Canada Child Benefit Trends: Opportunities 2024-2025 for Quebec SMEs

The Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) is more than just a tax program for families. For Quebec SMEs, especially in retail, family services and e-commerce, the CCA represents a recurring cash flow that directly influences consumer habits. Between July 2024 and June 2025, the maximum CEA amount was increased to $7,787 per child under age 6 and $6,570 per child age 6 to 17, an increase of approximately 4.7% over the previous year. ([canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-revenu/services/prestations-enfants-familles/allocation-canadienne-enfants/allocation-canadienne-enfants-ace-feuille-calcul-prestations-juillet-2024-juin-2025-annee-imposition-2023.html?utm_source=openai)) As of July 2025, these maximum amounts increase to $7,997 and $6,748, indexed to inflation. ([canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-revenu/services/prestations-enfants-familles/allocation-canadienne-enfants/combien-recevoir.html?utm_source=openai)) These monthly payments help support household consumption, particularly in a context of pressure on the cost of living. For Quebec SMEs, understanding these trends and their impact on families’ purchasing power is essential to adapting their offer, marketing and digital channels.

1. Understanding the new 2024-2025 child benefit trends

CEA is a major federal program for Canadian families, paid monthly and indexed each July to inflation. For the 2024-2025 benefit year (July 2024 to June 2025), eligible families can receive up to $7,787 per child under age 6 and $6,570 per child age 6 to 17. ([canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-revenu/services/prestations-enfants-familles/allocation-canadienne-enfants/allocation-canadienne-enfants-ace-feuille-calcul-prestations-juillet-2024-juin-2025-annee-imposition-2023.html?utm_source=openai)) Starting in July 2025 (year 2025-2026), these maximum amounts increase further to $7,997 for children under age 6 and $6,748 for children age 6 to 17, for households with adjusted family net income below $37,487. ([canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-revenu/services/prestations-enfants-familles/allocation-canadienne-enfants/combien-recevoir.html?utm_source=openai))

Beyond the individual amounts, the macroeconomic stakes are considerable. The Government of Canada forecasts that CEA payments will reach $28.2 billion in 2024-2025, an increase of 6.9% over the previous fiscal year, before a further 5% growth in 2025-2026. ([budget.canada.ca](https://www.budget.canada.ca/update-miseajour/2024/report-rapport/anx1-fr.html?utm_source=openai)) This is a massive, regular and relatively predictable flow of funds that goes directly to households, including a significant portion in Quebec.

For families, these successive increases in the ACE act as a buffer against inflation, giving them a little more leeway to :

• basic expenses (food, clothing, school supplies) ;
• extracurricular activities, sports, recreation and day camps ;
• Technology purchases (tablets, computers, educational tools);
• products and services focused on children’s well-being and education.

For Quebec SMEs, these trends mean that, despite a sometimes uncertain economic context, part of the income of families with children is relatively stabilized and protected by annual indexation. Key periods to watch are :

• early July (annual adjustment of amounts and recalculation of payments) ;
• At the start of the school year, when families reallocate part of these benefits to educational expenses;
• holiday periods (end of year, spring break, summer), when discretionary purchases increase.

Capturing these dynamics enables SMEs to better plan their promotions, inventory and marketing campaigns, especially if they have well-integrated digital tools (optimized website, CRM, marketing automation, etc.).

2. How these benefits influence the purchasing behaviour of Quebec families

ACE payments are made monthly, creating a regular cash flow cycle for families. In concrete terms, a family with two children under the age of 6 can receive, in maximum amounts for 2024-2025, close to $1,300 per month via the ACE alone, before taking into account income adjustments. ([canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-revenu/services/prestations-enfants-familles/allocation-canadienne-enfants/allocation-canadienne-enfants-ace-feuille-calcul-prestations-juillet-2024-juin-2025-annee-imposition-2023.html?utm_source=openai)) A significant portion of these amounts is obviously devoted to basic needs, but several consumer behavior studies show that regular government transfers also stimulate spending on :

• leisure activities (subscriptions, outings, family attractions) ;
• educational products (books, educational toys, digital platforms);
• specialized services (remedial education, supervised sports activities, private lessons) ;
• online shopping for children (clothing, baby items, school supplies).

In Quebec, the combination of ACE with provincial measures (Quebec family allowance, subsidized childcare for many families, etc.) further strengthens this purchasing power dedicated to children. SMEs targeting this segment benefit from :

• segment their customer base according to the presence of children in the household;
• timing their campaigns around installment dates and consumption highlights;
• promote clear family offers: packages, multi-child discounts, recurring subscriptions.

This is where the power of digital tools becomes crucial. For example, a well-structured transactional site(optimized online store) enables you to track more precisely which products are most in demand by families, and when these purchases occur. By coupling this data with a sales-oriented CRM, the SME can :

• automate e-mail campaigns around the payment and back-to-school periods;
• Offer age-appropriate recommendations;
• offer reminders or subscriptions (e.g. school supplies, diapers, snacks) aligned with monthly cycles.

In short, the rise of the ACE should be seen not just as a macroeconomic figure, but as an opportunity to structure a more intelligent customer journey, connected to the financial realities of Quebec families.

