How the Canada Child Benefit is calculated
The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment from the Canada Revenue Agency to eligible families with children under 18. For the benefit year July 2026 – June 2027, payments are based on your 2025 adjusted family net income (AFNI) — your net income plus your spouse's or common-law partner's.
The maximum benefit is $8,157 per year for each child under 6 and $6,883 per year for each child aged 6 to 17. Families with AFNI below $38,237 receive the full amount. Above that, the benefit is reduced in two steps:
| Children | Reduction on AFNI from $38,237 to $82,847 | Reduction on AFNI above $82,847 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7% of the excess | $3,123 + 3.2% of the excess |
| 2 | 13.5% | $6,022 + 5.7% |
| 3 | 19% | $8,476 + 8% |
| 4 or more | 23% | $10,260 + 9.5% |
Because the second reduction rate is low, many middle- and upper-middle-income families still receive some CCB.
Who is eligible
You must live with a child under 18 and be primarily responsible for their care, be a resident of Canada for tax purposes, and you or your spouse must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person or temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months with a valid permit in the 19th month. Both parents must file a tax return every year, even with no income, or payments stop.
When payments arrive
The CRA pays the CCB monthly, usually around the 20th. The amount is recalculated every July using the previous year's tax returns, and amounts are indexed to inflation. If you receive $240 or less a year, the CRA pays it in a single July payment instead.
Other benefits not included here
This estimate covers the federal CCB only. Families may also receive the Child Disability Benefit (for a child eligible for the disability tax credit) and provincial or territorial child benefits, such as the Ontario Child Benefit, the B.C. Family Benefit or the Quebec Family Allowance, which are often paid together with the CCB.
Worked example
Take a family with one child aged 5 and one aged 9 and an adjusted family net income of $65,000. Their maximum benefit is $8,157 plus $6,883. Because their income is above $38,237, the benefit is reduced by 13.5% of the amount over that threshold (the two-child rate). The result is roughly $11,400 a year, or about $950 a month — which matches the example the federal government published for this benefit year. If the same family earned $100,000, the reduction would include the higher second-tier amount, but they would still receive several thousand dollars a year.
Shared custody
When parents share custody roughly equally, each parent receives 50% of the amount they would get if the child lived with them full time, calculated on each parent's own family income.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the CCB per child?
What income is used for the CCB?
Is the Canada Child Benefit taxable?
Why did my CCB go down in July?
Sources & methodology
This calculator was last reviewed on November 2, 2026. Figures are based on the following official and primary sources:
Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll fix it quickly. Read how we build and update our tools in our editorial policy.