Canada Child Benefit Payment Dates (2026)
In nine months of 2026 the Canada child benefit lands on the 20th. The three exceptions are June 19 and September 18, when the 20th is a Saturday or Sunday, and December 11, well ahead of the usual date. Provincial and territorial child benefits that the CRA administers, such as the Ontario Child Benefit, arrive in the same deposit.
Next payment
—
The 2026 schedule
Each row is one monthly deposit. The fourth column says why a date sits off the 20th, worked out from the calendar.
| Month | Payment date | Day | Off the 20th? | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | January 20, 2026 | Tuesday | ||
| February | February 20, 2026 | Friday | ||
| March | March 20, 2026 | Friday | ||
| April | April 20, 2026 | Monday | ||
| May | May 20, 2026 | Wednesday | ||
| June | June 19, 2026 | Friday | the 20th is a Saturday | |
| July | July 20, 2026 | Monday | ||
| August | August 20, 2026 | Thursday | ||
| September | September 18, 2026 | Friday | the 20th is a Sunday | |
| October | October 20, 2026 | Tuesday | ||
| November | November 20, 2026 | Friday | ||
| December | December 11, 2026 | Friday | the 20th is a Sunday |
The same dates appear on the CRA's own CCB page and on the government-wide benefits calendar. The December payment is the one to plan around, since it comes nine days before the 20th.
July is when the amount changes
The dates stay put through the year, but the amount resets once. The CRA recalculates the benefit every July from the previous year's tax return, so the January to June 2026 payments were worked out from 2024 income and the July to December payments from 2025 income. A pay rise, a new partner or a separation in 2025 shows up in the July deposit, not before.
A small entitlement isn't spread across the year at all. When the year's benefit adds up to less than $240, the CRA skips the monthly deposits and pays the lot together with July's.
A payment that hasn't arrived
Direct deposit is the CRA's recommended route; mailed cheques take longer. For the CCB, give it five working days past the payment date and then call; most of the CRA's other benefits come with a ten-day wait. Before that, your CRA account shows whether the payment went out and which bank account it went to, where you can also sign up for an email reminder about a week before each payment.
A first payment has no fixed date: it comes once the CRA has decided you're eligible and processed the application, and the CRA publishes its current processing times by application method.
How much will it be? The CCB calculator estimates each month's payment from how old your children are and your family's adjusted net income.
Common questions
When is the Canada child benefit paid in 2026?
On January 20, February 20, March 20, April 20, May 20, June 19, July 20, August 20, September 18, October 20, November 20 and December 11, 2026.
Why is the CCB sometimes paid before the 20th?
In 2026 the 20th of June is a Saturday and the 20th of September a Sunday, and the CRA pays on the Friday before each. December is paid earlier still, on the 11th.
Why does the CCB amount change in July?
Because each July the CRA works out a new amount using the return for the year before. The July 2026 to June 2027 payments use 2025 income, so a change in that year's income or family situation first shows from July.