The Canada child benefit (CCB) is one of the key government benefit programs available for families with children in Canada. It is in addition to the government grant (CESG) provided to families saving for post-secondary education through an RESP.
This post starts with the Canada child benefit payment dates for 2023. Then goes on to provide an overview of the program, who can apply for it, how much you can get in CCB, and answers some of the frequently asked questions.
Ready? Let’s start…
Canada Child Benefit (CCB) Payment Dates 2023
These are the Canada Child Benefit, CCB payment dates for 2023.
| Benefit Month | CCB Payment Dates |
| January 2023 | January 20, 2023 |
| February 2023 | February 20, 2023 |
| March 2023 | March 20, 2023 |
| April 2023 | April 20, 2023 |
| May 2023 | May 19, 2023 |
| June 2023 | June 20, 2023 |
| July 2023 | July 20, 2023 |
| August 2023 | August 18, 2023 |
| September 2023 | September 20, 2023 |
| October 2023 | October 20, 2023 |
| November 2023 | November 20, 2023 |
| December 2023 | December 13, 2023 |
You can choose to receive your payment by cheque or direct deposit. Direct deposit is fast, secure and the preferred method for all CRA administered benefits.
So to ensure you receive your benefits on the CCB payment dates, you should set up the direct deposit to your bank account.
CRA will pay the CCB as a lump sum in July after recalculation if your total CCB for the year is less than $240.
And in the event that your expected payment did not come on the CCB payment dates, CRA recommends that you wait for 5 working days before contacting them.
You can get up to $5,600 in free money from the Canada Greener Home Grant. Find out if you’re eligible and how much you can get.
What is the Canada Child Benefit (CCB)?
The Canada child benefit (CCB) is a CRA administered program that provides a tax-free, monthly payment to eligible families with children below age 18.
CCB was setup to help families with the cost of raising their children. It was introduced in 2016 and replaced the UCCB (Universal Child Care Benefit) and the CCTB (Canada Child Tax Benefit).
The CCB is an income-tested government benefit – meaning the higher your income, the lower your payment will be. And at the time of writing this, there are more than 3.4 million CCB beneficiaries receiving over $2 billion in monthly benefits.
The monthly CCB payment may also include provincial or territorial child benefit programs and child disability benefit.
Child disability benefit provides an additional payment of up $2,985 per annum to each child that’s eligible for the disability tax credit.
How to apply for CCB
You can apply for CCB if you’re the person primarily responsible for the care of a child that is below 18 years of age.
Also, you must be a resident of Canada for tax purposes and be a citizen, permanent resident, protected person, certain temporary resident or an indigenous person.
There are 3 ways to apply for CCB, namely:
- Birth Registration: You can automatically apply for CCB when you give birth if you provide your consent for Vital Statistics Agency to share your child’s birth registration information with CRA. You’ll need to apply separately if you don’t provide your consent and SIN.
- Online through CRA My Account: Navigate to “Apply for child benefits” once you’re logged into your account with the CRA. Confirm all your information, provide details for your kid and submit any documents requested.
- By Mail: by completing and signing Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, include all the necessary supporting documents and mail to a tax centre near you.
Newcomers to Canada or returning residents also need to fill and send the forms below to the nearest tax centre to them:
- Schedule RC66SCH
- Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application; and, if applicable
- Form CTB9, Canada Child Benefit, Statement of Income
If you applied online, you can expect to receive the first CCB payment within 8 weeks or 11 weeks if you applied by mail.
How much CCB can you receive?
The amount you can get as CCB depends on 4 factors:
- Adjusted family net income (AFNI):
- Age of your children
- Number of children under your care; and
- Marital status
All these factors are considered when your CCB amount is recalculated annually in July.
The adjusted family net income is your net income (line 23600 of your tax return) adjusted for RDSP and UCCB.
For the 2023/2024 benefit year, a family with an AFNI of $34,863 and below will receive the maximum CCB payment for each child.
The maximum CCB amount is $7,437 for kids below 6 and $6,275 for those between 6 and 17.
| Age | Max Amount (Annual) | Max Amount (Monthly) |
| Below 6 | $7,437 | $619.75 |
| 6 to 17 | $6,275 | $522.91 |
The above shows that you can get up to $13,712 federal payment from CCB each year. You can earn more depending on the number and age of your children.
The CCB payment will be gradually clawed back or reduced once the family’s AFNI exceeds $34,863.
