How to Apply for the BC Family Benefit

The BC Family Benefit is a tax-free monthly payment from the Government of British Columbia to families with children under the age of 18 — and, like the Alberta benefit, there is no separate application to fill in. It is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for the Province, and each month eligible families receive the benefit payment as a combined payment with the Canada Child Benefit (CCB).

Who qualifies

The British Columbia page sets the mechanics, not a separate eligibility list: to receive the benefit, you (and your spouse or common-law partner) must file a T1 Income Tax and Benefit Return, and your child must be registered for the Canada Child Benefit. The benefit is for families with children under 18 living in British Columbia, and the amount is worked out from your family composition and your adjusted family net income.

Step 1: File your T1 tax return every year

File a T1 Income Tax and Benefit Return each year, and make sure your spouse or common-law partner files too. The CRA calculates your benefit automatically from the personal tax returns you have filed. If a required return is missing, the CRA has nothing to calculate from, and the benefit cannot be paid.

Step 2: Register your child for the Canada Child Benefit

If your child is registered for the Canada Child Benefit, they are automatically registered for the BC Family Benefit — no action is required. If your child is not registered for the Canada Child Benefit, you need to apply for the Canada Child Benefit. The CRA uses the information from your Canada Child Benefit registration to determine your eligibility for the BC Family Benefit. Our guide to how to apply for the Canada Child Benefit covers the three routes: birth registration for a newborn, CRA My Account online, or Form RC66 by mail.

Step 3: Check the maximum amounts for July 2026 to June 2027

For the July 2026 to June 2027 benefit period, the maximum annual benefit you may receive, from the British Columbia page, is:

• $1,750 for your first child
• $1,100 for your second child
• $900 for each additional child

How much of that maximum you actually receive depends on your adjusted family net income for the 2025 tax year:

• Less than $30,176: you receive the maximum annual benefit.
• Between $30,176 and $96,562: you receive a reduced amount of at least $775 for your first child, $750 for your second child, and $725 for each additional child.
• More than $96,562: you receive a reduced amount up to $775 for your first child, $750 for your second child, and $725 for each additional child, reduced by 4% of the portion of adjusted family net income over $96,562 until it is reduced to zero.

Your annual BC Family Benefit is the total maximum amount allowed for each child in your family, reduced by 4% of the amount that your adjusted family net income exceeds the threshold. Your monthly benefit amount is the annual amount divided by 12. To find out your estimated monthly benefit amount, use the federal child and family benefits calculator.

Step 4: Check the single-parent supplement

Low-income single-parent families receive an annual supplement of up to $500 per family, if at the beginning of the month you are receiving a BC Family Benefit payment for that month and you are not the cohabitating spouse or common-law partner of another person. If your adjusted family net income is more than $30,176, your supplement will be reduced as part of the overall calculation of your BC Family Benefit.

Step 5: Know how the money arrives, and what changes it

Each month, the benefit arrives as a combined payment with the Canada Child Benefit — one deposit, not two. If you share custody of a child with another person, you receive half the amount you would receive for the child if you had full custody.

Two moves change eligibility:

• Moving to British Columbia. Your eligibility is determined once you update your information with the CRA.
• Moving out of British Columbia. Advise the CRA as soon as possible, to avoid any potential benefit overpayment that you will be required to repay.

The thresholds are indexed to inflation each year, so the $30,176 and $96,562 figures apply to the July 2026 to June 2027 benefit period only — next year's figures will differ. Check the British Columbia page again each July rather than relying on last year's thresholds.

Coming in July 2027: a disability supplement

Starting in July 2027, a new BC children and youth disability supplement will be paid with the BC Family Benefit, to provide an additional tax-free amount to families with children under 18 with a severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions. The British Columbia page announces the supplement but publishes no amount for it yet, so this guide states no figure — check the page again closer to July 2027.

What this guide could not verify

The British Columbia page states the benefit is paid monthly as a combined payment with the Canada Child Benefit, but it states no specific day of the month, so this guide states no payment date. There is no processing time to report, because there is no separate application to process — registration is automatic from your Canada Child Benefit registration and tax returns. The page announces the BC children and youth disability supplement starting in July 2027 but publishes no amount for it, so no supplement figure is stated here. Check the federal child and family benefits calculator for your own estimated amount, and update your information with the CRA promptly if you move into or out of British Columbia.

Related guides:

• How to Apply for the Canada Child Benefit — the federal benefit your child must be registered for before the BC benefit is assessed, and the payment it arrives combined with.
• How to Start Filing Your First Canadian Tax Return as a Newcomer — filing the T1 return the CRA uses to calculate your BC Family Benefit.
• How to Apply for StudentAid BC in British Columbia — another British Columbia-administered support, with its own application route.
• How to Start Checking If Your BC Grant, Rebate, or Benefit Is Still There — how to check whether a British Columbia benefit you rely on is still in place.

Sources

• Government of British Columbia, B.C. family benefit — CRA administration, the combined monthly payment with the Canada Child Benefit, the T1 filing requirement, automatic registration from Canada Child Benefit registration, the moving-to and moving-out-of-British Columbia rules, the July 2026 to June 2027 maximum amounts of $1,750, $1,100, and $900, the $30,176 and $96,562 income thresholds, the $775, $750, and $725 guaranteed minimums, the 4% reduction rule, the up-to-$500 single-parent supplement and its conditions, the monthly amount as the annual amount divided by 12, the shared-custody half amount, and the July 2027 children and youth disability supplement announcement.
• Canada Revenue Agency, Who can apply — Canada child benefit (CCB) — the federal benefit conditions the BC Family Benefit registration depends on.
• Canada Revenue Agency, Booklet T4114, Canada Child Benefit — the three CCB application routes, Form RC66 and Schedule RC66SCH, and the yearly tax-return requirement.
• Canada Revenue Agency, Payment dates — Canada child benefit (CCB) — the monthly CCB payment schedule the BC Family Benefit arrives combined with.