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If you receive Alberta Child and Family Benefits, the tax-free payments that you qualify for could vary. That said, there are certain days that you'll receive these benefits. These dates will vary depending on whether or not the payments are made via cheque.
2024 ACFB Payment Dates
ACFB payments are made at the same time every month. When they’re deposited into your account, they should show up under the name Canada Pro Deposit. This is because these are provincial benefits that are paid out by the federal government.
Unlike most government benefits, ACFB payments are made on a quarterly basis. These quarterly benefits are paid out for the months:
- August
- November
- February
- May
If your quarterly payments are less than $10, however, you may receive your ACFB payments in one lump sum instead. In some cases, the payments are made less frequently. As long as you’re signed up for direct deposit, you’ll see these amounts automatically deposited into your bank account.
How to Know You’ve Received ACFB Payments
When you receive payments from the federal government, they will be labelled on your bank statement so you know what you received the payment for. For payments from the ACFB program, you’ll see Canada Pro Deposit on your bank statement.
While ACFB payments aren’t the only benefits received under Canada Pro Deposit, they’re the only ones in Alberta. The payments from other programs that you can receive under the Canada Pro Deposit are Ontario Trillium Benefits, which include the Ontario Sales Tax Credit, Northern Ontario Energy Credit and the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit. The reason is that the CRA pays these benefits for the provinces, so the ACFB is paid by the CRA on Alberta’s behalf.
While there are plenty of other benefits that you may receive from the CRA, a lot of these benefits will show up on your bank statement as Canada Fed Deposit. These payments include the Advanced Canada Workers Benefit and your Canada Child Benefits.
ACFB Eligibility
The Alberta Child and Family Benefit is a fairly new quarterly payment; it’s only been around since 2020. This is because the ACFB is a combination of the Alberta Child Benefit and the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit. It offers financial assistance to lower and middle-class Albertans who have one or more children under the age of 18.
The eligibility requirements in order to receive ACFB benefits include:
- Being an Alberta resident
- Filing a tax return
- Being a parent of one or more children under 18
- Meeting the income criteria
The income requirements for ACFB vary depending on whether or not you work. For the base income, you can earn the maximum amount with an income of up to $27,024. You can receive partial benefits up to $45,285. The income requirements to be eligible for the working component are that you have to have income earned of at least $2,760 per month in working income. For every additional dollar above this amount, the amount you receive will grow by 15% until you reach the maximum amount.
How to Apply
Receiving the Alberta Child and Family Benefits is relatively simple; you don’t even have to apply. As long as you’re approved for the Canada Child Benefit from the federal government and you’ve filed your annual income tax returns, your income will be automatically assessed, and you’ll be approved as long as you meet the requirements.
How the Canada Child Benefit is Different from the Alberta Child and Family Benefit
While the CCB and ACFB are both child benefits, the CCB is administered by the federal government and the ACFB is administered by the Alberta government. While the CCB and the ACFB are both issued by the federal government, the income requirements and benefit amounts are different.
You do have to apply for the CCB benefits before you get approval. That said, you don’t have to apply for the ACFB benefits. As long as you’re approved for CCB benefits and your family’s income level meets the requirements, then you’ll automatically start receiving payments.
CCB Payment Amounts
The amounts that you receive from the CCB benefit are different from those from the ACFB. For children under the age of 6, you can get up to a maximum of $7,437 per year for each eligible child. For children aged 6 to 17, you can get up to a maximum of $6,275 per year per child. The amounts that you get approved for are also based on your family’s net income. Whether that income is considered to be family employment income or not doesn’t matter.
ACFB 2024 Payment Amounts
The ACFB payment amounts depend on your adjusted family net income. That said, let’s take a look at the maximum benefit amounts.
| Number of Children | 2024 Maximum Base Component | 2024 Maximum Working Component |
| 1 | $1,469 | $752 |
| 2 | $2,204 | $1,437 |
| 3 | $2,939 | $1,847 |
| 4 + | $3,674 | $1,982 |
2024 Payment Increases
Due to the Affordability Action Plan, The Inflation Relief Act is now in effect to help make the lives of Albertans more affordable. This means that the ACFB payments have increased for the 2024 benefit year, and payments started increasing in February. Because of inflation, there could be more payment increases, but none have been decided yet.
Depending on your annual income, some families are also eligible for an additional payment of $100 per month for a maximum of 6 months. In order to qualify, your annual household income has to be below $180,000.
Reasons Your Benefit Amounts Could Change
If you have a change in circumstances, then the amount received from the ACFB can be assessed and amended by the Canada Revenue Agency. Some of these circumstances that could change your payment amount include:
- Having another child
- Moving from Alberta
- Moving to Alberta
If it’s found that you should receive greater benefits, then you’ll receive a payment for any difference that you’re owed from previous payments. Any future payments will be given in larger amounts. If it’s found that you should have received smaller payments, then the CRA will contact you through a letter stating how much in overpayments you owe.
Overview
Those who live in Alberta, have at least one child under the age of 18 and are considered to be low or middle-income families could start receiving ACFB benefits. Unlike other benefits, there’s no need to apply. As long as you file your taxes and receive the CCB payments, you’ll start receiving benefits as long as you qualify.
Keep in mind that your ACFB payments are reassessed every year. This means that your benefits could change annually, and if you don’t file your annual income tax return on time, there could be a delay in your payments. To ensure you keep receiving your government benefits, it’s important to file your taxes on time.
