Provincial and territorial top-ups

Updated July 31, 2026 · figures for the July 2026 – June 2027 benefit year

The federal CCB is identical everywhere in Canada. What differs by province is what gets added on top — and because most of those top-ups are bundled into the same monthly deposit, the amount landing in your account often does not match a federal-only calculation. That mismatch is the most common reason people think a calculator is wrong.

Why this matters more than it sounds

For a lower-income family the provincial component can be a meaningful share of the monthly deposit rather than a rounding error. It also behaves differently from the federal benefit: the income thresholds are lower in most provinces, so a top-up can phase out entirely while the federal CCB is still paying a substantial amount. A household that sees its deposit fall by more than the federal calculation predicts has usually crossed a provincial threshold, not a federal one.

How the top-ups work

The CRA administers child benefit programs on behalf of most provinces and territories. Some are combined with your CCB into a single payment; others are issued separately on their own schedule. In every case you do not apply separately — being enrolled in the CCB and filing your tax return is enough. The province sets the amounts and the income thresholds; the CRA just does the arithmetic and the payment.

Which provinces and territories have one

Programs administered alongside the CCB exist in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Yukon. Quebec runs its own Family Allowance through Retraite Québec rather than through the CRA, and it is paid separately — Quebec families receive two distinct deposits.

The amounts, thresholds and eligibility ages differ enough between programs that quoting them in one table would be misleading. The reliable source is the CRA's provincial and territorial programs page, which lists the current figures for each one.

Why your deposit does not match the federal number

Four common reasons, in order:

• A provincial top-up is bundled in, so the deposit is higher than the federal calculation alone.
• The child disability benefit is included — up to $3,480 per eligible child for July 2026 to June 2027, added automatically if the child qualifies for the disability tax credit.
• An overpayment is being recovered, so part or all of the payment is withheld.
• The CRA is using different information than you are — an older income, an older marital status, or a different number of eligible children.

Your CRA account shows a statement of account that separates these components. It is the fastest way to see which of the four is happening.

You do not apply, but you do have to file

None of these programmes has its own application. Enrolment in the CCB and an assessed tax return are what trigger them, which means the same failure mode applies: if you or your spouse does not file, the provincial top-up stops along with the federal benefit. Newcomers occasionally miss a top-up for a different reason — the province requires a minimum period of residence, so the federal benefit can start several months before the provincial one does.

If you move

Provincial benefits follow the address the CRA has on file. Update it as soon as you move: the top-up for your new province starts, and the old one stops, based on that record rather than on where you physically are. Moving from a province with a large top-up to one without it can change a household's monthly income noticeably, and it is worth checking before the move rather than after.

Quebec works differently

Quebec families receive the federal CCB from the CRA and the Family Allowance from Retraite Québec, on separate schedules and with separate rules. The Quebec payment can be taken quarterly or monthly, and unlike the CCB it has a guaranteed minimum that is paid regardless of income. If you move into or out of Quebec, expect the number of deposits you receive to change, not just their size — and expect a gap of a month or two while both administrations catch up with your new address.

Reading your statement of account

The statement in your CRA account is the only place where the components are separated. It shows the entitlement for each month of the benefit year, what was actually paid, and any amount applied against a balance owing. Three things are worth checking on it once a year:

• whether the income used matches your assessed return
• whether every child is listed, with the right date of birth
• whether any recovery is being applied — this is where an old overpayment shows up, often from a change that was reported late years earlier

What our calculator covers

The CCB calculator estimates the federal benefit only. That is a deliberate choice: provincial rules change on their own schedules, and a number that is quietly out of date is worse than no number. Treat the federal figure as your baseline and check your province's program separately for what sits on top of it.