01/23/2025
What is the CCB?
The Canada Child Benefit is a non-taxable monthly payment the CRA sends to eligible families with kids under age 18. It’s intended to help low-income and middle-income families cover child-rearing expenses. The CCB was introduced in 2016, and it has been indexed to inflation since 2018.
CCB payments may include the Child Disability Benefit (CDB), and some provinces and territories offer additional assistance (for example, the Ontario Child Benefit, or OCB).
“The Canada Child Benefit is meant to indirectly help cover the costs of raising a family for parents whose incomes are below the applicable thresholds,” says Jason Heath, Certified Financial Planner at Objective Financial Partners Inc. in Toronto, and MoneySense columnist. “The more kids you have, the higher your benefit entitlement, and the higher the income means-testing limit will be for you. Best of all, it is a tax-free benefit, so you do not report the income on your tax return.”
How much is the Canada Child Benefit?
For the period of July 2024 to June 2025, the maximum annual benefit per child under age 6 is $7,787 ($648.91 per month), and the maximum annual benefit for children aged 6 to 17 is $6,570 ($547.50 per month).
The total amount you’ll get for CCB payments depends on:
1. The number of eligible children in your care
2. Your children’s ages (kids under age 6 receive the CCB young child supplement)
3. Your adjusted family net income
4. Whether your children are eligible for the disability tax credit (DTC) (for the period of July 2024 to June 2025, families could receive up to $3,322 for each child who is eligible for the DTC)
If your adjusted family net income in 2023 was below $36,502, you will get the maximum amount for each child. Above $36,502, CCB payments gradually decrease with higher adjusted family net incomes. See sample calculations on the CRA website, and use the CRA’s CCB calculator to figure out how much you can receive.
If you share custody of a child, you get 50% of what you would have received if you had full custody. The payment amount is based on your adjusted family net income.
Who can apply for the CCB? Who’s eligible?
To apply for CCB payments, you must live with and be primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of at least one child under 18. You must also be a resident of Canada for tax purposes. In addition, you or your spouse or common-law partner must be any of the following:
• a Canadian citizen
• a permanent resident
• a protected person
• a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months and 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
