Guides Guide

CCB payment dates 2026: when the Canada child benefit is paid

By Alex Francisco Updated Sep 29, 2026 Figures checked Sep 29, 2026 9 min read

When are the CCB payment dates in 2026?

Canada child benefit (CCB) payment dates in 2026 are January 20, February 20, March 20, April 20, May 20, June 19, July 20, August 20, September 18, October 20, November 20 and December 11. From July 2026 to June 2027 the maximum is $8,157 a year for each child under 6 and $6,883 for each child aged 6 to 17.

The CRA pays the Canada child benefit once a month; the remaining 2026 dates are October 20, November 20 and December 11, and the 2027 dates had not been published on September 29, 2026.
Payments from July 2026 to June 2027 are based on adjusted family net income from the 2025 tax return; January to June 2026 payments used the 2024 return.
The maximum for July 2026 to June 2027 is $8,157 a year ($679.75 a month) per child under 6 and $6,883 ($573.58 a month) per child aged 6 to 17.
The benefit starts to shrink once adjusted family net income passes $38,237; above $82,847 a fixed reduction plus a lower percentage applies. Both depend on the number of eligible children.
Newcomers and returning residents apply by mail with Form RC66 and Schedule RC66SCH; most other parents apply at birth registration or in their CRA account.
If a payment is missing, the CRA asks families to check My Account and their personal details, then wait 5 business days after the payment date before calling 1-800-387-1193.

— YieldMaple, figures checked against official sources on September 29, 2026. Sources

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) pays the Canada child benefit (CCB) once a month, on the dates below. The table is copied from the CRA’s own payment calendar and marks the next payment automatically. This page explains the dates, what each payment is based on, how much families get from July 2026, how to apply (including the newcomer forms) and what to do when a deposit does not show up. It is general information, not advice: each family’s own amount and next payment are in the CRA account (My Account).

CCB payment dates 2026

Next payment date

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

This is the date the payment is issued. Deposits can take a few days to arrive and mailed cheques can take longer, so allow a few business days before contacting the government.

Month	2026
January	Tue, January 20
February	Fri, February 20
March	Fri, March 20
April	Mon, April 20
May	Wed, May 20
June	Fri, June 19
July	Mon, July 20
August	Thu, August 20
September	Fri, September 18
October	Tue, October 20
November	Fri, November 20
December	Fri, December 11

How to read this table: each date is the day the CRA issues the payment. January to June 2026 payments are based on the 2024 tax return; July to December 2026 payments are based on the 2025 tax return. Related provincial and territorial programs included with the CCB are paid on the same dates. Source: Payment dates for CRA administered benefits and credits — Canada.ca (Canada child benefit, 2026); Payment dates - Canada child benefit (CCB) — Canada.ca (cross-check of the 2026 dates); Payment dates - Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) — Canada.ca (cross-check of the 2026 dates); Provincial and territorial programs — Canada.ca (target of the "related provincial and territorial programs" link); Ontario — Provincial and territorial programs — Canada.ca (when the OTB is paid). Dates checked September 29, 2026.

When is the next CCB payment?

The next deposit is the highlighted date in the table above. For the rest of 2026, the CRA’s calendar lists three payments:

CCB payment October 2026: Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
CCB payment November 2026: Friday, November 20, 2026.
CCB payment December 2026: Friday, December 11, 2026, earlier in the month than usual. The CRA does not publish a reason, and the gap between the December and January deposits is longer than usual.

Most months the payment lands on the 20th. In 2026 it moved earlier three times: June 19, September 18 and December 11. If the CRA cannot deposit a payment into a bank account, it mails a cheque instead. The CRA calls direct deposit the fastest and most secure way to get the benefit, and families who are still waiting for a bank account can compare options in this guide to bank accounts for newcomers.

The CRA also sends email reminders about one week before a payment is issued, for anyone who signs up in their CRA account.

Which tax year decides each 2026 CCB payment?

The CCB benefit year runs from July to the following June, and each benefit year uses the tax return from the calendar year before it started. That is why an income change shows up in the CCB months later.

Payments	Benefit year	Based on
January 20 to June 19, 2026	July 2025 to June 2026	2024 tax return
July 20 to December 11, 2026	July 2026 to June 2027	2025 tax return
January to June 2027 (dates not yet published)	July 2026 to June 2027	2025 tax return

How to read this table: a family whose income fell in 2025 sees a larger CCB starting with the July 20, 2026 payment, not before. A family whose income rose in 2025 sees the reduction from the same date.

If the total benefit for the year is less than $240, there is no monthly payment at all: the CRA pays the whole year as one lump sum with the July payment. A family that received one larger July deposit and nothing in the months after may be in this group; the benefit notice in the CRA account confirms it.

Child tax benefit payment dates 2026: are they the same as the CCB?

Yes. Many people still search for “child tax benefit payment dates”, but the monthly family payment the CRA makes is the Canada child benefit, and the dates in the table are the ones that apply. Three related payments are worth separating:

Child disability benefit (CDB): added automatically to the CCB for each child eligible for the disability tax credit, so it arrives on the CCB dates.
Provincial and territorial child benefits run by the CRA: some are combined with the CCB into a single monthly payment, others are paid separately. The Alberta child and family benefit, for example, has its own quarterly dates (February 27, May 27, August 27 and November 27, 2026).
Other CRA benefits follow different calendars. The GST and Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit payment dates are quarterly, and the Ontario Trillium Benefit is paid around the 10th of the month. The CRA benefit payment dates calendar puts every CRA program on one page.

How much is the CCB from July 2026?

The amounts below apply to payments from July 2026 to June 2027. Families whose adjusted family net income (AFNI) is under the first threshold get the full amount for every eligible child.

Maximum Canada child benefit, July 2026 to June 2027

How to read this table: add one row for each eligible child. The child disability benefit is added on top of the CCB for a child eligible for the disability tax credit.

For	Maximum per year	Maximum per month
Each child under 6	$8,157	$679.75
Each child aged 6 to 17	$6,883	$573.58
Child disability benefit, each child eligible for the disability tax credit (added on top)	$3,480	$290

Above the first threshold, the CRA reduces the total benefit (not each child’s amount separately) in two bands:

How family income changes the CCB, July 2026 to June 2027

How to read this table: adjusted family net income is the net income on line 23600 of both spouses' 2025 returns, with a few adjustments for UCCB and RDSP income.

Adjusted family net income	What happens to the benefit
Less than $38,237	Maximum amount for each eligible child, no reduction
Greater than $38,237 up to $82,847	Reduced by a percentage of family income above $38,237 (the percentage depends on the number of eligible children)
Greater than $82,847	Reduced by a fixed amount plus a percentage of family income above $82,847 (both depend on the number of eligible children)

CCB reduction rates by number of children, July 2026 to June 2027

How to read this table: in the middle band, multiply the income above $38,237 by the rate in the second column. Above $82,847, the reduction is the fixed amount plus the last column's rate times the income above $82,847.

Eligible children	Reduction on income from $38,237 to $82,847	Fixed reduction above $82,847	Plus this share of income above $82,847
One child	7%	$3,123	3.2%
Two children	13.5%	$6,022	5.7%
Three children	19%	$8,476	8%
Four or more children	23%	$10,260	9.5%

The CCB is indexed to inflation every July, so the numbers move a little each year. The last two benefit years side by side:

CCB maximums and income thresholds: 2026-27 compared with 2025-26

How to read this table: the 2025-26 row still matters for anyone who files a late 2024 return and receives retroactive payments for that benefit year.

Benefit year	Based on	Per child under 6	Per child 6 to 17	Child disability benefit	Reductions start above	Second band starts above
July 2026 to June 2027	2025 tax return	$8,157	$6,883	$3,480	$38,237	$82,847
July 2025 to June 2026	2024 tax return	$7,997	$6,748	$3,411	$37,487	$81,222

The CCB is tax-free: the payments are not reported as income on the tax return.

How is the CCB calculated? A worked example

Take a two-parent family with two children, one aged 3 and one aged 8, and a combined 2025 adjusted family net income of $60,000. These are example figures; the CRA account shows the real calculation for each family on its benefit notice.

Maximum before any reduction: $15,040 a year.
Income above the first threshold: $21,763.
Reduction for two children in the middle band: 13.5% of that, or about $2,938.
Annual CCB: about $12,102, or roughly $1,008.50 on each monthly payment date.

If the same family’s income were $95,000, it would be in the top band. The reduction becomes the fixed $6,022 plus 5.7% of the $12,153 above the second threshold, a total of about $6,714.72. The annual CCB falls to about $8,325.28, or $693.77 a month.

With shared custody, each parent receives half of what they would get with full custody, worked out on their own income. A parent whose own AFNI is $60,000 with both children half the time would get about $6,051 a year. Families planning around these amounts can put the monthly figure into the newcomer budget calculator alongside rent and other costs.

Who can get the Canada child benefit?

To qualify, a parent or caregiver must live with a child under 18, be primarily responsible for the child’s care and upbringing (daily supervision, medical needs, arranging child care) and be a resident of Canada for tax purposes. The applicant or their spouse or common-law partner must also have one of these statuses:

Status in Canada and CCB eligibility

How to read this table: only one of the two spouses or partners needs a qualifying status. The other conditions (a child under 18 in the home, primary responsibility, tax residency) still apply.

Status of the applicant or spouse	Can qualify for the CCB?
Canadian citizen	Yes
Permanent resident	Yes
Protected person (positive decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board)	Yes
Temporary resident	Yes, after living in Canada for the previous 18 months and holding a valid permit in the 19th month
Registered or entitled to be registered under the Indian Act	Yes
Refugee claimant (Refugee Protection Claimant Document only)	No

When both parents live together, the law presumes the female parent is primarily responsible, so she normally applies; the amount is the same whichever parent receives it. If the other parent is primarily responsible, that parent applies with a signed letter from the female parent. Same-sex parents choose one parent to apply for all the children in the home.

Custody decides who applies when parents live apart. A child who lives with a parent between 40% and 60% of the time puts both parents in shared custody, and both should apply. A parent with the child more than 60% of the time has full custody; a parent with the child less than 40% of the time is not eligible for that child.

How do you apply for the CCB?

Apply as soon as a child is born, starts living with the family, or a custody arrangement begins, ends or changes. There are three routes, and applying for the CCB also covers the related provincial and territorial programs; no separate application is needed.

Ways to apply for the Canada child benefit

How to read this table: the birth registration route needs no separate proof of birth because the province or territory shares it securely with the CRA. The birth registration form asks for the parent's Social Insurance Number.

Route	When it fits	Proof of birth	Practical note
Birth registration (Automated Benefits Application)	Registering a newborn's birth with the province or territory, at the hospital or birthing centre or online (Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta)	Not needed — the province or territory shares it with the CRA	Tick the CCB application and give consent to share information; not available in Nunavut
CRA account (My Account)	Any time the child did not get registered at birth, or a child starts living with you	Needed if the CRA has never paid benefits for this child (upload with Submit documents)	Individual account → Benefits and credits → Child information → Add
Form RC66 by mail	When the online routes are not possible, and always for newcomers or returning residents (with Schedule RC66SCH)	Needed if the CRA has never paid benefits for this child (mail it with the form)	Mail to your tax centre with any supporting documents

In the CRA account, the path is: Individual account, then Benefits and credits, then “Child information”, then Add. After submitting, save the confirmation and use “Submit documents” if the CRA asks for proof of birth. For a child who started living with the family more than 11 months ago, the CRA asks for extra proof: citizenship or immigration status, proof of living in Canada and proof of being the child’s main caregiver.

