B.C. boosts family benefit for 340000 families starting July

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B.C. families are expected to get more money to help with rising costs of living, said Premier David Eby on Monday.

Starting mid-July, the government plans to increase the B.C. family benefit — which is distributed to eligible parents with children under age 18 — by an average of $445 in a one-year bonus.

“This isn’t going to fix the cost of living challenges that families face, but every little bit helps, and our hope is that this will make life a little bit easier for families in British Columbia,” said Eby during a news conference in a Chilliwack park on Monday.

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The NDP government also plans to make the benefit more accessible, with 66,000 more families expected to qualify.

About 340,000 families — or 70 per cent of families in B.C. — are expected to receive the benefit, said the province, which will be distributed starting next month to June 2025.

The bonus payment will be delivered monthly by cheque or direct deposit from the Canada Revenue Agency as part of a combined payment with the federal Canada Child Benefit.

The amount depends on the family’s income and the number of children in the family.

As an example, families earning less than $35,902 in 2023 will now get up to $2,188 a year for their first child, $1,375 a year for their second child and $1,125 a year for each additional child.

The annual amount decreases to $969 for the first child for families earning between $35,902 and $114,887 a year, $937 a year for the second child and $906 a year for each additional child.

It gets reduced further for families earning over $114,887 a year, while low-income single parents will get a $500 a year supplement.

The benefits boost comes four months before the next provincial election in October.

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