Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
There’s no BC carbon tax rebate to claim any more. British Columbia dropped its consumer carbon tax rate to zero on 1 April 2025, and the climate action tax credit that offset it made its last payment that month. If a search sent you here hoping for a cheque this year, the honest answer is that none is coming, and no form will change that.
There’s one exception, and it’s narrow. We’ll get to it.
What was the BC climate action tax credit?
It was a tax-free quarterly payment for BC residents, meant to offset the carbon tax people paid on fuel and heating. You didn’t apply. The CRA worked out your amount from your return. Amounts varied by year and by family, and BC’s own page mentions a range from about $135 to $685.50 for an adult in recent years, though it doesn’t spell out which years, so we won’t repeat a single figure as if it were current.
When the tax went, the credit went with it. BC’s page is short and clear.
The B.C. climate action tax credit payment for April 2025 was the final payment.
Climate action tax credit, Province of British Columbia, gov.bc.ca
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| BC consumer carbon tax | Rate set to $0 from 1 April 2025 |
| BC climate action tax credit | Final payment April 2025, none after |
| Motor fuel tax | Still in effect |
| Payments for 2025 onward | None |
| Payments for earlier benefit years | Possible if you file a late return |
Can you still get a carbon tax credit if you filed late?
Maybe, and this is the narrow exception. BC says that if you haven’t yet filed your returns for 2023 or earlier years, you may still be eligible for money from those years. You don’t fill in a special line. The CRA works out eligibility and your amount when it processes the old return. But nothing new is paid for 2025 or later.
So who does that help? Someone who skipped a few years, maybe on a low income, and never filed. Picture Marcus in Prince George, who stopped filing in 2021 because he figured he owed nothing. A batch of old returns could bring back a few bucks he didn’t know he was owed. If that’s you, it’s one small reason among several to get the returns done, and the benefit calculators are the better reason. A low-income filer can also be owed the GST/HST credit, which you can estimate with the GST/HST credit calculator, and families may be owed more through the Canada Child Benefit calculator. Both need a filed return.
How much BC tax do you pay without the credit?
A carbon credit was never part of your income tax bill. It arrived separately, so its end doesn’t change what you owe when you file. Here’s the income tax side for a BC employee, from the income tax calculator (2026 rates).
On $50,000 of employment income, federal and BC income tax come to $5,844.46, or 11.7% of income. CPP and EI take another $3,581.75, which leaves $40,573.79. On $70,000 the tax is $10,572.03 (15.1%), and $54,348.15 is left after CPP and EI.
Notice what’s absent. There’s no line where a carbon amount was added back. If you used to count that quarterly cheque in your household budget, you now have one fewer payment to plan around, and one fewer carbon charge in fuel and heating costs as well. How those two things net out depends on how much you drive and how you heat your home, so only your own bills can answer it.
What if a payment you expected doesn’t show up?
Start with your CRA account, then your latest notice of assessment, which lists the credits and benefits the CRA calculated for you. If the credit isn’t there for 2025 or later, that’s not an error on their side. It no longer exists. If it’s missing for 2023 or an earlier year you did file, call the CRA and ask, and keep your return handy while you do.
Don’t confuse it with other BC payments. Other benefits, such as the Canada Child Benefit and the GST/HST credit, are still paid, and each has its own eligibility rules and its own filing requirement. A missing carbon credit says nothing about whether those are coming.
What should you check instead?
Look at your CRA account for what you’re actually owed. Benefits that are still running depend on your filed return and your income, and the tax credits calculator covers federal credits, but only federal ones, so it won’t show BC credits. To see how a lower-income year changes your bill, try the tax refund calculator with what your employer withheld.
Ignore sites, emails and texts that tell you to claim a carbon rebate by paying a fee or entering banking details. There’s nothing to claim, and a message that says otherwise is either out of date or trying something. Go to your CRA account yourself, don’t use the link in the message.
What about the federal side? The consumer carbon charge ended in April 2025 as well. If you want to be sure whether any federal payment applies to you, the CRA’s benefits pages are where it would be listed.
Where the numbers come from
The end of the BC carbon tax and the climate action tax credit comes from the Government of British Columbia’s carbon tax and credit pages. Filing rules and the income tax examples use Canada Revenue Agency guidance and our 2026 federal and BC tax data. Anything about carbon pricing that isn’t confirmed on an official page has been left out. This site isn’t linked with any government.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a BC carbon tax rebate in 2026?
No. BC's page says the April 2025 payment of the climate action tax credit was the final one.
When did the BC carbon tax end?
BC set the rate to zero from 1 April 2025. The motor fuel tax is still in effect.
Can I still get old climate action tax credit payments?
If you haven't filed a return for 2023 or earlier, you may be eligible for those years. The CRA works out the amount when it assesses the return.
Do I have to apply?
No. The credit was worked out from your return, and there is no application for the years that ended.
Is a message asking me to claim a rebate real?
Treat it with suspicion. There's nothing new to claim, so sign in to your CRA account yourself rather than following the link.
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