How much will Albertans get in carbon rebates as tax goes up?

As Albertans deal with higher prices at the pumps starting Monday, the federal government rebates aimed to offset the carbon tax will also be increasing.

Residents of provinces that pay the federal carbon price are eligible to receive the Canada Carbon Rebate (CCR), formerly known as the Climate Action Incentive.

The rebate is deposited or mailed out four times a year and is divided among households based on family size.

In Alberta, a family of four will receive $1,800 over four quarterly installments, up nearly $250 from the previous year.

Here’s how much Albertans can expect over the next 12 months:

• Single – $225 installments for total of $900
• Couple – $337.50 installments for total of $1,350
• Family of four – $450 installments for total of $1,800
• Residents in rural areas for all family sizes will receive 20% more

The first deposit is set to hit bank accounts on Apr. 15. Three more payments will follow in July, October and January.

Those who filed their taxes before March 15 should get their rebates on time on the 15th.

Alberta typically uses more natural gas for heat per households than other provinces, and therefore residents receive larger rebates.

Each year, Environment and Climate Change Canada calculates the expected revenues from carbon pricing in each province and, by law, has to return 90 per cent of those revenues in rebates. Part of the remaining 10 per cent goes to increase rural resident rebates by 20 per cent.

Some of the rest is earmarked to help businesses become more fuel-efficient, but those programs have been very slow to roll out. Most businesses haven’t received anything in the five years since carbon pricing began.

More on Monday’s carbon pricing increase can be found here.

With files from The Canadian Press