What the Canada child benefit is
The CRA describes the CCB as a tax-free monthly payment that helps eligible families with the cost of raising children under 18. It may include the child disability benefit and related provincial and territorial programs, which the CRA administers through the same application. CCB payments are not taxable, so you do not report them as income on your tax return.
The amount depends on how many children you have, their ages, and your adjusted family net income from the previous year. It is recalculated every July, so the period from July 2026 to June 2027 is based on your 2025 income.
Who is eligible: residency and status rules
You must live with a child under 18 and be primarily responsible for the child's care and upbringing. The CRA explains this as supervising the child's daily activities and needs, meeting the child's medical needs and arranging child care when needed. You must also be 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 here.
In addition, you or your spouse or common-law partner must have one of these statuses:
- Canadian citizen.
- Permanent resident.
- Protected person, meaning you received a positive Notice of Decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board.
- Temporary resident who meets the 18-month rule below.
- Registered, or entitled to be registered, under the Indian Act.
- A person holding a Refugee Protection Claimant Document is not eligible.
Temporary residents and the 18-month rule
If you are in Canada on a work or study permit, you or your spouse or partner must meet both conditions: you have lived in Canada for the previous 18 months, and in the 19th month you hold a valid permit that does not say "does not confer status" or "does not confer temporary resident status". The CRA's newcomer page puts it simply: temporary residents can start receiving the CCB in the 19th month they have lived in Canada, if they meet the other requirements.
To keep the payments, send the CRA a copy of your renewed or extended permit, through Submit documents in your CRA account or by mail to your tax centre. If your new permit has not been issued yet, the CRA asks you to send a letter or a screenshot from IRCC's portal showing that your application is in progress. If your permit expired before you applied to renew it, the benefits stop.
How newcomers apply
Apply as soon as you are eligible, for example once your family is resident in Canada and a child lives with you. The CRA does not publish a fixed processing time on the application page; you can follow your application in your CRA account or with the CRA's processing times tool.
- Fill out and sign Form RC66, the Canada child benefit application. It covers the federal benefit and the provincial and territorial programs the CRA runs.
- Fill out Schedule RC66SCH, Status in Canada and Income Information for the Canada Child Benefit Application. The CRA asks newcomers and returning residents to include it.
- If your spouse or common-law partner was a non-resident of Canada for all or part of a year, add Form CTB9 for each of those years.
- Include proof of birth for each child, showing the child's last name, given name and date of birth. Documents not in English or French need an acceptable translation and a copy of the original.
- When the parents are spouses or common-law partners of different sexes, the CRA presumes the female parent is primarily responsible. If the other parent applies, include a signed letter from the female parent.
- Mail everything to your tax centre. If you are applying for a period more than 11 months back, the CRA asks for extra proof of status, residence and primary care.
How much you can get from July 2026 to June 2027
The CRA publishes these amounts for the payment period July 2026 to June 2027, based on your 2025 adjusted family net income (AFNI). You get the maximum if your AFNI is under $38,237. Above that, the payment goes down by a percentage of the income over $38,237 that depends on how many children you have: 7% for one child, 13.5% for two, 19% for three and 23% for four or more. A second, smaller reduction rate applies above $82,847.
The CRA's own example: with one child under 6 and an AFNI of $45,000, the income over the threshold is $6,763, the reduction is $473.41, and the annual benefit is $7,683.59, about $640.29 a month. The child disability benefit adds up to $3,480 a year ($290 a month) for each child eligible for the disability tax credit. The CRA's child and family benefits calculator estimates your own amount.
| Child's age | Maximum per year | Maximum per month |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6 | $8,157 | $679.75 |
| 6 to 17 | $6,883 | $573.58 |
Payment dates
The CCB is paid monthly. The 2026 dates published by the CRA are January 20, February 20, March 20, April 20, May 20, June 19, July 20, August 20, September 18, October 20, November 20 and December 11. When we checked, the CRA had not posted the 2027 dates.
Your first payment comes after the CRA determines your eligibility and processes your application. If your total benefit for the year is under $240, you get one lump sum with your July payment instead of monthly amounts. If a payment is missing, wait 5 business days after the expected date before contacting the CRA.
Quebec: the separate Family Allowance from Retraite Québec
Quebec has its own family program, the Family Allowance (Allocation famille), run by Retraite Québec, with its own application. Retraite Québec requires that you or your spouse be responsible for a child under 18 who lives with you, that you live in Quebec under the Taxation Act, and that you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person, or temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the past 18 months. People waiting for protected person status as asylum claimants are not eligible.
You can apply online if you or your spouse have a SIN, or send the paper form otherwise. If you arrived in Quebec in the last 24 months, Retraite Québec asks for two proofs of Quebec residence, such as a complete lease or an energy bill, and non-citizens must prove each immigration status held in the past 12 months. Both spouses must file an income tax return every year, even with no income.
Keeping your payments and common mistakes
You and your spouse or common-law partner must each file a tax return every year, by April 30, even if your income is tax exempt or you have no income. Newcomers file their first return the year after they arrive, and the CRA uses a statement of income for income earned outside Canada before you became a resident.
We don't provide legal opinions; for advice on your file, contact an RCIC-verified consultant or a lawyer.
- Only one spouse filing. Both returns are needed to calculate the benefit.
- Forgetting to send a renewed work or study permit. Payments can stop when the permit on file expires.
- Not reporting a new address. Payments can stop even if your bank account did not change.
- Not reporting a change in marital status, or a child leaving your care. Entitlement ends the month after the child leaves your care.
- Not updating a shared custody arrangement. Each parent must report a change right away.
- Closing your old bank account too early. Keep it open until the first deposit reaches the new one, which can take up to a month.