Here’s a table showing the claw-back rates under different family compositions for July 2023 to June 2024 benefit period:
| No. of Children | AFNI is between $34,863 and $75,537 | AFNI above $75,537 |
| 1 child | 7.00% | $2,847 + 3.2% |
| 2 children | 13.50% | $5,491 + 5.7% |
| 3 children | 19.00% | $7,728 + 8% |
| 4 or more children | 23.00% | $9,355 + 9.5% |
Sample CCB Calculation
The CRA has a child and family benefits calculator that can help you calculate how much CCB and other benefits you can get.
But here’s an illustration showing how the CCB amount will be calculated for a family with 3 kids, all below age 6, and an adjusted family net income of $120,000.
Using the table above, the family’s CCB will be reduced by $7,270 + 8% of AFNI greater than $71,060.
- Maximum benefit amount = Max CCB for children under 6 x Number of children ($6,997 * 3 = $20,991)
- Total Reduction = $7,270 + ($120,000 – $71,060) x 8% = $7,270 + $3,915.20 = $11,185.20
Therefore, annual CCB payment is $9,805.80 ($20,991 – $11,185.20) or $817.15 per month.
The calculation is done every July using the previous year’s adjusted family net income.
The payment is then spread over 12 months from July to June or paid as a lump sum if the annual CCB amount is less than $240 ($20 per month).
How To Maximize Your CCB
The Canada child benefit amount you receive is based on your adjusted family income – the higher it is, the lower your total CCB will be.
That means, the single most important factor when it comes to maximizing your CCB amount is your reported family income.
And keeping it low will get you more money.
Does this mean you should earn less? Definitely No. But it could mean claiming all the tax deductions you’re eligible for and planning your taxes.
Tax deductions reduce your taxable income and ultimately the total tax you’ll have to pay – that’s obvious.
What isn’t obvious is how they can also help you maximize the government benefits that are income tested.
Some of the common tax deductions that can help you increase what you receive as CCB include:
- Childcare expenses
- Union/professional dues
- RRSP deduction
- Moving expenses
RRSP deductions are a good place to start if you want to maximize your CCB payments.
Depending on your specific tax circumstances, you may want to prioritize contributing to, and maximizing, your RRSP over your TSFA. You’ll get the tax refund and also more CCB money.
Of course, the choice between an RRSP and TSFA isn’t that straightforward. But keep your CCB and other income-tested benefits in mind when making a choice between the two.
So in summary, keeping your adjusted family income low is the key to maximizing the amount of CCB you can get.
And for most people, this means claiming all the tax deductions they are entitled to especially RRSP deductions.
What to do with your CCB
The monthly child benefit amount you receive is all yours – it’s not even taxable – so you can use it however you like.
This could mean using it to offset your child-care cost, saving or investing it through in an RESP and so on.
Contributing to an RESP is perhaps the smartest thing you can do with your monthly CCB payments.
Not only will the money grow tax-free until your kids are ready to start withdrawing for post-secondary education, you’ll also get the matching grants from the government.
You can check this post for some of the best RESP providers in Canada. Whether you want to go with a DIY or robo-advisor offering, you’ll find one of the providers suitable.
Questrade, Wealthsimple and Justwealth are the top choices for parents looking for an easy way to start saving for their children’s education without the high fees.
I reviewed 2 of the RESP offerings and you can check the links to the posts below:
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CCB Increase 2023
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government announced a one-time increase to CCB in 2020, with each eligible child receiving up to $300 in May 2020.
For 2021, the CCB also increased through:
- an additional CCB of up to $1,200 per child and
- inflation adjustment for the regular CCB
However, CCB payments are indexed to inflation with the increase effective in July annually.
As a result, CCB increased from $6,833 per child under age 6 to $6,997 under the 2022–23 benefit year. In addition, the payment increased from $5,765 per child between 6-7 to $59,03.
Additional CCB Young Child Supplement (CCBYCS) for 2021
As part of the measures to address the impact of COVID-19, a temporary additional support for low to middle income families was announced for the year 2021 through Bill C-14.
The program is named Canada Child Benefit Young Child Supplement (CCBYCS).
Families with total income below $120,000 will get an additional CCB of $1,200 per child below 6 years, payable each quarter – $300 each. While those with higher incomes will receive $600 (or $150 per quarter).
For example: a family earning below $120,000 with 2 kids below 6 years old will get an additional CCB of $2,400 in 2021.
Note that the payments will stop once a child clocks 6 – so some families may not get the full amount.
