Canada Child Benefit (CCB) Payment Dates & Application Guide (Baby Bonus) 2024

Here are the 2024 Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payment dates:

  • January 19, 2024
  • February 20, 2024
  • March 20, 2024
  • April 19, 2024
  • May 17, 2024
  • June 20, 2024
  • July 19, 2024
  • August 20, 2024
  • September 20, 2024
  • October 18, 2024
  • November 20, 2024
  • December 13, 2024

Keep in mind that payments could be delayed up to 5 business days – if you haven’t received your payment, you can contact the CRA at 1-800-387-1193.

What is the Canada Child Benefit (CCB)?

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB), sometimes referred to as a Baby Bonus, is a monthly payment that aims to support families with children under the age of 18.

The tax-free payments are made out by the government, and could also include the child disability benefit and any other related programs on a provincial or territorial level.

Family who just received child tax benefit

Who is Eligible to Receive the Canada Child Benefit?

Do you have a child under the age of 18 years old? In that case, it’s worth learning more about eligibility rules for the CCB, to see if you  might be able to get this credit.

To be eligible for the CCB, it’s mandatory that you meet all these requirements:

  • Residing with a child under the age of 18 years old.
  • The child must be under your primary care and responsibility.
  • You must be a Canadian resident for tax purposes.
  • You, a spouse or a common-law partner need to be one of the following:
    • A citizen of Canada
    • A permanent resident
    • A protected person (under the definition of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.)
    • A temporary Canadian resident who has lived in the country for the last 18 months, with a valid permit for the 19th month
    • An Indigenous person as per the definition outlined in the Indian Act

Keep in mind that in the cases where you are receiving children’s special allowances (CSA), such as in cases with foster children, you won’t get CCB in the same month.

How Much CCB Will I Get?

If you’re eligible and you want to find out how much CCB you will get, you can use this handy calculator.

For the most part, the amount of CCB you receive will depend on how many children you have, their ages, whether they have a disability, and your adjusted family net income.

If both parents of the child are separated or divorced and have shared custody, then they can apply to split CCB equally, with each parent receiving 50% of what they would get if they had full custody.

This amount will depend on each parent’s adjusted net income.

Every July, your CCB payment will be recalculated based on your adjusted family net income.

So, if you had a change in income in 2023, this won’t impact your CCB until July 2024 – a change in income in 2024 won’t impact your CCB until July 2025, and so on.

Keep in mind that many provinces and territories offer other assistance programs in addition to the CCB to support families that are raising children.

To find out more about your province or territory, you can consult the Federal government website.

If you have a child that is eligible for the disability tax credit, there is a chance they may also be eligible for the child disability benefit.

From June 2023 to June 2024, each child eligible for the child disability benefit could receive up to $3,173, which would amount to $261.41 paid monthly.

How to Apply for the Canada Child Benefit?

There are 3 ways that you can apply for the Canada Child Benefit: through birth registration, through the CRA MyAccount portal, and by mail.

When you register your child’s birth at the hospital or at a birthing centre, you generally have the option to apply for CCB at the same time.

All you need to do is provide your consent and your SIN via an Automated Benefits Application.

If you’re eligible, you’ll begin to receive your CCB payments within 8 weeks.

Alternatively, you can apply online through MyAccount, and if you’re eligible, you’ll also start receiving your payments within 8 weeks.

Here are the steps:

  • Sign into your personal CRA account.
  • Go to “Apply for child benefits.”
  • Double check that your personal information including contact information, marital status and citizenship are all correct.
  • Fill out the section that includes your child’s name, gender, date and place of birth.
  • Review your application and submit.

Finally, you can choose to fill out Form RC66 with any additional documentation needed and mail it to your tax centre.

If you get approved for CCB, you should begin to receive your payments within 11 weeks.

How to Ensure That You Continue Receiving Your Payments?

Once you’ve applied to the CCB and have begun receiving your payments, the only thing you need to do to keep getting them is to continue filing your tax return every year, even in the years that you don’t get any income.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why am I not getting my child tax benefit?
  • Will the Canada Child Benefit increase this year?

  • Yes, CCB was increased in July 2023 to keep up with the rising cost of living in Canada. For the 2023-2024 benefit year, the maximum annual benefit is $7,437 for every eligible child that’s under 6 years old and $6,275 for every eligible child between the ages of 6 and 17.

Tara Al-Khudairi

Tara Al-Khudairihas worked in the financial services industry since 2017. She graduated from McMaster University with a degree in Finance and is pursuing her CFA.

She has worked at a major Canadian financial institution in various client-facing advisory roles, starting as a bank teller and working up to a Client Services Associate within the Asset Management division. She specializes in simplifying concepts of personal finance for people of various financial backgrounds.

When she’s not examining the markets looking for the next SHOP.TO, she’s either practicing yoga, planning her next vacation, or has her nose buried deep in a book.