Canada Child Benefit Calculator 2026–2027
Estimate your monthly CCB payment based on the 2026–2027 CRA benefit rates and your family's adjusted net income.
📊 2026–2027 CCB Rate Table
| Child Age | Max Annual | Max Monthly | Phase-out starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 6 years | $8,157.00 | $679.75 | $38,237 AFNI |
| 6 to 17 years | $6,883.00 | $573.58 | $38,237 AFNI |
How CCB is Calculated
The Canada Child Benefit is calculated annually by CRA using the adjusted family net income from your previous year's tax return. The maximum benefit applies to families with income below $38,237. Above this threshold, benefits are reduced at a rate based on the number of children — 7% per dollar over the threshold for one child, 13.5% for two children, and so on.
CCB is recalculated every July when CRA processes the prior year's returns. You must file your taxes every year to continue receiving CCB, even if you had no income. Families who do not file may lose benefits. Sign up for direct deposit through My Account at canada.ca to receive payments automatically on the 20th of each month.
Canada Child Benefit — Frequently Asked Questions
For the 2026–2027 benefit year, the maximum is $8,157 per year ($679.75/month) per child under 6, and $6,883 per year ($573.58/month) per child aged 6 to 17. The amount decreases as your family net income rises.
You must live with the child, be primarily responsible for their care, be a resident of Canada for tax purposes, and file a tax return every year (both you and your spouse or partner).
No. The CCB is completely tax-free and does not need to be reported as income on your tax return.
It's based on your adjusted family net income from the previous year's tax return, the number of children, and their ages. Benefits are reduced above income thresholds on a sliding scale.
Monthly, usually around the 20th. Payments are recalculated every July based on your latest tax return, so filing on time keeps your benefit uninterrupted.
The benefit year runs July to June, not January to December
This trips up almost everyone. Your Canada Child Benefit is recalculated every July, and the new amount is based on your previous year's adjusted family net income. Payments from July 2026 to June 2027 are set by your 2025 tax return.
Two consequences. A pay rise does not reduce your CCB immediately — the effect arrives the following July, which can feel like a sudden unexplained cut. And a bad income year does not help until the next July either. Plan around the lag rather than the current month's income.
⚠️ Both parents must file, every year
The CCB is recalculated from filed returns. If you or your spouse or common-law partner does not file, payments stop — even if your income was zero and even if you owe nothing. This is the most common reason families lose the benefit, and it is entirely avoidable.
File every year regardless of income. If payments have already stopped, filing the outstanding returns generally restores them and the CRA can pay retroactively — the CCB can normally be backdated up to 11 months, or further with a written request.
How the reduction actually works
The CCB does not stop at a cliff. It phases out gradually across two thresholds of adjusted family net income, and the reduction rate depends on how many children you have. Below the first threshold you receive the full amount; above it the benefit tapers, and the taper steepens above the second threshold.
Because the taper is a percentage of income above the threshold, anything that lowers adjusted family net income raises your CCB — most usefully an RRSP contribution, which reduces net income dollar for dollar. For a family in the phase-out range, an RRSP contribution delivers its normal tax refund plus a permanent increase in the following year's CCB. That combined effect is frequently larger than the headline tax saving.
What this calculator does not include
- Child Disability Benefit — an additional monthly amount for a child approved for the Disability Tax Credit, paid on top of the CCB.
- Provincial and territorial child benefits — most provinces run their own top-up, usually paid together with the CCB in the same deposit. Your actual payment may therefore exceed the federal figure shown here.
- Shared custody — where a child lives roughly equally with both parents, each receives 50% of what they would get with full custody, calculated on their own income.
- Newcomers — residency requirements apply, and a spouse's world income may be needed for the first year.
The CCB itself is tax-free — it is not reported as income and does not affect your tax bracket. Tell the CRA promptly if your marital status or custody arrangement changes, since both alter entitlement and an overpayment will be recovered from future payments.