Ontario Child Benefit Payment Dates and Amounts

2026 payment dates

These are the Canada child benefit dates. The OCB is fully funded by the Ontario government but administered by the CRA, which combines it with the CCB into one monthly payment. On your bank statement you will usually see a single deposit from the Government of Canada, not a separate one from Ontario.

December's payment comes early, on Friday, December 11. The CRA had not published 2027 dates as of October 20, 2026.

How much you can get, July 2026 to June 2027

The maximum is $146.66 per month for each child under 18, or about $1,760 a year per child. Families with an adjusted family net income above $26,865 may get a partial amount, which gets smaller as income rises.

These are maximums, reached only when adjusted family net income is $26,865 or less. The CRA works out your actual amount from your family income and the number of children, and shows it in your notice and in My Account. The CRA's child and family benefits calculator gives an estimate before then.

The benefit year runs from July to June. Payments from July 2026 to June 2027 are based on your 2025 adjusted family net income, so a change in income in 2026 only affects payments from July 2027.

Who qualifies

• You live in Ontario and have a child under 18 living with you.
• You are eligible for the Canada child benefit — the OCB is calculated from the same application.
• Your family has a low to moderate income. The benefit phases out as adjusted family net income rises above $26,865.
• You, and your spouse or common-law partner if you have one, file a tax return every year, even if you had no income to report.

"Adjusted family net income" means the net income on line 23600 of your return plus your partner's, with a few adjustments the CRA makes. It is not your gross pay.

How to apply

There is no separate application for the Ontario child benefit. When you apply for the Canada child benefit, the CRA automatically checks whether you qualify for the OCB too. You can apply for the CCB:

• when you register your newborn's birth with Ontario, by agreeing to share the information with the CRA;
• online in CRA My Account;
• by mail, with form RC66 (Canada Child Benefits Application).

After that, filing your tax return on time each spring keeps the payments going. Ontario requires a return every year to qualify, so a missing return can interrupt the payments.

If the payment doesn't arrive

1. Check the date, especially in December, when the payment comes early.
2. Wait five working days. The CRA asks you to allow five working days after the payment date before contacting it.
3. Check My Account for the amount, your address and your direct deposit details.
4. Call the CRA at 1-800-387-1193 (TTY 1-800-665-0354). For questions about the program itself, Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is at 1-888-789-4199 (TTY 1-800-387-5559).

If your payment drops in July, the usual reason is the new benefit year: the amount was recalculated from last year's income, or a return is missing.

Not to be confused with

• The Ontario Trillium Benefit — energy, property tax and sales tax credits paid on the 10th of the month, separately from the CCB. See Ontario Trillium Benefit payment dates.
• The Canada child benefit itself — the federal part of the same deposit, with its own amounts. See CCB payment dates.
• Ontario Works and ODSP — social assistance paid on their own dates. See ODSP and Ontario Works payment dates; ask your caseworker how child benefits are counted in your case.

The OCB is tax-free: you don't report it as income on your return.