The first payment comes after the CRA has determined eligibility and processed the application. The CRA account has a progress tracker, and the CRA’s processing-times tool gives current targets for each route.

How do newcomers apply for the CCB?

For newcomers and returning residents, the CRA’s instructions are a paper application sent to the tax centre. The official wording reads:

“Fill out and sign Schedule RC66SCH, Status in Canada/Statement of Income”

“Mail Schedule RC66SCH and Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, to your tax centre”

CCB forms for newcomers and returning residents

How to read this table: RC66 and RC66SCH go in the same envelope to the tax centre. CTB9 is only needed when a spouse or partner lived outside Canada for part of the year.

Form	Who fills it out	What it covers
Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application	Every newcomer or returning resident applying for the CCB	Applies for the CCB and registers children for related federal, provincial and territorial programs
Schedule RC66SCH, Status in Canada/Statement of Income	Newcomers, returning residents, new citizens, permanent residents, protected persons, temporary residents, and people registered or entitled to be registered under the Indian Act who are not Canadian citizens	Your status in Canada and your world income for the period before you became a resident
Form CTB9, Canada Child Benefit – Statement of Income	Applicants whose spouse or common-law partner was a non-resident of Canada during any part of the year	The non-resident spouse's income, one form for each year or part of a year

Documents in a language other than English or French need an acceptable translation along with a copy of the original. Form RC66 also registers the children for the GST/HST credit (now the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit) and related provincial and territorial programs. The CRA uses the income reported for the time before arriving (income earned outside Canada) to calculate benefits for the period before the first Canadian tax return is filed, so filing that return on time matters; the guide to a first tax return as a newcomer walks through it, and the Canada child benefit for newcomers guide covers eligibility in more depth. Getting a Social Insurance Number early makes both the application and the first return simpler; see the SIN application steps.

What should you do if a CCB payment is late or missing?

The CRA’s own order of steps, with the wait time it asks families to respect:

Missing CCB payment: what to check, in order

How to read this table: the CCB line is closed on weekends and public holidays. Callers need their SIN, details about the children in their care and information from a previous payment to verify their identity.

Step	Details
Check the payment status in your CRA account	Your next expected payment date and amount are under Benefits and credits
Make sure your personal information is up to date	Address, marital status, bank account and children in your care — an address change can stop payments even with direct deposit
Check the CRA's reasons for stopped or changed payments	Most common — a tax return not filed (yours or your spouse's), a CRA letter not answered, an expired temporary resident permit
Wait 5 business days after the payment date	The CRA asks you not to call before then
Call the CCB line	1-800-387-1193 (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut 1-866-426-1527), Monday to Friday 8 am to 8 pm ET; have your SIN, your children's details and a previous payment ready

On September 29, 2026 the CRA’s payment-dates page also carried a notice that wildfires had delayed a small number of mailed benefit cheques, while direct deposits were issued on schedule. Anyone who cannot access a cheque and needs immediate help can call 1-800-387-1193.

Why did the CCB payment stop or change?

The CRA’s most common reasons for a payment that stops:

The parent’s or spouse’s tax return was not filed. Both must file every year, even with no income, and filing by April 30 avoids a gap in July.
A CRA letter asking about the family’s situation was not answered.
The address, bank account or marital status changed and the CRA was not told. An address change can stop payments even when direct deposit stays the same.
A temporary resident permit expired without an application to renew or extend it.
A statement of income for time spent outside Canada was not submitted.
The child turned 18, left the home, or family income rose enough to reduce the benefit to zero.

A payment that changes usually means the benefit was recalculated: a new benefit year in July, a child turning 6 (the rate drops from the under-6 amount the month after the birthday), a new child, a custody change or a change in marital status. The benefit notice in the CRA account shows the figures used. When a payment was stopped for outdated or missing information and the family is still eligible, the CRA can resume payments after recalculating the benefit, and any missed amounts are paid with the next scheduled payment. Filing early helps avoid gaps; see the guide to free tax software in Canada.

