BC climate action tax credit: ended in April 2025, and what replaced it

Is the BC climate action tax credit still paid?

No. The BC climate action tax credit was cancelled when the Province of British Columbia removed the consumer carbon tax on April 1, 2025. The BC government confirms that the April 2025 payment was the final one, so nothing is paid in July 2025, in 2026, or in 2027.

The credit was a tax-free quarterly payment meant to offset the carbon tax that households paid on fuel. With the tax gone, the province ended the offset at the same time.

When was the last climate action tax credit payment?

The last payment went out in April 2025, together with the federal GST/HST credit that month. It was the fourth and final instalment of the July 2024 to June 2025 benefit year, which was based on 2023 income.

Because that year had already paid its July, October, January and April instalments, most recipients received their full final-year amount. There was no shortened year or partial refund to claim.

Final-year amounts, July 2024 to June 2025

The credit was reduced by 2% of adjusted family net income above $41,071 for a single person or $57,288 for a family. For example, a couple with one child and 2023 family income of $60,000 had a maximum of $882, less 2% of $2,712 ($54.24), for a final-year credit of about $827.76.

In that final year the credit reached zero at adjusted family net income of $66,271 for a single person; $95,088 for a couple with no children or a single parent with one child; $101,388 for a couple with one child or a single parent with two; $107,688 for a couple with two children or a single parent with three; and $113,988 for a couple with three children.

Why do people still search for the BC climate action tax credit in 2026?

Several things keep the credit in people's minds well after it ended. Knowing which one applies to you saves a wasted call.

• The July and October deposits look smaller. Anyone who received the climate credit alongside the GST/HST credit lost that portion from July 2025. The federal payment has since become the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which raises the question again.
• Overdue returns. People who never filed for 2023 or earlier years can still be assessed for the credit for those years once they file.
• Overpayment letters. A reassessment of an old return can create an amount owing for a credit that no longer exists.
• Scam messages. The province warns it will not contact anyone by text about this credit, so a text promising a new climate payment is likely fraud.

Why does my notice show a climate action credit amount owing?

A notice showing an amount owing for the BC climate action tax credit means the CRA has decided you were paid more than you were entitled to for a past benefit year. The ending of the program does not cancel that debt; the province says overpayments must be repaid.

The usual causes are a reassessed return that raised your family income, a spouse or partner who filed late and pushed the family over the threshold, or a change in marital status reported after the fact.

1. Read the notice for the benefit year and the reason the CRA gives.
2. Check the income figures against your return and your partner's return for that year.
3. If the figures are wrong, file an adjustment or objection by the deadline on the notice.
4. If the amount is correct, the CRA can recover it from future federal payments or set up repayment; details are on benefit overpayment.

Can I still get the climate action tax credit for past years?

Yes, for years when the credit was still running. If you have not filed a return for 2023 or earlier, filing it now lets the CRA calculate any climate action tax credit you were owed for the matching benefit year. You do not apply separately; the credit is worked out from the return.

Filing for 2024 or later will not produce a climate action credit, because the benefit year that 2024 income would have funded never paid out.

Income thresholds for past benefit years

The credit was reduced on income above the threshold for its year. To qualify for a year before 2024 you must have been a BC resident who was 19 or older, had a spouse or common-law partner, or was a parent living with your child; only one person in a family receives it, and children under 19 must be registered for the Canada Child Benefit. If you lived in BC for only part of a year, you must have been a resident on the first day of the quarter and on the first day of the quarter before it.

An amount owed for a past year is issued after the CRA processes your return, and it is not taxable. Questions about your calculation go to the CRA at 1-800-387-1193; the province answers general questions at [email protected].

What BC families and individuals still receive

The end of the climate credit left the monthly family benefit as the main BC payment delivered through the CRA. Here is what remains:

• The BC Family Benefit, up to $145.83 a month for a first child from July 2026, paid with the Canada Child Benefit.
• The federal Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, up to $679 a year for a single person from July 2026, which replaced the GST/HST credit; it was last paid on October 5, 2026, and the CRA guide sets the next payment for January 5, 2027.
• For lower-income seniors, the BC Senior's Supplement, a separate provincial top-up.

BC residents never received the federal Canada Carbon Rebate, because BC ran its own carbon tax instead of the federal fuel charge. That federal rebate also ended in April 2025; the parallel story is on Canada Carbon Rebate. Neighbouring Alberta families get a different provincial payment, the Alberta Child and Family Benefit, and the full list by province is on provincial and territorial benefits.