SURREY, B.C. - Raising kids in Surrey is expensive, and four separate programs put money back into parents’ pockets. They come from two governments, they stack on top of each other, and two of them need no application at all once you are in the system. Here is the current-year picture for the benefit year that runs from July 2026 to June 2027.
1. Canada Child Benefit: the big one
The maximum Canada Child Benefit (CCB) this year is $8,157 per year ($679.75 a month) for each child under 6, and $6,883 per year ($573.58 a month) for each child aged 6 to 17, paid tax-free. Families with an adjusted family net income under $38,237 receive the maximum with no reduction; above that income, the benefit is gradually reduced based on the previous year’s tax return. Which means the single most important benefits habit is filing your taxes every year, even with no income to report, because the CCB is recalculated from your return each July.
2. BC Family Benefit: the provincial top-up riding along
B.C.’s own family benefit is paid monthly together with the CCB. Maximum annual amounts are $1,750 for the first child, $1,100 for the second and $900 for each additional child, with an additional supplement of up to $500 a year for single-parent families. Full amounts apply under $30,176 of family net income, with reductions above that. There is no separate application; it follows your CCB eligibility.
3. Affordable Child Care Benefit: the one you must apply for
This B.C. benefit helps pay licensed child care costs and is income-tested: families with a pre-tax income of up to $111,000 can apply. The maximum monthly benefit for full-time licensed group care for a child under 19 months is $1,250. Unlike the first two, this one is not automatic; you apply, and your child care arrangement has to qualify.
4. Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative: the discount already in your bill
If your child attends a participating licensed provider, the province pays the provider to lower your fees directly. Families do not apply, and the province says families automatically save up to $900 a month on licensed child care through the initiative. If your provider is not participating, that is a question worth asking them, because the saving is built into the fee, not sent to you.
What it means for you
A Surrey family with a toddler in licensed care and a school-age child can be receiving the CCB, the BC Family Benefit, the fee reduction and the child care benefit at the same time. The failure points are mundane: an unfiled tax return pausing the July recalculation, or not knowing the child care benefit needs its own application. Check both this month. Benefit amounts depend on your family’s income and situation; the CRA and the province’s Benefits Connector hold the calculators and the final word.
(Source: Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Child Benefit amounts; Government of British Columbia, family and child care benefits, accessed November 7, 2026)
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