The additional CCB is completely tax-free and will benefit more than 2.1 million children from over 1.6 million families.
You won’t have to apply for the extra payments. If you already receive CCB, you should receive the payments automatically.
CCB Young Child Supplement (CCBYCS) Payment Dates 2021
The payment dates for CCB young Child Supplements for 2021 are:
- May 28, 2021
- July 30, 2021
- October 29, 2021
The May 28, 2021 includes the payments for January (1st quarter) and April (2nd quarter).
And the next payment will be on Friday, July 30, 2021.
Payments for the first 2 quarters will be based on the 2019 family net income, while the July and October payments are calculated using the family net income for 2020.
You should note, however, that the CCB Young Child Supplement (CCBYCS) ended on December 31, 2021.
Regular CCB July 2022 Increase
In addition to the Canada Child Benefit extra payment in 2021 of $300 per quarter, families also saw a slight increase from the regular annual CCB increase in July 2021.
The regular CCB is indexed against inflation to adjust for the general increase in cost of living. So every year, the CCB is adjusted starting July – the beginning of the CCB year.
For the July 2022 – June 2023 CCB benefit period, the CCB amount increased to $6,997 for a child below 6 from $6,833 in the previous period.
Here is a table summarizing the increase for the 2 age groups and across the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 CCB periods:
| Age | July 2021 – June 2022 | July 2022 – June 2023 | CCB Increase |
| Below 6 | $6,833 | $6,997 | $164 |
| 6 to 17 | $5,765 | $5,903 | $130 |
Compared to the additional CCB above, the increase in the regular CCB is quite small.
For example, a family with a child below 6 that receives the maximum CCB will only see an increase of $164 – that is less than $14 per month.
But in general, most families will see a change in their monthly CCB amount in July 2022 because of the reassessment using their 2021 income.
So if your CCB is reduced or increased in July 2022, it’s likely because of a change in your 2021 family net income or family composition.
You will still get the full amount if your adjusted family net income is below $32,797 in 2021.
Otherwise, the CCB payment will drop or increase depending on your 2021 income compared to 2020.
Other Provincial Child Benefit programs
While the CCB is administered and funded by the federal government, there are also child benefit programs at the provincial and territorial levels.
Some of these programs include:
- BC Child Opportunity benefit
- Alberta child and family benefit
- Manitoba child benefit
- New Brunswick child tax benefit
- Newfoundland and Labrador child benefit
- Northwest Territories child benefit
- Nova Scotia child benefit
- Nunavut child benefit
- Ontario child benefit
- Yukon child benefit
Most of these programs are administered by CRA and combined with the monthly CCB payments as a single credit to beneficiaries.
One of the few exceptions is the Alberta Child and Family Benefit (ACFB). This is paid quarterly and the ACFB payment dates for 2023 are:
- February 27, 2023
- May 26, 2023
- August 25, 2023
- November 27, 2023
The Alberta Child and Family Benefit (ACFB) was introduced in July 2020 to replace two separate programs: Alberta Child benefit and Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit.
Related: Alberta Child And Family Benefit (ACFB) Payment Dates
FAQs: CCB Payment Dates
The Canada Child Benefit amount is inflation-indexed, therefore the regular CCB was increased in June 2023 as part of the annual adjustment for inflation. The next scheduled increase would be in June 2024 when CCB payments are increased to adjust for inflation.
For the 2023/2023 CCB year, the maximum CCB is $7,437 for kids below 6 and $6,275 for those between 6 and 17. The amount is divided into 12 and paid monthly on the CCB payment dates for each month.
You can receive a maximum monthly benefit of $619.75 per child below 6, or $522.91 for those above if your adjusted family net income is below $34,863. Ultimately, how much you receive depends on your prior year’s adjusted family net income, the number of kids in the family, their age and your marital status.
The Canada child benefit (CCB) is 100% tax-free. You won’t receive a tax slip and you won’t have to include any payments you received in your tax return for the year.
Your CCB payment will permanently stop once your kids turn 18. It will also stop temporarily if your adjusted family net income is too high and the benefit is entirely clawed back or you failed to file your tax returns. CCB will also stop if you stop meeting any of the eligibility criteria, no longer have a child in your care and so on.
Eligible families will receive a total of $1,200 per child in 2021 or $300 per quarter. The additional CCB is paid under the CCB Young Child Supplement (CCBYCS), an initiative to address the impact of COVID-19 on families.
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