When will the 2027 CCB payment dates be announced?

The CRA’s calendar listed 2026 dates only when this page was checked on September 29, 2026. This page is re-checked in November and December 2026 and adds the 2027 dates to the table as soon as they appear on Canada.ca. Two more changes are predictable:

July 2027: a new benefit year starts, based on 2026 tax returns, with maximums and thresholds indexed to inflation.
April 30, 2027: the filing date that keeps the July 2027 recalculation on time.

Common mistakes with the CCB

Waiting to apply for a newborn. The CCB can be paid from the month after the birth; applying on the birth registration form means no separate proof of birth is needed.
Assuming a tax-free benefit needs no tax return. The CCB is not taxable, but no return means no payments.
Closing the old bank account too early. When switching accounts, the CRA advises keeping the old one open until the first deposit reaches the new one; it can take up to a month.
Calling the CRA on the payment date. The CRA asks families to wait 5 business days first.
Newcomers applying online without RC66SCH. Newcomers and returning residents need the schedule, mailed with RC66.
Forgetting shared custody rules. Each parent in shared custody gets half, on their own income; the CRA does not split it any other way.

The newcomer benefits stack lists the federal and provincial benefits a family may qualify for alongside the CCB, and the date pages linked above cover the other CRA calendars. For the exact amount and next payment for a specific family, the CRA account (My Account) is the only authoritative source; this page summarizes the CRA’s public rules and is not personal advice.

Frequently asked questions

When is the next CCB payment in 2026?

The next Canada child benefit payment is shown at the top of the date table on this page, which updates itself as each date passes. The CRA's remaining 2026 dates are October 20, November 20 and December 11. The exact amount for a family is in the CRA account (My Account) under Benefits and credits, next to the next expected payment date.

Why is the December 2026 CCB payment on December 11?

The CRA lists December 11, 2026 as the December payment date, earlier in the month than the usual date around the 20th. The CRA's payment-dates page does not give a reason, so this page does not guess one. Because it arrives earlier than usual, the gap until the January payment is longer than a normal month; the CRA had not yet published that 2027 date on September 29, 2026.

Is child tax benefit the same as the Canada child benefit?

People still search for the child tax benefit, but the monthly payment the CRA makes to families today is the Canada child benefit (CCB). The payment dates, amounts and application rules on this page are the CCB ones. The child disability benefit is added to the CCB payment. Related provincial and territorial benefits are either combined with it or paid separately on their own dates.

How much is the CCB per child from July 2026?

For the July 2026 to June 2027 benefit year, the maximum is $8,157 a year ($679.75 a month) for each child under 6 and $6,883 a year ($573.58 a month) for each child aged 6 to 17. Families with adjusted family net income under $38,237 get the full amount; above that the benefit is reduced. The CRA account shows each family's own amount.

Did the CCB go up in July 2026?

Yes. The CRA recalculates the CCB every July and indexes it to inflation. The maximum per child under 6 went from $7,997 for July 2025 to June 2026 to $8,157 for July 2026 to June 2027, and the income threshold where reductions start went from $37,487 to $38,237. A family's own payment can still fall if its 2025 income rose.

How do newcomers apply for the Canada child benefit?

Newcomers and returning residents apply by mail. The CRA's instruction is to fill out and sign Schedule RC66SCH, Status in Canada/Statement of Income, and mail it with Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, to the tax centre. If a spouse or common-law partner was a non-resident for part of the year, Form CTB9 is also needed for that period.

Can temporary residents get the CCB?

A temporary resident can qualify once they have lived in Canada for the previous 18 months and hold a valid permit in the 19th month that does not say it does not confer status. Canadian citizens, permanent residents, protected persons and people registered under the Indian Act can also qualify. A person holding only a Refugee Protection Claimant Document is not eligible.

How long does it take to get the first CCB payment?

The first payment arrives after the CRA has determined eligibility and processed the application. The CRA publishes current processing times by application method (My Account, birth registration or Form RC66) on its processing-times tool, and the CRA account has a progress tracker. For a newborn, eligibility starts the month after the month the child is born.

