month)
  • 6 to 17 years of age: $6,570 per year ($547.50 per month)

Examples:

  • For a child born in March 2025, you will be eligible to receive the CCB in April 2025 or the month following the month you become eligible
  • For a child turning 6 years of age in March 2025, you will be paid at the under 6 years of age rate for the month of March and, at the 6 to 17 years of age rate for the month of April 2025.
  • For a child turning 18 in December 2024, the last payment will be in December 2024 at the 6 to 17 years of age rate.

Payments are based on your adjusted family net income (AFNI)

Any reduction to the maximum benefit payment depends on your AFNI and on the number of children.

The payments gradually start decreasing when the adjusted family net income is over $36,502.

Shared custody and your payments

Each parent with shared custody will get 50% of what they would have gotten if they had full custody of the child and the amount is calculated based on their own adjusted family net income.

The CRA will not split the amount using other percentages, or give the full amount to one of the parents if the CRA considers you to have shared custody.

If a child only lives with you part time, go to Custody arrangements and your benefits to find out if you are considered to have shared custody.

Payments are recalculated in July

Every July, your benefit payment is recalculated based on your adjusted family net income from the previous year. CCB is indexed to inflation.

For example, payments from:

  • July 2024 to June 2025: based on your adjusted family net income from 2023
  • July 2023 to June 2024: based on your adjusted family net income from 2022

In other words, a change in your income in 2023 will only be reflected in your payments starting in July 2024.

If your payment changed or stopped in another month, go to If your payment stopped or changed.

Related provincial and territorial benefits

Some provinces and territories offer additional assistance to help with the cost of raising a family.

Some of these benefits are added to your CCB payment and paid with it, while others are paid separately.

Select your province or territory:

CCB young child supplement

The CCB young child supplement is paid to families who were entitled to receive a Canada child benefit (CCB) payment in January, April, July or October 2021 for each child under the age of six. The amount you receive depends on your family net income in 2019 and 2020. You and your spouse or common-law partner must file your 2019 and 2020 tax returns to get all four payments.

For more information, go to CCB young child supplement.

Children with a disability

If your child is eligible for the disability tax credit, you may also be eligible for the child disability benefit.

For the period of July 2024 to June 2025, you could get up to $3,322 ($276.83 per month) for each child who is eligible for the disability tax credit.

Go to Child disability benefit

Repaying an overpayment

What to do if you received a notice saying you have to make a repayment

Canada child benefit payment dates

The CRA makes Canada child benefit (CCB) payments on the following dates:

2024

  • January 19, 2024
  • February 20, 2024
  • March 20, 2024
  • April 19, 2024
  • May 17, 2024
  • June 20, 2024
  • July 19, 2024
  • August 20, 2024
  • September 20, 2024
  • October 18, 2024
  • November 20, 2024
  • December 13, 2024

You will not receive a monthly payment if your total benefit amount for the year is less than $240. Instead you will receive one lump sum payment with your July payment.

Go to My Account to see your next payment or sign up to receive benefit and credit payment reminders about one week before the payment is issued.

If you don't receive your CCB payment on the expected payment date, please wait 5 working days before you contact the CRA.

First payment

You should receive your first payment:

  • within 8 weeks of our receiving your application online
  • within 11 weeks of our receiving your application by mail

Payments stopped or changed

Go to If your payment stopped or changed.

Payment will stop if you don't file your tax return

To keep getting your Canada child benefit (CCB) and related provincial and territorial payments, you must file your tax return on time every year. If you have a spouse or common-law partner, they also have to file their tax return on time every year.

You must file your tax return even if your income is tax exempt or you have no income.

If you don't file your tax return every year, your payments will stop.

Your CCB payment is not taxable. This means that you will not receive a slip, and you don't have to report it on your tax return.