What age does CCB stop, and which payment is the last

Does CCB stop at 18?

Yes. The CCB is only for children under 18, so entitlement ends at the 18th birthday. The CRA's own example: for a child turning 18 in December 2026, the last payment is the December 2026 payment, at the 6-to-17 rate. There is no extension for a child still in high school or living at home.

Because the payment for the birthday month is still made, the last deposit can arrive before or after the actual birthday, depending on the day. A child born on December 28 still produces a December payment, even though that deposit lands on December 11.

The full 2026 calendar is on our CCB payment dates page, which will add 2027 dates once the CRA publishes them. As of October 22, 2026, the CRA has not posted the 2027 CCB payment dates or the amounts that will apply from July 2027; CCB increase tracks what is known so far.

CCB by age: what changes at 6 and at 18

Two birthdays matter. At 6, the child moves from the under-6 rate ($8,157 a year for July 2026 to June 2027) to the 6-to-17 rate ($6,883). The CRA pays the under-6 rate for the birthday month and switches the following month. For a child turning 6 in March 2027, March is paid at the higher rate and April at the lower one.

The difference is $1,274 a year, or about $106.17 a month. Because the income reduction is applied to the whole family and does not depend on age, most families feel close to the full $106 drop, whatever their income, unless their CCB was already near zero.

Worked example: a family with children aged 5 and 17

Family net income is $60,000, so the two-child reduction is 13.5% of $21,763, or $2,938.01 a year. With both children at their current rates the family receives $12,101.99 a year, about $1,008.50 a month. After the younger child turns 6, it becomes about $902.33 a month. After the older child turns 18, the family has one child aged 6 to 17, the reduction falls to 7% of $21,763 ($1,523.41), and the payment becomes about $446.63 a month.

CCB payments stop at what age for special situations

• Child with a disability: the Child Disability Benefit is also for children under 18 and ends with the last CCB payment.
• Shared custody: both parents' half payments end in the same month.
• Child moves out before 18: payments stop the month after the child is no longer in your care, so report the move rather than waiting for the birthday.
• You move abroad: residency, not age, ends the benefit early; see CCB while outside Canada.
• Provincial child benefits paid with the CCB, such as the Ontario Child Benefit, also stop once the child reaches 18.
• Quebec Family Allowance: Retraite Québec's Family Allowance, paid separately from the CCB, is also for dependent children under 18, so it ends at 18 as well; its payment dates are on Family Allowance in Quebec.

Can you get CCB after 18

No. There is no CCB for an 18-year-old, even in full-time school. Some other payments continue or begin at that point, and it is worth checking each one.

The CPP children's benefit is $307.81 a month in 2026 and is covered on our CPP survivor benefit page. The adult Canada Disability Benefit pays up to $204.20 a month for July 2026 to June 2027, depending on income.

Do you need to tell the CRA when your child turns 18

Usually not. The CRA has each child's date of birth from your application and ends the payments on schedule. What you do need to report, right away, are changes that end payments earlier: the child leaving your home, a change in custody, or a move outside Canada.

If you keep receiving money for a child who no longer lives with you, the CRA will later ask for it back as an overpayment. If you think a final payment was missed, for example the December deposit for a December birthday, check your notice of redetermination in My Account first. Missed months can be recalculated, as explained in can you get CCB retroactively.

The end of the CCB does not change how past payments are taxed: they were never taxable, as covered in is CCB taxable. For the program overview, see the Canada Child Benefit guide.