3. Concrete opportunities for Quebec SMEs: products, services and channels

Successive increases in the CEA and the predictability of its annual indexation create a favorable context for companies that know how to position themselves as partners in the daily lives of families. Here are a few concrete opportunities of particular relevance to Quebec SMEs:

Family-oriented products and services

• Children’s retail: clothing, footwear, sports equipment, baby accessories, educational toys and games. These categories are directly linked to the expenses financed, in part, by ACE.
• Educational and extracurricular services: language courses, robotics, coding, music, arts, organized sports. Families with ACE-stabilized incomes are more likely to invest in their children’s skills development.
• Digital services for children: e-learning platforms, educational subscriptions, virtual tutoring tools. Increasing connectivity and devices in the home are fuelling these needs.
• Wellness and health: nutrition, occupational therapy, psychology, specialized services for children with special needs.

Optimizing your digital presence

To capture this demand, a solid digital presence is essential. A professional website and a high-performance e-commerce platform enable :

• to be found by parents actively seeking solutions for their children via Google ;
• offer a seamless shopping experience on cell phones, the preferred channel for busy parents;
• clearly explain how your products or services support the family budget (monthly packages, instalments, subscriptions).

Parents who receive ACE monthly can more easily adopt subscription models (e.g. monthly activities, educational boxes, lunch snacks) when billing is synchronized with the payment schedule. An SME that structures its offers around this cycle, and clearly communicates this synchronization, stands out.

Communication and targeted marketing

ACE increases regularly receive media coverage, such as the increase announced for July 2024 and July 2025. ([advisor.ca](https://www.conseiller.ca/nouvelles/economie/augmentation-de-lallocation-canadienne-pour-enfants/?utm_source=openai)) These announcements create the perfect “talking points” for SMEs:

• publish blog posts explaining how to optimize this budget for children;
• launch themed campaigns (back-to-school, active summer, family Christmas);
• offer downloadable guides in exchange for an e-mail, then feed this database via a CRM.

By leveragingAI and marketing automation solutions, you can analyze parents’ behavior on your site and personalize your offers: age-appropriate product recommendations, renewal reminders, targeted educational content, etc.

4. Structuring your strategy with data, CRM and e-commerce

To turn ACE trends into real growth, SMEs need a coherent data and technology strategy. Three pillars are particularly important: CRM, e-commerce and AI.

A CRM geared to families and revenue cycles

A well-integrated CRM enables you to :

• segment customers according to the presence and age of children (e.g. 0-5 years, 6-12 years, 13-17 years);
• monitor recurring purchases related to children (seasonal clothing, supplies, activities);
• plan automated campaigns aligned with CEA’s payment calendar and key events (back-to-school, spring break, summer);
• measure the return on investment (ROI) of your promotions targeting families.

In practice, an SME might, for example, schedule a series of late-June emails explaining how to plan for the start of the new school year, and then trigger promotions in early July, when the index-linked ACE amounts begin to flow. This data-driven approach maximizes relevance and contact timing.

E-commerce designed for the monthly budget

As ACE payments are monthly, it makes sense to think of your offers in monthly terms:

• monthly packages (activities, meal boxes, educational boxes) ;
• annual subscriptions payable monthly ;
• interest-free instalments on certain more expensive products (equipment, technologies).

A well-designed online store must make these options clear, simple and reassuring. It must also integrate analytical tools to identify monthly and seasonal sales peaks, so as to better manage inventory and promotions.

Harnessing AI to better understand and serve parents

AI, chatbot and automation solutions offer a significant competitive advantage:

• Intelligent chatbots to answer parents’ questions 24/7 (sizes, return policies, sibling packages, etc.).
• Personalized recommendations based on purchase history, children’s ages and seasons.
• Demand forecasting to anticipate periods of intensive purchasing financed in part by ACE (back-to-school, holiday season, early summer).

Combined with robust CRM and e-commerce, these technologies enable Quebec SMEs to position themselves as benchmarks for families, while maximizing the value of every ACE dollar injected into the local economy.

Conclusion: transforming a tax measure into a growth lever for your SME

Between 2024 and 2026, the Canada Child Benefit continues to grow, with maximum amounts now exceeding $7,900 per child under six and $6,700 per child aged 6 to 17, and an overall federal budget projected at over $28 billion for 2024-2025. ([canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/fr/agence-revenu/services/prestations-enfants-familles/allocation-canadienne-enfants/combien-recevoir.html?utm_source=openai)) For Quebec SMEs, this reality must not remain a mere figure, but become a strategic lever: understanding families’ income cycle, structuring an offer aligned with their priorities, and relying on the right digital tools.

By implementing a professional website, a high-performance online store, a family-centric CRM and AI-powered automations, your business can take full advantage of these trends. You’ll be better positioned to attract, convert and retain the parents who, every month, decide how to allocate ACE amounts to their children’s needs and aspirations.

Would you like to adapt your digital strategy to the realities of Quebec families and turn ACE into a sustainable growth opportunity for your SME? Schedule a free consultation with Nuaweb today. Together, we’ll build a data-driven, results-oriented strategy that’s perfectly tailored to your market and objectives.