All the Numbers

Ontario Child Benefit

From the All the Numbers wiki · Retirement and benefits

The Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) is a tax-free monthly payment to lower-income families with children under 18. It is paid by Ontario, alongside the federal Canada Child Benefit, and is one of the benefits tested on family income.

The rules (July 2026 to June 2027)

  • The most paid is $146.66 a month for each child under 18.[1]
  • The family's total is reduced when adjusted family net income is over $26,865.[2]
  • The reduction is 8% of the income over that threshold, taken from the family's total, not per child.[3]

Adjusted family net income is both spouses' net incomes added together, as for the Canada Child Benefit.[4] Payments run from July to June and use the return for the year before the payment year began, so July 2026 to June 2027 uses 2025 income.[5]

As a worked example, one child brings $1,759.92 a year. A family with $40,000 of income is $13,135 over the threshold, loses 8% of that, $1,050.80, and receives about $709 a year.

What the engine does

In shared custody each parent receives half of what they would with full custody. The engine calculates the monthly amount for the recipient named in the plan and pays it into household cash.

What the planner does not do

The planner does not ask about children, so a plan from the planner has no Ontario Child Benefit. The Ontario sales tax and energy credits that are tested on the same income are covered in Ontario's credits for lower incomes, and the planner does not include those either.

See also

  • Benefits tested on family income · The Canada Child Benefit, the GST/HST credit, the Ontario Child Benefit and the Ontario Trillium Benefit are calculated on family net income and on facts about children and rent. The planner does not ask for those facts, so none of them is in a plan, and a household with children will receive more than this shows.
  • Canada Child Benefit · A monthly tax-free payment for each child under 18, paid to the person who cares for them and reduced as family income rises above about $38,000. The engine can calculate it; the planner does not ask about children, so plans do not include it.
  • Ontario's credits for lower incomes · Ontario pays three credits to people with modest incomes. LIFT reduces tax on low earnings, while the sales tax credit and the energy and property tax credit arrive as the Ontario Trillium Benefit.

References

  1. ↑CRA — Province of Ontario, Ontario child benefit (July 2026 to June 2027); Taxation Act, 2007 s.104 · Ontario child benefit maximum $146.66 per month per child under 18, July 2026–June 2027 · $146.66 · effective 2026-07-01
  2. ↑CRA — Province of Ontario ("If your adjusted family net income is above $26,865, you may receive a partial benefit") · Ontario child benefit reduced when AFNI exceeds $26,865 · $26,865 · effective 2026-07-01
  3. ↑Taxation Act, 2007 s.104(4) · Ontario child benefit: family total reduced by 8% of AFNI over the threshold · 8% · effective 2008-07-01
  4. ↑CRA T4114 Canada Child Benefit — "adjusted family net income"; ITA 122.6 "adjusted income" · Adjusted family net income: family net income (line 23600 of both cohabiting spouses) minus UCCB and RDSP income received plus repaid; the engine models neither, so AFNI is the sum of net incomes · See the source · effective 2016-07-01
  5. ↑ITA 122.6 "base taxation year"; 122.5(4.5) · Federal and Ontario refundable benefits are paid July–June on the base taxation year (the calendar year before July); CGEB months are July/October (preceding year) and January/April (second preceding year) · See the source · effective 2026-07-01