Alberta Child and Family Benefit (ACFB) Payment Dates 2026

ACFB payment dates for 2026

The CRA publishes the ACFB dates on its calendar of benefit payment dates. The four payments follow the benefit year, which runs from July to June: the August and November payments are the first two of the July 2026 to June 2027 year, and the February and May 2027 payments will complete it. The CRA has not yet published the 2027 dates; they usually appear on its calendar late in the year, and we add them here once they do.

Unlike the Canada child benefit, which shifts when the 20th falls on a weekend, the ACFB in 2026 landed on the 27th of each payment month, all of them weekdays.

ACFB and CCB: two different deposits

This is the most common source of confusion. Several provincial child benefits run by the CRA, such as the Ontario Child Benefit and the BC Family Benefit, are added to the monthly CCB deposit. The ACFB is not: the CRA states that ACFB payments "are made separately from the CCB payments". So an Alberta family with children usually sees:

If your November CCB arrived but the ACFB did not, that is expected until November 27. See the CCB payment dates for the full monthly schedule.

How much is the ACFB for July 2026 to June 2027?

The benefit has two parts. The base component goes to lower-income families whether or not anyone in the family works. The working component goes to families with employment income above $2,760; it grows by 15% of each dollar earned above that threshold until it reaches the maximum. These are the official maximum annual amounts per child:

Added up, a family with one child can receive at most $1,529 + $782 = $2,311 for the year, and a family with two children at most $2,293 + $1,494 = $3,787. Alberta's figures for four or more children top out at $3,821 (base) and $2,061 (working). Each amount was about 2% higher than in the July 2025 to June 2026 year, when the first-child maximums were $1,499 and $767.

Because the year's benefit is paid in four instalments, each payment is roughly a quarter of your annual entitlement. At the maximum for one child that is about $577.75 per payment (our arithmetic: $2,311 ÷ 4); your actual amount depends on your income.

Income limits: when the benefit is reduced

• Base component: reduced once adjusted family net income goes above $28,116. Families with income between $28,116 and $47,115 may still receive a partial base amount.
• Working component: reduced once adjusted family net income goes above $47,115.

The income used is the same one the CCB uses: your adjusted family net income from the previous tax year. Payments from July 2026 to June 2027 are based on your 2025 return (yours and your spouse's or common-law partner's). The official pages give the thresholds but not a simple reduction table, so the reliable way to estimate your amount is the CRA's child and family benefits calculator, or the notice the CRA sends you each July.

Who qualifies and how to apply

You qualify if you are the parent of one or more children under 18, live in Alberta, file a tax return and meet the income criteria. There is no separate ACFB application. The CRA considers you automatically when you file your return and qualify for the Canada child benefit, so the CCB application is the way in. Both partners must file every year, even with little or no income, or the payments can stop.

Receiving AISH, Income Support or the Alberta child care subsidy does not disqualify you, and the ACFB does not reduce those benefits. The ACFB itself is not taxable, so you do not report it as income.

If your family's quarterly amount would be less than $10, the CRA may combine payments and pay less often, so a very small entitlement can look like a missed payment.

If your ACFB payment is late

1. Wait five working days after the payment date. For the Fri, Nov 27, 2026 payment, that means waiting until the following Friday before calling.
2. Check CRA My Account. It shows your payment history, the amount scheduled and whether a payment was held back, for example to recover an earlier overpayment.
3. Make sure your returns are filed and your address, marital status and direct deposit details are up to date. Mailed cheques take longer than direct deposit.
4. Call the CRA at 1-800-959-2809 if the payment still has not arrived.

Changes that affect your payments

• New child: a birth, adoption or a child coming into your care can increase the benefit. Apply for the CCB for that child and the ACFB follows.
• Moving to Alberta: you become eligible from the month after you become a resident. Update your address with the CRA promptly.
• Leaving Alberta: you may have to repay amounts received for months when you were no longer a resident.
• Separation or a new partner: report the change in marital status; the CRA recalculates and either pays a shortfall or sends a letter asking you to repay an overpayment.

For other Alberta payments, see AISH, ADAP and Income Support payment dates, and for every federal benefit date in one place, the CRA benefit payment calendar.