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The Alberta Child and Family Benefit is a provincial financial assistance program. Learn who’s eligible for the ACFB and how much you could receive.
The Alberta Child and Family Benefit (ACFB) is a program administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on behalf of the government of Alberta. The ACFB was introduced to assist lower-income and middle-income families with children under 18. Eligible families can receive direct financial assistance on a quarterly basis.
The ACFB was introduced in July 2020, consolidating the Alberta Child Benefit and the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit into a single program. The ACFB aims to provide families with a better quality of life for their children and support their well-being. (See similar programs in other provinces and territories.)
The ACFB is indexed to inflation, so the amounts increase every year. The ACFB benefit period runs from July of one year to June of the following year.
The CRA issues ACFB payments on a quarterly basis, by direct deposit or cheque. The payment dates this year are:
To qualify for the ACFB, you must:
You do not need to apply for the ACFB. According to the Alberta government, “You are automatically considered for the ACFB when you file your annual tax return and qualify for the federal government’s Canada Child Benefit.” (Learn more about the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), including eligibility requirements and payment dates.)
The CRA will regularly reassess your family’s eligibility for the ACFB (for example, if you have another child, your benefit amount could increase). If you and your family have just moved to Alberta, you’ll be eligible for the ACFB the month after you become a resident.
Your adjusted family net income (from your previous year’s tax return) and the number of kids in your family determine your total benefit amount per year. The ACFB includes a base component and a working component.
The ACFB’s base component is available to lower-income families with children. You do not have to earn any income to receive the base component. Depending on the number of children in your family, you may be entitled to the following amounts as your base component for the period from July 2024 to June 2025:
If your adjusted family net income exceeded $27,024 in 2024, this base component is reduced.
In addition to the base component, families with an adjusted net income of more than $2,760 are eligible for a working component. The benefit amount for the working component increases by 15% for every additional dollar of income (up to the maximum benefit), encouraging families to join or stay in the workforce. You may be entitled to these amounts for the period from July 2024 to June 2025:
Once the adjusted family net income exceeds $45,285, the working component of the benefit is also reduced.
You can also use the Government of Canada’s child and family benefits calculator to get an estimate of the annual federal and provincial or territorial benefits you might be entitled to.
| Number of children | Maximum base component per year | Maximum | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $1,469 | $752 | $2,221 |
| 2 children | $2,204 | $1,437 | $3,641 |
| 3 children | $2,939 | $1,847 | $4,786 |
| 4 or more children | $3,674 | $1,982 | $5,656 |
No. ACFB payments are tax-free, and you don’t need to report them as income on your tax return.
If you do not receive your ACFB payment on the designated date, wait five working days before reaching out to the CRA at 1-800-959-2809. For more information about the ACFB, visit the Alberta government’s website.
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