The federal carbon pollution pricing system was implemented in Alberta on January 1, 2020. A charge on fossil fuels is part of the Canadian government’s climate change action plan to help lower carbon emissions. The fuel charge rates reflect a carbon pollution price of $65 per tonne of carbon dioxide and will continue to rise by $15 per tonne annually to reach $170 per tonne in 2030. You will notice a line item on your gas bill to reflect the rate per GJ of natural gas consumed. The amount collected is remitted to the Federal Government monthly by your utility company.  

Effective Date                    Federal Fuel Charge per GJ

January 1, 2020                  $1.05/GJ

April 1, 2020                       $1.58GJ

April 1, 2021                       $2.10/GJ 

April 1, 2022                       $2.63/GJ

April 1, 2023                      $3.33/GJ  < We are here 

Climate Action Incentive payments

To help pay for the charge, Albertan’s over the age of 19 will automatically receive incentive payments four times per year on the 15th (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) by direct deposit or cheque, whatever you are signed up for on the CRA website. If you have a spouse or common-law partner, only one of you can get the credit for the family. The credit will be paid to the spouse or common-law partner whose tax return was assessed first. No matter which one of you receives the credit, the amount will be the same. Please see below for an example of how much your family could receive.

• $772 for a single adult or the first adult in a couple
• $386 for the second adult in a couple
• $193 for each child in the family 
• Additional 10% for residents of small and rural communities (outside of Edmonton and Calgary)

*A rural family of four could get up to $1,698 ($424 quarterly).