Canada Child Benefit Calculator — Estimate Your Monthly CCB

Canada Child Benefit Calculator

How to Use This Calculator

Enter your values in the fields above and the calculator will compute results instantly as you type. You can adjust any input to compare different scenarios. All calculations happen in your browser — no data is sent to any server and nothing is stored. Use the share buttons below the results to save or send your calculations via WhatsApp, Twitter, or by copying the link. For related calculations, check the suggested tools in the "What to calculate next" section below.

CCB Maximums: July 2025–June 2026, and the July 2026 Reset

The Canada Child Benefit resets every July, when the CRA re-indexes the amounts to inflation and switches to your latest tax return. For the benefit year July 2025–June 2026, the maximums are $7,997 per child under 6 ($666.41 per month) and $6,748 per child aged 6–17 ($562.33 per month), calculated from your family's 2024 adjusted family net income (AFNI). The benefit year starting July 2026 uses your 2025 return and indexed-higher maximums — the CRA confirms exact figures each summer; with CPI indexation running near 2%, expect maximums in the region of $8,150 and $6,880, but treat those as estimates until your July notice arrives. Families with a child approved for the disability tax credit also receive the Child Disability Benefit — up to an additional $3,411 per year in 2025–26 per eligible child, income-tested on the same AFNI. Two structural points matter for planning: CCB is completely tax-free (it never appears on your return and never erodes other benefits), and it recalculates automatically every July — but both spouses must file a tax return every year, even with zero income, or payments simply stop. New parents should apply through the Automated Benefits Application when registering the birth; payments can be backdated, though periods beyond 11 months require supporting documents.

How the AFNI Phase-Out Works: A Two-Child Example

Above the first threshold — $37,487 of AFNI for the 2025–26 benefit year — the CCB is reduced by a percentage that depends on family size: 7% for one child, 13.5% for two, 19% for three and 23% for four or more. A second, gentler bracket starts at $81,222: the reduction becomes a fixed amount (the reduction accumulated across the first bracket) plus a lower rate — 3.2% for one child, 5.7% for two, 8% for three, 9.5% for four — applied to income above it. Worked example with two children aged 3 and 8 and AFNI of $60,000: maximum benefit $7,997 + $6,748 = $14,745; reduction 13.5% × ($60,000 − $37,487) = $3,039; annual CCB $11,706, about $975 per month. The same family at $95,000: first-bracket reduction of $5,904 (13.5% of the full $43,735 band) plus 5.7% × ($95,000 − $81,222) = $785, total reduction $6,689, leaving $8,056 per year — about $671 per month. The practical corollary: inside the first bracket, every $1,000 of RRSP contribution raises this family's CCB by $135 on top of the tax refund, one of the highest effective returns on an RRSP dollar in the Canadian tax system. All thresholds re-index each July.

Payment Dates for 2026 and the Small-Balance Rule

The CRA pays CCB monthly, normally on the 20th; when the 20th falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deposit lands on the last business day before it, and the December payment is issued about a week early so it arrives before the holidays. Direct deposit arrives the same day; mailed cheques can take up to 10 business days, which is why the CRA pushes enrolment in direct deposit through CRA My Account or your bank. If your total annual entitlement is under $240, you do not get monthly payments at all — the CRA pays the full amount as a single lump sum with the July payment. Watch for the annual notice: every July the CRA mails (or posts to My Account) a CCB Notice showing the new benefit-year calculation from your latest return; if you have not filed, the notice never comes and payments stop until you do. Life changes matter mid-year too. You must report a change in marital status by the end of the month following the change — the CRA then recalculates using the new household AFNI, and a late report commonly produces an overpayment that gets clawed back from future monthly deposits, sometimes swallowing them entirely for several months.

Shared Custody: How the 50/50 Split Is Calculated

With shared custody — a child living 40–60% of the time with each parent — the CRA pays each parent exactly 50% of what they would receive based on their own household's AFNI. Household is the key word: remarrying or entering a common-law relationship changes the calculation, because a new partner's income joins the AFNI even if they have no connection to the child. Example for a 4-year-old on a true 50/50 schedule in 2025–26. Parent A is single with $45,000 AFNI: their full entitlement would be $7,997 − 7% × ($45,000 − $37,487) = $7,471, so they receive half — $3,736 per year, about $311 per month. Parent B has repartnered into a $110,000 household: full entitlement is $7,997 − ($3,061 + 3.2% × $28,778) = $4,015, halved to about $2,008, or $167 per month. Note there is no proration between the bands: below 40% of the time, the primary parent receives 100% and the other parent receives nothing; there is no 70/30 or 80/20 split. Both parents must apply separately, and each should keep custody evidence — court orders, school and medical records showing both addresses — because the CRA routinely reviews shared-custody claims and suspends payments while it waits for documents.