A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of controlled-release fertilizer on crop yield, nitrogen balance and soil nitrogen residual of wheat-maize rotation system in Fluvo-aquic soil in North China. The results showed that the treatment with adding 20% controlled-release fertilizer / reducing 20% nitrogen fertilizer (CRF20%) could maintain maize yield and biomass compared to the conventional fertilization treatment(CK), decreased wheat yield and biomass, however, it was higher than the treatment of nitrogen reducing 20% (–N20%). Due to the elimination of top-dressing, and the CRF20% treatment got 581 and 1 896 Yuan RMB/hm² relative income higher than the CK and –N20% treatment in maize season, while in the wheat season the relative income of the CRF20% treatment and CK were nearly the same. The CRF20% treatment can reduce nitrogen surplus and maintain the apparent equilibrium between nitrogen input and output, especially in the maize season with a nitrogen surplus of only 4.6 kg/hm², thus it can maintain nitrogen in topsoil to reduce nitrogen loss into the environment.