Canada Child Benefit Calculator
Your CCB for July 2026 to June 2027, based on 2025 income — plus the thing no other calculator shows you: exactly how much an RRSP contribution would add to next year's benefit, on top of your tax refund.
How the CCB is calculated
The Canada Child Benefit is a tax-free monthly payment. You start from the maximum for your children, then subtract a reduction based on your adjusted family net income — both partners' income combined, from last year's tax returns.
Maximums for the July 2026 – June 2027 benefit year:
| Child's age | Per year | Per month |
|---|
| Under 6 | $8,157 | $679.75 |
| 6 to 17 | $6,883 | $573.58 |
Below $38,237 of adjusted family net income there is no reduction at all. Above it, two brackets apply, and the rate rises steeply with the number of children:
| Children | $38,237 – $82,847 | Above $82,847 |
|---|
| 1 | 7% of income over $38,237 | $3,123 + 3.2% of income over $82,847 |
| 2 | 13.5% | $6,022 + 5.7% |
| 3 | 19% | $8,476 + 8% |
| 4 or more | 23% | $10,260 + 9.5% |
CCB = maximum for your children − reduction
maximum = $8,157 × (children under 6) + $6,883 × (children 6–17)
Because the reduction is subtracted from your maximum rather than capped at a fixed income, there is no single cut-off income. A family with one older child stops receiving CCB far sooner than a family with three toddlers. The calculator above shows your own zero point.
The RRSP lever most parents never use
Here is the part that makes the CCB unusual among government benefits: it is tested on net income, and an RRSP contribution reduces net income dollar for dollar. So an RRSP contribution pays you twice — once as a tax refund, and again as a larger CCB for the following benefit year.
For a two-child family in the first reduction band, every dollar contributed to an RRSP brings back 13.5 cents of CCB on top of the tax refund. Stack that on a 30% marginal rate:
| Line | | Amount |
|---|
| RRSP contribution | | $5,000 |
| Tax refund | × 30% | $1,500 |
| Extra CCB | × 13.5% | $675 |
| Total returned | | $2,175 |
| Effective return | $2,175 ÷ $5,000 | 43.5% |
For a family with three or four children in that band, the CCB portion alone is 19% or 23%, pushing the combined return past 50%. That is before the money in the RRSP earns anything. Very little else in Canadian personal finance produces a guaranteed return at that level.
Two timing details matter. The CCB increase applies to the benefit year beginning the July after you file the return claiming the deduction, so a contribution made now shows up in payments roughly 18 months later at the latest. And the RRSP deadline is 60 days into the new year, unlike the RESP's hard December 31 cut-off. See the RRIF guide for what eventually happens to the money you put in.
The flip side: a very high effective marginal rate
The same mechanism works against you when income rises. A family with three children between $38,237 and $82,847 loses 19 cents of CCB for every extra dollar earned. Add federal and provincial income tax at roughly 30% and the true marginal rate on a raise, a bonus, or a second earner's income is close to 50% — on a household income under $83,000.
This is worth knowing before assuming that extra income is worth what it looks like. It is also why the RRSP lever is so valuable to exactly these families: the mechanism that punishes an extra dollar of income rewards an extra dollar of deduction, symmetrically.
CCB questions, answered
How much is the CCB for 2026–27?
Up to $8,157 a year ($679.75/month) per child under 6, and $6,883 a year ($573.58/month) per child aged 6 to 17. Full amounts go to families under $38,237 of adjusted family net income; above that a sliding reduction applies.
Does an RRSP contribution really increase it?
Yes — the CCB is based on net income, which an RRSP deduction lowers directly. Depending on the number of children and your income band, you get back 3.2% to 23% of the contribution as extra CCB, on top of the tax refund. The increase applies to the benefit year starting the following July.
What counts as adjusted family net income?
Both spouses' net income (line 23600) added together, with a few adjustments such as backing out the universal child care benefit and RDSP income. It comes from last year's returns — both parents must file every year, even with zero income, or payments stop.
At what income does CCB stop?
There is no single number, because the reduction is subtracted from your maximum. One child aged 6–17 runs out at roughly $200,000; three young children keep receiving something well past that. Use the calculator for your own figure.
Is the CCB taxable?
No. It is tax-free, not reported as income, and does not count against income-tested benefits like the GIS. Payments usually arrive on the 20th of each month.
What if my situation changes mid-year?
Tell the CRA promptly about a change in marital status, custody arrangement, address, or the number of children. Separation or divorce in particular changes the calculation substantially, because each parent's income is then assessed separately — and shared custody usually means each parent receives 50% of what they would get as sole custodian.
Is there extra for a child with a disability?
Yes — the Child Disability Benefit is an additional monthly amount for each child approved for the Disability Tax Credit. It is reduced above a higher income threshold than the CCB itself. Amounts are re-indexed each July; check the CRA's Child Disability Benefit page for the current figure. This calculator does not include it.
Method and sources
The calculator applies the published July 2026 – June 2027 maximums and the two-bracket reduction schedule for your number of children, then solves for the income at which your benefit reaches zero. The RRSP lever recomputes the benefit at your income minus the contribution and reports the difference, alongside a tax refund estimated as contribution × your marginal rate. Both are estimates: the refund assumes the deduction does not drop you into a lower bracket, and the CCB figure assumes your family situation is unchanged for the full benefit year. Shared custody, mid-year changes, provincial child benefits and the Child Disability Benefit are not modelled.
Figures from CRA — how we calculate your CCB. Amounts and thresholds are re-indexed every July, so this page needs an annual refresh.
Related: How to increase your CCB · RRSP or TFSA? · RESP grant calculator · TFSA contribution room
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