What should I do if my CCB payment did not arrive?

Check the payment status in the CRA account first, then confirm the address, bank account and marital status on file, and check the CRA's list of reasons payments stop, such as an unfiled tax return. If none of that explains it, wait 5 business days after the payment date and call 1-800-387-1193, or 1-866-426-1527 from Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut.

Do I need to file taxes to keep getting the CCB?

Yes. The CRA requires the parent receiving the CCB, and a spouse or common-law partner, to file a tax return every year, even with no income or tax-exempt income. Filing by April 30 avoids a gap when payments are recalculated in July. A late return can pause payments, and any amounts missed are paid on the next scheduled date once the return is assessed.

Is the Canada child benefit taxable?

No. The CRA states that CCB payments are not taxable and do not have to be reported on the tax return. Even so, the tax return still matters, because adjusted family net income from the return sets the next July-to-June amount. Parents who skip filing because the benefit is tax-free risk having the payments stop.

How does shared custody change the CCB?

When a child lives with each parent between 40% and 60% of the time, both parents are treated as having shared custody. Each one gets 50% of what they would receive with full custody, calculated on their own adjusted family net income. A parent who has the child more than 60% of the time is treated as having full custody.

When will the 2027 CCB payment dates be published?

The CRA had not published 2027 dates when this page was checked on September 29, 2026; its payment-dates page listed 2026 only. This page is re-checked against the CRA calendar in November and December 2026 and adds the 2027 dates as soon as they appear on Canada.ca. Until then, any 2027 date seen elsewhere is an estimate, not a CRA date.

Rules, rates and sources

Last verified: September 29, 2026
Next scheduled check: December 29, 2026

Rule or table	In effect from	Verified
CRA benefit and credit payment dates	January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026	September 29, 2026
Canada child benefit amounts and thresholds	July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027	September 29, 2026
Canada child benefit amounts and income thresholds (display tables)	July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027	September 29, 2026
Canada child benefit — how to apply, newcomer forms, custody rules and missing-payment steps	June 25, 2026	September 29, 2026

Official sources

Payment dates for CRA administered benefits and credits — Canada.ca (Canada child benefit, 2026) — Canada Revenue Agency
Payment dates - Canada child benefit (CCB) — Canada.ca (cross-check of the 2026 dates) — Canada Revenue Agency
Payment dates - Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) — Canada.ca (cross-check of the 2026 dates) — Canada Revenue Agency
Provincial and territorial programs — Canada.ca (target of the "related provincial and territorial programs" link) — Canada Revenue Agency
Ontario — Provincial and territorial programs — Canada.ca (when the OTB is paid) — Canada Revenue Agency
How much you can get - Canada child benefit (CCB) — Canada.ca (payment period) — Canada Revenue Agency
Child disability benefit (CDB) — Canada.ca (maximum, July 2026 to June 2027) — Canada Revenue Agency
CCB and CDB payment amounts (base years 2022-2024) — Canada.ca (CCB maximums, base year 2024) — Canada Revenue Agency
How much you can get - Canada child benefit (CCB) — Canada.ca (payment period) — Canada Revenue Agency
How to apply - Canada child benefit (CCB) — Canada.ca (provincial programs included) — Canada Revenue Agency
Who can apply - CCB — Canada.ca (eligibility) — Canada Revenue Agency
Form RC66 — Canada.ca (what the form covers) — Canada Revenue Agency
Schedule RC66SCH — Canada.ca (who fills it out) — Canada Revenue Agency
Keep getting your payments - CCB — Canada.ca (file every year) — Canada Revenue Agency
Contact us - CCB — Canada.ca (phone numbers) — Canada Revenue Agency

How we check figures: our methodology and editorial policy.

General information for education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules change — confirm anything you act on with the official source or a licensed professional (for immigration, a lawyer or a licensed consultant registered with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants).