No matter how much you receive, though, these payments are made on the same date of the month for everyone. Depending on how you sign up for these, you can receive your payments in your bank account through direct deposit or cheque.
Quebec Family Allowance Eligibility
In Quebec, there are some eligibility requirements that you need to meet to receive the Family Allowance benefits. These requirements include:
- Being responsible for the care of a child under the age of 18
- Living in Quebec
If you have a child who was institutionalized, then they must have lived with you at the time that they were. You must also be considered one of the following statuses:
- Canadian Citizen
- Permanent Resident
- Protected Person
- Temporary Resident who’s been living in Canada for at least 18 months
When it comes to the family allowance, there are some instances in which you won’t qualify. These include:
- Being the child’s foster parent
- Being exonerated from paying taxes by Revenu Quebec
- Waiting for your Protected Persons status
Quebec Shelter Allowance
Along with the Family Allowance program, Quebec also offers the Shelter Allowance program. This program is meant for low-income individuals and families who have a higher rent cost than their monthly income. If you’re approved for this program, you can currently receive $170 per month in extra money to help cover this cost.
Family Allowance Amounts
When it comes to the family allowance program, everyone’s monthly amount is going to be different. That said, there are maximum yearly amounts that one can receive. Let’s take a look at these. Keep in mind that these are the 2025 amounts, and the amount has increased by 2.85% since 2024.
| Situation | Maximum Amount |
| Two Parent Family $59,000 or less | $3,006 |
| Two Parent Family $250,000 or more | $1,055 |
| Single Parent Family $43,000 or less | $4,061 |
| Single Parent Family $250,000 or more | $1,617 |
Along with the Family Allowance payments, you can also get a supplement for the purchase of school supplies for each child. This yearly amount is $124 per child.
Family Allowance Disability Amounts
As part of your Family Allowance payments, you can also receive a supplement for handicapped children. The full amount for this supplement is $2832 annually. When it comes to handicapped children requiring exceptional care, there are two payment tiers. Tier 1 is $14292 annually, and Tier 2 is $9504 annually.
2026 Payment Dates
Every year, the payment dates for these payments change a bit. That said, they are quarterly payments, not monthly payments and are made on the first working day of each quarter. These would make the payment dates for 2026:
- January 5 (for the months January, February, and March)
- April 1 (for the months April, May, and June)
- July 2 (for the months July, August, and September)
- October 1 (for the months October, November, and December)
That said, you can choose to fill out a change of frequency form and file it, which will allow you to choose to receive monthly payments instead. If you do decide this, the monthly payment dates for 2026 are:
| Payment Month | Payment Date |
| January | January 5 |
| February | February 2 |
| March | March 2 |
| April | April 1 |
| May | May 1 |
| June | June 1 |
| July | July 2 |
| August | August 3 |
| September | September 1 |
| October | October 1 |
| November | November 2 |
| December | December 1 |
The school supply supplement isn’t paid monthly or quarterly, though. This payment is made on an annual basis. For the 2026-2027 school year, the payment date is July 2.
Applying for Family Allowance
When it comes to the Family Allowance, if your child was born in Quebec, you don’t have to apply. As long as you’re eligible, you’ll start receiving the quarterly payments automatically after your childs birth certificate is sent to the Directeur de l’etat civil. That said, though, there are some circumstances where you would have to apply. These include:
- Adopting a child
- Your child being born outside of Quebec
- You becoming a Quebec resident
- Your child returning to Quebec
- Not receiving the Family Allowance payments in your name and having custody at least 40% of the time
There are other situations where you may have to apply, but in those cases, you will be asked to by Retraite Quebec.
If you do have to apply, the simplest way to do so is using your clicSEQUR account which you can create. This account will contain a pre-completed web form. If you and your spouse both have SIN numbers, then you can also fill out an online application. If you don’t, then you’ll have to fill out the application and send it online.
Applying for the Supplement for Handicapped Children
In order to apply and start receiving the supplement for handicapped children, you already have to be receiving the Family Allowance benefit. Your child must also be under the age of 18 and have a physical impairment or mental function disability. This disability must also limit the child’s everyday activities in life for at least a year.
In order to start receiving these extra payments, an application form must be completed. This form includes a portion to be completed by the parent, and a portion to be completed by a medical professional treating your child. There’s also a part for the school or daycare to complete called the Educational Achievement Report and a Consent Regarding the Release of Medical, Psychosocial and Education-Related Information.
Who Receives The Quebec Family Allowance Payments
Family Allowance payments are generally made to only one person in the family. There are a few situations that determine who receives these payments.
- For the first application, where the child is born in Quebec, and the application is made by the birth certificate being submitted, the mother receives the payments.
- When the application is submitted directly for the first application, the person who applied will receive the payments.
- All subsequent applications will be paid to the person currently receiving the payments.
At any time, you can choose to change who’s receiving the payments with a change of beneficiary form. However, in different family situations, such as shared custody and blended families, things work a little differently.
Shared Custody
As long as the child’s time with both parents is divided between 40% to 60% of the time, then they’ll both receive Family Assistance payments. However, if the child is with one parent less than 40% of the time, then that parent will not be eligible for family assistance payments.
Blended Families
In the case of blended families, who receives the payments is based on the individual circumstances of the family and family members. In most cases, the payment goes to the spouse with the largest number of children. However, if each spouse has the same number of children, then the spouse with the youngest child receives the payments. If the youngest child is the child of both spouses, then the payment will be given to the mother. In some cases, though, only one spouse is eligible, so they’re the ones who receive the payments.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to Family Assistance payments in Quebec, most recipients will automatically start receiving payments when their birth certificate is submitted. However, in situations where that doesn’t apply, an application will have to be submitted, and payments will be made upon approval. The amounts given to you with these payments are based on individual circumstances.
Along with your Family Assistance payments, you can also receive the disability amount. However, you do have to apply for this amount and will only start receiving it if your application is accepted. No matter your situation, though, you will be paid the Family Allowance amount that you’re eligible for.
