Nova Scotia Child Benefit: $127.08 a month per child, and the affordable living credit

What is the Nova Scotia Child Benefit?

The Nova Scotia Child Benefit is a tax-free monthly payment for low-income families with children under 18. The Province of Nova Scotia funds it in full, and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) delivers it inside the federal Canada Child Benefit (CCB), so there is no separate deposit and no separate application.

It is one of the larger provincial child benefits per child, but it has a narrow income window. Only families with adjusted family net income (AFNI) below $34,000 receive anything.

How much is the Nova Scotia Child Benefit?

For July 2026 to June 2027, the Nova Scotia Child Benefit amount is $127.08 a month for each child under 18. Unlike benefits that pay less for second and later children, the NSCB pays the same amount for every child.

Where the income limits fall

Families with 2025 AFNI below $26,000 receive the full amount. Between $26,000 and $34,000 the CRA pays a partial benefit, and at $34,000 or more there is none. The CRA page does not publish the exact reduction formula, so a family in the partial range should rely on its July notice for the monthly figure.

Because the window is only $8,000 wide, a modest raise can remove the benefit entirely. A Halifax parent whose income moves from $25,000 to $35,000 between two tax years would go from the full NSCB to none the following July.

Is the Nova Scotia Child Benefit paid with the CCB?

Yes. The CRA combines the Nova Scotia Child Benefit with the Canada Child Benefit into one payment on the CCB date. After the October 20 payment, the remaining 2026 dates are November 20 and December 11; the full monthly schedule is on CCB payment dates.

The 2027 dates are not yet announced. Eligibility is checked through the same CCB application, so a family that has applied for the CCB and files its taxes every year is automatically considered for the NSCB.

What is the Nova Scotia Affordable Living Tax Credit?

The Nova Scotia Affordable Living Tax Credit (NSALTC) is a tax-free provincial credit for low- and modest-income individuals and families, including people without children. It pays up to $255 a year for an individual or couple, plus $60 for each child under 19, and it is reduced by 5% of AFNI over $30,000.

The NSALTC is not paid with the CCB. It travels with the federal Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB), the quarterly payment that replaced the GST/HST credit in July 2026. In 2026 those payments were made on July 3 and October 5, and the next is January 5, 2027, the date set in the CRA's CGEB guide. See CGEB payment dates.

Worked examples

• Single adult, AFNI $28,000: full credit of $255 a year, about $63.75 each quarter.
• Couple with two children, AFNI $28,000: $255 plus $120, or $375 a year, about $93.75 a quarter.
• Same couple at AFNI $34,000: $375 minus 5% of $4,000 ($200) leaves $175 a year.
• Same couple at AFNI $37,500 or more: the credit reaches zero.

A single person with no children loses the credit at AFNI of $35,100, where the 5% reduction equals the full $255.

What a Nova Scotia family can receive in total

Taking a two-parent family in Truro with three children aged 4, 8 and 12 and 2025 AFNI of $24,000, the two provincial programs combine like this for July 2026 to June 2027:

• Nova Scotia Child Benefit: 3 x $127.08 = $381.24 a month, in the CCB deposit.
• Nova Scotia Affordable Living Tax Credit: $255 plus 3 x $60 = $435 a year, in the quarterly CGEB deposit.
• Provincial total: about $5,009.88 for the year, on top of the federal CCB and CGEB.

The federal CCB for the same family would be far larger, since income under $38,237 qualifies for the maximum: see CCB amount per child.

How Nova Scotia compares with nearby provinces

Nova Scotia's per-child amount is much higher than New Brunswick's $20.83 a month or PEI's $34.16, but those provinces keep paying at higher incomes. PEI's benefit, for example, continues up to $80,000. The details are on New Brunswick Child Tax Benefit and PEI sales tax credit, and every province is listed on provincial and territorial benefits.