Canadian families are getting child tax payments on Thursday

Eligible Canadian families can expect to receive their child tax payments today.

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB), a tax-free monthly payment that aims to help families with the cost of raising children under 18, will be sent out on Thursday, Nov. 20.

The child tax payment increased in July, marking the beginning of the new benefit year. The federal government uses a process called indexation to raise the payment to help parents as the cost of living continues to soar.

PeopleImages/Shutterstock

An Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) spokesperson told Daily Hive in January that the indexation means the max CCB amounts and income thresholds are increased yearly to “keep pace with the rising cost of living.”

This year, Canadian families were given a 2.7 per cent boost in child tax benefit payments, bringing the annual base benefit for children under six from $7,787 to $7,997 ($666 monthly) and from $6,570 to $6,748 ($562 monthly) for children aged six to 17 until June 2026.

The Child Disability Benefit (CDB) also went up from $3,322 to $3,411 in July.

This represents a smaller increase compared to last year, when Ottawa raised the CCB by 4.7 per cent. The maximum payment for children under six increased by $350, from $7,437 to $7,787. For children aged six to 17, it increased by $295, from $6,275 to $6,570.

You can check if your family is eligible for Canada’s child tax benefit by taking the government’s eligibility test.

The Canada Revenue Agency states it’s currently experiencing delays in processing R66 Canada child benefit applications.

“You can check the status of your application in your CRA account or on our Check CRA processing times web page,” it stated in a notice.

Families in B.C. and Ontario will also get provincial child benefit payments on Thursday. Check out the other ways Canadians could get money from the government in November.