The Canada Child Benefit is one of the most generous government benefits in Canada and it just increased! Unlike many government benefits, the Canada Child Benefit is available to low, moderate, and also some high income families.

The amount you receive from the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) depends on a few factors, one is the taxable net income for the family (line 23600 on your tax return), another is the number of children in the family, and the final factor is the age of each child.

The Canada Child Benefit is an “income tested” government benefit. The higher your taxable net income is, the lower your Canada Child Benefit will be. For some high income families, at a certain level of income the Canada Child Benefit will be reduced to $0. Anyone with income above that income level will not receive any benefit. The tricky thing is that this income level is different depending on the number of children and their ages.

The Canada Child Benefit also changes every year. New benefits start in July and are based on prior years tax return (the first payment of the updated benefit is July 20th).

The Canada Child Benefit also increases with inflation. The new 2026 Canada Child Benefit has increased by 2.4% versus 2021.

So how much Canada Child Benefit can you expect in July? We’ve got a table below that shows the Canada Child Benefit based on family taxable net income (line 23600) in $10,000 increments, so you can figure out generally how much you can expect in July.

What Are The New CCB Amounts?

The Canada Child Benefit starts at a maximum amount depending on the number of children and the children’s ages. This amount then gets reduced based on the family’s income level.

The new CCB amounts are in the table below. These amounts are the maximum a family would receive for each child if they had taxable net income below $32,797 in 2026.

In 2026 the maximum Canada Child Benefit for children age 0-5 is $6,997 per year or $583.08 per month and for children age 6-17 the maximum amount is $5,903 per year or $491.92 per month. This then gets reduced by the “clawbacks” explained below.

How Does CCB Work?

The Canada Child Benefit is an “income tested” government benefit. This means the benefit is reduced as income increases, but how does this work exactly?

As a family’s taxable net income increases the Canada Child Benefit gets “clawed back” at a certain rate. This rate depends on the family’s income level. Below a certain income level there is no clawback but as income increases that clawback rate changes. The table below shows the different clawback rates.

But what does this clawback mean? The clawback reduces the Canada Child Benefit as income increases. Here are two examples…

Example 1: For a family with two children over 6-years old the maximum annual benefit they would receive is $11,806. If they earned $80,000 in 2021 then they would receive $6,131 from CCB from July 2026 to June 2026. They start with the maximum but then this gets reduced based on their income. The first reduction is at a rate of 13.5% for income between $32,797 and $71,060 ($71,060 – $32,797 = $38,263 x 13.5% = $5,166 clawback). The second reduction is at a rate of 5.7% for income between $71,060 and $80,000 ($80,000 – $71,060 = $8,940 x 5.7% = $510 clawback).

Example 2: For a family with three children under 6-years old the maximum annual benefit they would receive is $20,991. If they earned $80,000 in 2021 then they would receive $13,006 from CCB from July 2026 to June 2026. They start with the maximum but then this gets reduced based on their income. The first reduction is at a rate of 19.0% for income between $32,797 and $71,060 ($71,060 – $32,797 = $38,263 x 19.0% = $7,270 clawback). The second reduction is at a rate of 8.0% for income between $71,060 and $80,000 ($80,000 – $71,060 = $8,940 x 8.0% = $715 clawback).

One-time increase to CCB payment in May 2020

Eligible individuals received up to $300 more per child with their CCB payment in May 2020.

Examples:

• If you have 1 child, you could have received up to $300 with your regular CCB payment for the month of May 2020.
• If you have 2 children, you could have received up to $600 ($300 per child) with your regular CCB payment for the month of May 2020.

This was a one-time increase to the CCB payment in May 2020 for the July 2026 to June 2020 benefit year.

Who got the CCB payment increase

You got the CCB payment increase if:

• you had an eligible child in your care in May 2020
• you and your spouse/common-law partner (if applicable) filed your 2018 tax return(s)
• you were entitled to the one-time payment based on your family net income

If you were previously not entitled to the CCB, but filed your 2018 tax return, you may also have received up to $300 per child.

How the payment increase was calculated

• The amount you received was calculated based on the 2018 tax return information from you and your spouse or common-law partner (if applicable) and the number of children in your care.
• If you became a new resident of Canada between January 1, 2026 and April 30, 2020, you and your spouse or common-law partner (if applicable) reported world income were used in the calculation.
• Parents who have shared custody each got half of the one-time payment increase.

How we sent you the payment increase

The one-time payment increase was sent the same way as your regular CCB payment (i.e, direct deposit or cheque).

Retroactive benefits and credits payments

If you didn’t file your 2018 tax return, you didn’t receive this one-time payment increase.

If you haven’t filed your 2018 tax return, we encourage you to file as soon as possible. You may be eligible for retroactive benefits and credit payments. The only way to get your benefits and credits, including the one-time increase to the CCB payment, is by filing your 2018 tax return.