What’s your Canada Child Benefit really worth?
Estimate your federal Canada Child Benefit, the BC Family Benefit, and the Child Disability Benefit for the current benefit year. See how family income claws them back — and, because these dollars are tax-free, what they’re worth grossed up to pre-tax income.
Pick your benefit year and family status, enter how many children you have in each age band and your adjusted family net income (AFNI — line 23600 for each parent, combined, less a few deductions). We estimate each benefit, show the clawback, and gross the total up to its pre-tax-salary equivalent.
Your estimated benefits
2026–27Calculating…
ShowHide the full calculation — every step, rate & amount
Basis. CRA/BC figures for the selected benefit year (July–June), based on the prior year’s adjusted family net income (AFNI). The single-parent supplement is included in the BC maximum and phases with the benefit. The marginal rate uses 2026 combined BC + federal rates on ordinary income (source). Shared custody (50%) receives half — not modelled. An estimate, not a determination of entitlement.
The clawback, the tax-free premium, and the three benefits stacked underneath.
How the clawback works
Every extra dollar of income quietly costs benefit.
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It’s all driven by AFNI. Both the federal and BC benefits phase out based on your adjusted family net income — the two parents’ net incomes combined, with a few adjustments. Nothing about the benefit looks at gross pay; it looks at net income on your returns.
Federal CCB — two stages. Below the first threshold you get the full amount. Between the two thresholds it drops by 7% to 23% of the income over the line (the rate climbs with the number of children). Above the upper threshold a second, gentler rate takes over.
BC Family Benefit — 4%, twice. It falls by 4% of income over the lower BC threshold until it hits a guaranteed minimum, holds flat, then falls by 4% again over the upper threshold until it’s gone.
The hidden marginal rate. Because both benefits shrink as you earn, an extra dollar of income costs you income tax and lost benefit. For a family in the phase-out range, that combined “true” marginal rate can be well north of the headline tax rate — the calculator shows it for your numbers.
Why the tax-free value is worth more
$1 of CCB beats $1 of salary.
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These benefits are non-taxable. CCB, the BC Family Benefit, and the CDB never appear as income on your return. A dollar received is a dollar kept.
So compare it to after-tax pay. To net $1 of spending money from a paycheque, someone at a 30% marginal rate has to earn about $1.43 before tax. The same logic runs in reverse for a tax-free benefit: receiving it is like earning its grossed-up amount in salary.
The formula. Pre-tax equivalent = benefit ÷ (1 − marginal rate). At a 30% rate, a $7,000 tax-free benefit is worth about $10,000 of pre-tax salary. That’s the number in the green box — a fairer way to weigh the benefit against a raise, more hours, or a second income.
Why it matters for planning. It also sharpens the cost of the clawback: losing tax-free benefit is losing grossed-up dollars, which is part of why deferring income or splitting it can be worth real money for young families.
Federal CCB, BC Family Benefit & the Child Disability Benefit
Three separate benefits, paid together in one deposit.
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Canada Child Benefit (CCB) — the federal, income-tested benefit for children under 18. Higher for children under 6. This is the largest piece for most families.
BC Family Benefit (BCFB) — British Columbia’s provincial top-up, administered by the CRA and paid in the same monthly deposit. It has its own (lower) income thresholds and adds a supplement for single parents.
Child Disability Benefit (CDB) — an extra federal amount for each child approved for the Disability Tax Credit. It only starts to phase out at the higher federal threshold, so many families keep the full amount.
All three are recalculated every July using your previous year’s tax return — which is the single best reason to file on time, even with no income. Miss the filing and the payments stop.
The fine print, briefly
What exactly is “adjusted family net income”?
Start with each spouse/partner’s net income (line 23600), add them together, then subtract any Universal Child Care Benefit and Registered Disability Savings Plan income received (and add back any repaid). For most families it’s simply both partners’ line 23600 combined. RRSP contributions reduce net income — which is one lever that can increase your benefit.
Which benefit year should I pick?
Benefits run July to June. The 2026–27 year (July 2026–June 2027) is based on your 2025 return; 2025–26 is based on 2024. Pick the year you’re receiving payments in, and enter the matching year’s income.
How accurate is this estimate?
It uses the published CRA and BC amounts, thresholds, and reduction rates for the selected year and should be very close for a standard full-custody family. It does not model shared custody (each parent gets 50%), mid-year changes in the number or age of children, newcomer proration, or the exact single-parent-supplement phase-out. Treat it as a planning estimate, not a determination of entitlement.
Can I really increase my benefit?
Sometimes, yes — because it’s income-tested on net income. RRSP contributions, deducting eligible expenses, income splitting where available, and the timing of things like capital gains or dividends all move AFNI. For an incorporated business owner, how you pay yourself (salary vs. dividends, and when) interacts directly with these benefits. That’s worth a conversation.
Is the money taxable? Do I report it?
No. CCB, the BC Family Benefit, and the CDB are all non-taxable and are not reported as income. That’s exactly why the “real, pre-tax value” figure grosses them up — a tax-free dollar is worth more than a taxable one.
Let’s make your income work with these benefits, not against them.
How you draw income — salary vs. dividends, RRSP timing, when to realize gains — moves your adjusted family net income, and with it thousands in tax-free benefit. Half an hour can map it out.
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