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The Canada workers benefit is a refundable tax credit for people who work on a low income. For the 2025 tax year, a single person can get up to $1,633 and a family up to $2,813, plus up to $843 more with the disability supplement. You claim it on your return, and the CRA can pay up to half of it in advance.
Who qualifies for the Canada workers benefit?
You must earn working income, be a resident of Canada throughout the year, and be 19 or older on December 31, or live with your spouse or common-law partner or your child. Your income also has to sit below the limit for your province or territory. Working income means employment income, taxable scholarships and bursaries, and self-employment income, with business losses left out. For the basic amount, family working income has to be more than $3,000, according to Canada Revenue Agency: Schedule 6, Canada workers benefit.
Three situations rule you out. You were a full-time student at a designated educational institution for more than 13 weeks in the year, unless you had an eligible dependant at the end of the year. You were confined to a prison or similar institution for at least 90 days. Or you were exempt from Canadian tax as an officer or servant of another country, such as a diplomat, or as a family member or employee of one.
An eligible dependant is your child, or your spouse’s child, who is under 19, lives with you on December 31 and is not eligible for the benefit themselves. If you have an eligible spouse, only one of you can claim the basic amount. When you cannot agree on who claims it, the CRA decides.
How much can you get for the 2025 tax year?
The figures below are for the 2025 tax year, the one you report on a return filed in 2026. They come from Canada Revenue Agency: Canada workers benefit, how much you can get.
| Item | Single, no spouse or dependant | Family |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum basic amount | $1,633 | $2,813 |
| Reduction starts above adjusted net income of | $26,855 | $30,639 |
| Basic amount ends at | $37,742 | $49,393 |
| Maximum disability supplement | $843 | $843 |
| Supplement reduction starts above | $37,740 | $49,389 |
| Supplement ends at | $43,360 | $55,009, or $60,629 if both spouses qualify for the disability tax credit |
Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut use their own amounts. The income level where the basic amount ends for the 2025 tax year looks like this.
| Place | Single, no children | Family with children |
|---|---|---|
| Most of Canada | $37,742 | $49,393 |
| Alberta | $37,826 | $50,232 |
| Nunavut | $67,367 | $67,365 |
| Quebec | $33,230.35 | $41,048.90 |
How is the benefit calculated?
Schedule 6 builds the basic amount in four steps.
- Take family working income, subtract $3,000, and multiply the rest by 27%.
- Cap the result at the maximum, $1,633 for a single person or $2,813 for a family.
- Take adjusted family net income, subtract $26,855 (single) or $30,639 (family), and multiply the rest by 15%.
- Subtract the step 3 amount from the step 2 amount. If it is negative, the benefit is nil.
Take a single person with $5,000 of working income. The climb is 27% of the $2,000 over $3,000, which gives $540. By our calculation from those rates, a single person reaches the full $1,633 at about $9,048 of working income. This is our arithmetic, not an official figure.
With a spouse, the lower earner can subtract part of their own income from family net income. The secondary earner exemption is capped at $16,386, and it keeps a second paycheque from wiping out the credit as quickly.
What does a worked example look like?
Marcus is single, has no children, and earned $30,000 in 2025, all of it employment income. His working income is far above the level needed for the maximum, so step 2 gives $1,633. His net income is $3,145 over the $26,855 base, and 15% of that is $471.75. His basic benefit is $1,633 minus $471.75, or $1,161.25.
Now a couple with children and adjusted family net income of $40,000, assuming their working income is high enough to reach the maximum. Their income is above $30,639 by $9,361, and 15% of that is $1,404.15. The benefit is $2,813 minus $1,404.15, or $1,408.85. Both figures are our calculations using the 2025 Schedule 6 rates, not CRA estimates.
What is the disability supplement?
The supplement is a second part of the benefit for people with an approved disability tax credit certificate (Form T2201) on file with the CRA. You qualify if you are eligible for the disability tax credit and your net income is below the limit for your province or territory. Your own working income must be more than $1,150. The supplement builds at 27% of the working income above $1,150, capped at $843.
The reduction runs at 15% of adjusted family net income above $37,740 for a single person or $49,389 for a family. If both spouses qualify for the disability tax credit, the rate drops to 7.5%. When only one spouse qualifies, that person claims both the basic amount and the supplement. When both qualify, only one claims the basic amount and each claims their own supplement on a separate Schedule 6. See also our pages on the disability tax credit and the disability tax credit article.
How do advance payments work?
You do not apply. When you file, the CRA works out whether you are entitled to the benefit and, if so, sends the advance payments on its own. Up to 50% of the benefit is paid in advance, and the disability supplement is included if you qualify. According to the CRA, there are three payments a year, on July 12, October 11 and January 10, moved to the previous business day when a date lands on a weekend or holiday.
The CRA must receive your return before November 1 of the benefit period, which runs from July to June of the following year. If you received advance payments, you get an RC210 slip, and you report the box 10 and box 11 amounts on line 41500, using Step 4 of Schedule 6. You complete that step even when you end up not claiming the basic amount. The Canada Revenue Agency: line 41500, Advanced Canada workers benefit page walks through it.
How do you claim it?
Use certified tax software, which asks the questions for you, or file on paper with Schedule 6 attached. Enter the result on line 45300. The Canada Revenue Agency: Canada workers benefit, how to claim page describes both routes. Many people miss the credit because they never filed, so a return with very little income is still worth sending. Our overview of refundable tax credits and the benefits and credits hub show where it sits among the others, and the Canada child benefit guide covers the payment families often get alongside it.
What could change?
The CRA pages checked on 31 October 2026 show only the 2025 tax year. Amounts for the 2026 tax year are not on those pages, so we do not print any. The usual deadline for the 2026 return is 30 April 2027, and the 2027 tax calendar lists it with the other dates. Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut keep their own income limits, so a calculator that ignores your province can be off.
Where does this information come from?
Rules and figures come from the Canada Revenue Agency pages for line 45300 (who is eligible, how much you can get, how to claim), line 41500 on advance payments, and Schedule 6 for the 2025 tax year. Checked on 31 October 2026. This is an independent information site: we provide no services, we do not represent the CRA or any organization, we collect information from open sources, and we do not guarantee that anything here is accurate or current. We accept no liability for decisions based on it. Check the official source before you rely on it. See the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
Who can claim the Canada workers benefit?
You can claim it if you earned working income, were a resident of Canada all year, were 19 or older on December 31 or lived with a spouse, partner or child, and your income is under the limit for your province. Full-time students without an eligible dependant generally cannot claim.
How much is the Canada workers benefit for 2025?
For the 2025 tax year the basic amount is up to $1,633 for a single person and up to $2,813 for a family. People with an approved disability tax credit can add a supplement of up to $843. Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut use different income limits.
Do I have to apply for the advance payments?
No. You do not apply. When you file your return, the CRA decides whether you are entitled and sends up to 50% of the benefit in three payments. The CRA needs to receive your return before November 1 of the benefit period.
Where do I claim the Canada workers benefit on my return?
Complete Schedule 6 and enter the result on line 45300. Certified tax software does this for you. If you received advance payments, you also report the amount from your RC210 slip on line 41500.
Can both spouses claim the Canada workers benefit?
Only one spouse can claim the basic amount. If both spouses qualify for the disability tax credit, each of them claims their own disability supplement on a separate Schedule 6. If only one qualifies, that person claims both parts.
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