BC Family Benefit for Grandparents Raising a Grandchild

No Separate Application Required

The BC Family Benefit (BCFB) is a provincial top-up that rides on the Canada Child Benefit. When the CRA approves your CCB application through Form RC66, the BC Family Benefit is calculated and added to the same monthly deposit automatically. You do not fill out a separate provincial form.

This is good news for grandparents who are already overwhelmed with paperwork. One application — the RC66 — opens both the federal and provincial payments.

Current Rates and Income Thresholds

For the July 2025 to June 2026 benefit year, maximum annual BCFB amounts for households with income below $29,526 are:

• First child: $1,750 per year ($145.83/month)
• Second child: $1,100 per year ($91.67/month)
• Each additional child: $900 per year ($75.00/month)

Single caregivers — including grandparents raising a grandchild alone — receive an additional $500 per year ($41.66/month) on the first child.

For July 2025 to June 2026, benefits phase down above $29,526 and phase out by $94,483. For July 2026 to June 2027, the full-benefit threshold is $30,176 based on your 2025 tax return, with reduced minimum benefits available up to $96,562.

Your amount depends on your adjusted family net income; the thresholds above show when maximum and reduced benefits apply.

Tax-Free and Pension-Safe

The BCFB is completely tax-free. It does not appear on your tax return, does not count as taxable income, and does not reduce your OAS, GIS, or CPP retirement pension. The same is true for the federal CCB that it is bundled with. For a grandparent on a fixed income, these payments go directly toward the child's expenses without any clawback on your retirement benefits.

This is one of the most important facts for kinship caregivers to understand — and one that government websites bury in technical language. Many grandparents hesitate to claim benefits because they fear it will reduce their pension. It will not.

How Recalculation Works

The CRA recalculates your BCFB entitlement every July using your Adjusted Family Net Income from the prior tax year. If your income drops (for instance, you stopped working to care for the child), your next July recalculation will reflect the lower income and potentially increase your benefit.

File your tax return every year, even if you have no income to report. The CRA cannot recalculate your benefit without a filed return, and a missed filing will pause your payments.

Shared Custody Situations

If a court order specifies that the child lives with you between 40% and 60% of the time, the CRA splits both the CCB and BCFB equally — 50% to you, 50% to the other caregiver. Below 40%, the person with majority residency receives the full amount.

For a detailed breakdown of how the BCFB fits alongside EFP maintenance, the CCB, and other kinship payments in British Columbia, the BC kinship financial help guide maps every payment stream and shows how they stack without affecting your pension.

See more British Columbia guides →