Child Tax Benefit in BC: Eligibility, Amounts, and Payments

The child tax benefit in B.C., officially the B.C. family benefit, is a tax-free monthly payment from the provincial government for families raising children under 18. For the July 2025 to June 2026 benefit period, the maximum annual amount is $1,750 for a first child, $1,100 for a second, and $900 for each additional child, with your actual payment set by your family’s net income.¹ The Canada Revenue Agency runs the program for the province, so it’s paid together with your Canada Child Benefit in one monthly deposit.

Who Qualifies

You qualify if you live in British Columbia and are the person primarily responsible for the care of a child under 18. You also have to meet the residency and status rules for the federal Canada Child Benefit: you or your spouse or common-law partner must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person, or a qualifying temporary resident.²

Temporary residents wait longer. Payments can start in the 19th month after you arrive in Canada, provided you hold a valid permit at that point.³ If your permit expires and you applied for an extension before the expiry date, your status continues while the application is processed.

Both you and your spouse or common-law partner must file a tax return every year, even if one of you earned nothing. The CRA relies on those filings to confirm your family income and B.C. residency. Miss a return and your payments stop until the CRA can reassess.⁴ Once the late return is processed, any missed payments are issued retroactively on the next scheduled date.⁵

How Much You Receive

Your payment is based on your adjusted family net income and how many children you have. The current benefit period (July 2025 to June 2026) uses your 2024 tax return. There are three income tiers.¹

Income Below $29,526

If your adjusted family net income is under $29,526, you get the full annual amount:

First child: $1,750 per year (about $145.83 a month)
Second child: $1,100 per year (about $91.67 a month)
Each additional child: $900 per year ($75.00 a month)

Income Between $29,526 and $94,483

Payments taper as income rises through this range, but the province sets a floor. No matter where you fall in the band, you receive at least $775 a year for a first child, $750 for a second, and $725 for each additional child.¹

Income Above $94,483

Past $94,483, the floor amounts themselves start to shrink. The reduction is 4% of every dollar of income above the threshold. Families with more children have a larger combined floor, so their benefit continues further up the income scale.¹

All the thresholds are indexed to inflation and change each year. The next benefit period (July 2026 to June 2027) will be based on your 2025 return.

Single Parent Supplement

Low-income single parents can receive an extra $500 a year on top of the regular benefit. You need to be receiving a B.C. family benefit payment that month and not be living with a spouse or common-law partner. Above $29,526 in adjusted family net income, the supplement is reduced along with the rest of the benefit.¹

Shared Custody

When custody is shared, each parent gets exactly 50% of the amount they would receive with full custody, calculated against their own individual adjusted family net income. The CRA doesn’t use any other split, and it won’t send the full amount to one parent.⁶ Both parents have to file their own returns for the CRA to work out each share. If your custody arrangement changes, tell the CRA promptly so payments can be recalculated.

How to Apply

There’s no separate application for the B.C. family benefit. When you register for the federal Canada Child Benefit, the CRA checks your eligibility for the provincial program using the same information.⁷

Online is fastest. Sign in to CRA My Account, open your individual account, go to “Benefits and credits,” and add your child. You’ll confirm your contact details, marital status, and citizenship, and enter the child’s information. The CRA may ask you to upload proof of birth or other documents.

For a newborn, you can apply through the Automated Benefits Application when you register the birth at the hospital or through B.C.’s online birth registration. You consent to the province sharing your information with the CRA, and both benefits get set up without further paperwork.⁷

To apply on paper, download Form RC66 and mail it to your regional tax centre.⁸ You’ll need Social Insurance Numbers for yourself and your spouse or common-law partner, plus a birth certificate or legal guardianship document for each child.

When Payments Arrive

The B.C. family benefit is combined with your Canada Child Benefit into a single monthly deposit. Payments generally land on the 20th of each month, with some dates shifted earlier to avoid weekends and holidays. In 2026, for example, the June payment falls on the 19th, the September payment on the 18th, and the December payment on the 11th.⁹ Direct deposit is the quickest way to receive funds, and you can set it up or update your banking details through CRA My Account.

Reporting Changes and Overpayments

Tell the CRA about household changes as they happen. A new address, a change in marital status, a shift in custody, or a child leaving your care all affect your payment. Late reporting can lead to overpayments the CRA will recover.

If you’ve been overpaid, the CRA sends a notice with the amount owed. It can withhold future Canada Child Benefit payments, income tax refunds, GST/HST credits, or Canada Carbon Rebate payments until the debt is repaid. Child benefit payments will only be reduced to recover a child benefit overpayment; the CRA won’t redirect them to cover unrelated tax debts.¹⁰

Disability Supplement Starting July 2027

From July 2027, B.C. will add a disability supplement for families with a child under 18 who has a severe and prolonged physical or mental impairment. The child must be approved for the federal disability tax credit. The maximum is $6,000 a year per eligible child, paid in full to families with adjusted net income below $50,000, and reduced by 4% of income above that.¹¹

The supplement has its own income thresholds, so you can qualify even if your income is too high for the regular B.C. family benefit. For a family with one eligible child, the supplement phases out entirely at $200,000 in family income, with the ceiling rising for larger families.¹¹

1
Province of British Columbia. B.C. Family Benefit
2
Canada Revenue Agency. Who Can Apply – Canada Child Benefit
3
Canada Revenue Agency. Newcomers to Canada and the CRA
4
Canada.ca. Tax Credits and Benefits for Individuals
5
Canada.ca. Keep Getting Your Payments – Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
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Canada Revenue Agency. Canada Child Benefit – How Much You Can Get
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Canada Revenue Agency. How to Apply – Canada Child Benefit
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Canada Revenue Agency. RC66 Canada Child Benefit Application
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Canada Revenue Agency. Payment Dates for CRA Administered Benefits and Credits
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Canada.ca. Balance Owing – Benefits Overpayment
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Province of British Columbia. Disability Supplement to the B.C. Family Benefit