Alberta Child and Family Benefit for Grandparents and Kinship Caregivers

What the ACFB Is

The Alberta Child and Family Benefit is a provincial, non-taxable payment for families raising children under 18 in Alberta. It is funded by the province but administered and paid by the Canada Revenue Agency. You do not apply for it separately — once the CRA processes your income tax return and confirms you are eligible for the Canada Child Benefit, the ACFB is calculated automatically.

For grandparents and other relatives raising a child, this means the ACFB follows the CCB. If you have already filed CRA Form RC66 and established yourself as the primarily responsible caregiver for the child, the ACFB starts flowing without any additional paperwork.

2026–2027 Payment Amounts

The ACFB has two parts: a base component for low- and modest-income families and a working component that phases in once family working income passes $2,760.

For one child:

• Maximum base component: $1,529 per year
• Maximum working component: $782 per year
• Combined maximum: $2,311 per year

For two children:

• Maximum base: $2,293 | Working: $1,494 | Combined: $3,787

For three children:

• Maximum base: $3,057 | Working: $1,920 | Combined: $4,977

Income Thresholds

The base component starts reducing once your adjusted family net income exceeds $28,116. The working component starts reducing at $47,115.

For a grandparent on a pension — say $22,000 per year in combined CPP, OAS, and GIS — the full base component is paid. The working component only kicks in if you have employment or self-employment income above $2,760, so a retired caregiver with no earned income receives the base only.

Payment Dates for 2026

ACFB payments arrive quarterly:

• February 27
• May 27
• August 27
• November 27

If your quarterly entitlement calculates to less than $10, the CRA consolidates it into a single annual payment.

The ACFB and Other Kinship Supports

The ACFB is non-taxable and does not count as income for:

• Alberta Income Support calculations
• Supports for Permanency eligibility
• Canada Child Benefit phase-out calculations

This means it stacks cleanly with other benefits. A grandparent receiving SFP daily maintenance, the CCB, and the ACFB keeps all three without one reducing the other.

However, if a child is in formal government care (under a TGO, PGA, or PGO), the Ministry claims the Children's Special Allowances and you cannot receive the CCB or the ACFB. Once a Private Guardianship Order is granted and government care ends, both benefits become available.

For a side-by-side view of how the ACFB fits with the CCB, SFP, Income Support, and kinship per diems for your specific care arrangement, see the Alberta kinship financial help guide.

See more Alberta guides →