Canada Child Benefit (CCB) Guide 2025

The CCB pays up to $7,787 per year per child under 6 — tax-free. Here's exactly how to maximize your payments.

2024–25 CCB Payment Amounts

Child's Age	Maximum Annual Amount	Maximum Monthly
Under 6 years old	$7,787	$648.91
6 to 17 years old	$6,570	$547.50

These are the maximum amounts for families with adjusted net income below $36,502. Payments are reduced as income rises above this threshold.

CCB Payment Dates 2025

Month	Payment Date
January 2025	January 20, 2025
February 2025	February 20, 2025
March 2025	March 20, 2025
April 2025	April 17, 2025
May 2025	May 20, 2025
June 2025	June 20, 2025

Who Is Eligible for the CCB?

• You are a Canadian resident for tax purposes
• You live with a child under 18 years of age
• You are the parent primarily responsible for the child's care
• You or your spouse is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person, or a temporary resident who has lived in Canada for 18 months

Both parents must file their income tax returns every year for CCB to continue — even if one parent had zero income.

How Income Affects Your CCB

The CCB is income-tested based on your adjusted family net income (AFNI). It is calculated in two phases:

• Phase 1 reduction (income $36,502 to $79,087): Reduction rate is 7% per child (one child) or 13.5% (two or more) of income above $36,502
• Phase 2 reduction (income above $79,087): Additional reduction of 3.2% (one child) or 5.7% (two or more) of income above $79,087

Higher-income families still receive some CCB at very high income levels for older children. Use the CRA's Child and Family Benefits Calculator at canada.ca to estimate your exact amount.

How to Apply for the CCB

Apply for the CCB as soon as possible after a child is born or comes into your care:

• At birth: Apply through the Automated Benefits Application when registering your child's birth with your province
• Online: Through CRA My Account using Form RC66
• By mail: Complete Form RC66 and mail to your tax centre

Payments begin the month after the CRA receives your application. You can receive retroactive payments for up to 11 months before your application date.

CCB and Shared Custody

If you share custody of a child (at least 40% of the time with each parent), each parent receives 50% of the CCB that would otherwise be paid to the primary caregiver. Both parents must apply separately and both must file their tax returns annually.

CCB Is Tax-Free

The Canada Child Benefit is completely tax-free — it does not count as income on your tax return. You do not report it and it does not affect your RRSP room, OAS clawback threshold, or any other income-tested benefit calculation.

Provincial Child Benefits

Many provinces offer additional child benefit payments on top of the federal CCB:

• Ontario: Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) — up to $1,607 per child annually
• British Columbia: BC Child Opportunity Benefit
• Alberta: Alberta Child and Family Benefit
• Quebec: Allocation famille (administered provincially)