Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit: Up to $679, Next Payment October 5

What is the groceries and essentials benefit?

The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit is a tax-free quarterly payment for individuals and families with low or modest incomes. It is the new name for the GST/HST credit, with larger amounts. The federal government announced it in January 2026, and the CRA made the first CGEB payment on July 3, 2026.

In practice, very little changed for recipients. Eligibility, the calculation method, and the payment schedule all carry over from the GST/HST credit. However, the amounts went up by 25% in July 2026, and Finance Canada says the higher amounts will stay in place for five years, from 2026 to 2031.

You don't report the payments on your tax return, because the benefit isn't taxable. Your payments may also include amounts from related provincial or territorial programs that the CRA pays alongside it.

CGEB payment dates for 2026

The CRA pays the benefit in July, October, January, and April. The January and April 2026 payments went out under the old GST/HST credit name. The July and October payments are the first two under the CGEB.

What was the one-time payment in June?

On June 5, 2026, eligible Canadians received a one-time supplement equal to 50% of their annual GST/HST credit for 2025-26. That payment was separate from the regular quarterly schedule.

Finance Canada gave two examples of what the supplement and the higher amounts add up to for the 2026-27 benefit year:

• A senior living alone with $25,000 of net income: a $267 supplement, plus $136 more in regular payments, for a total of $950 in 2026-27.
• A couple with two children and $40,000 of net income: a $533 supplement, plus $272 more in regular payments, for a total of $1,890 in 2026-27.

The supplement was a one-time payment. From July 2027 onward, Finance Canada expects about $700 a year for a single person and about $1,400 a year for a family of four.

How much is the CGEB in 2026-27?

The CRA recalculates your benefit every July using your previous year's tax return. Your 2025 return sets the amounts you receive from July 2026 to June 2027. Here are the maximum amounts:

Who is eligible for the CGEB?

You are eligible if you meet all of these conditions:

• You are a resident of Canada for tax purposes, both in the month before a payment and at the start of the month of the payment.
• You are at least 19 years old, or, if you are under 19, you have (or had) a spouse or common-law partner, or you are (or were) a parent living with your child.
• Your adjusted family net income is below the limit for your situation.

Your adjusted family net income is line 23600 of your tax return, plus line 23600 of your spouse's or common-law partner's return. The benefit starts to decrease once that income passes $46,432 (2025 base year). It stops entirely at the limits below.

Income limits for the 2025 base year

If you have shared custody of a child, you may receive half of the child amount. If you already receive the Canada child benefit (CCB) for a child, the CRA includes that child automatically.

How do you apply for the benefit?

In most cases, you don't apply. You file your tax return every year, even if you had no income, and the CRA checks your eligibility automatically. Our guide on how to file taxes in Canada walks through the options.

A few situations need extra steps:

• You turn 19 during the year: file your return for the previous year. The CRA sends your first payment on the first payment date after your 19th birthday.
• You are a new resident of Canada: you apply through the CRA's newcomer process rather than waiting for a tax return.
• You file late: the CRA calculates your benefit only once your return is assessed. Any amounts you missed come as a retroactive payment with the next scheduled payment. Our article on how long a tax return takes to process gives typical CRA timelines.

What if your payment doesn't arrive?

First, check whether a payment was even due. If your benefit works out to less than $50 per quarter, the CRA doesn't pay it quarterly. Instead, you receive the whole year's amount in a single payment in July. In that case, no October payment is due.

Next, work through these checks:

1. Sign in to your CRA account, choose your Individual account, then open Benefits and credits. The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit section shows your next expected payment date and amount.
2. Make sure your address, direct deposit details, and marital status are up to date.
3. Look for a recent change that triggers a recalculation: a reassessment, a child turning 19, a new partner or separation, or a change in custody.

How to use your quarterly payment

The benefit is designed to cover food and everyday essentials, so the most direct way to stretch it is at the checkout. If you already pay for groceries with a credit card and clear the balance each month, a card with a higher grocery earn rate returns a few percent more on the same spending. Our ranking of the best credit cards for groceries compares the current options.

If you'd rather keep the payment as a buffer, park it in a no-fee account that pays interest. Our comparison of the best savings accounts in Canada lists current rates.

For the context behind these amounts, our explainer on the goods and services tax covers the tax the original credit was built to offset.

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Frequently asked questions about the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit