Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit

Canada Revenue Agency

The renamed and enhanced GST/HST credit. For the July 2026-June 2027 benefit year, roughly $679 for a single person, $890 for a couple, and $234 per child under 19. Tax-free, paid quarterly, no application.

The catch: There is nothing to apply for and that is exactly why people miss it: it is calculated from the return, so not filing is the only way to lose it.

Do these first

File a tax return, even with no income required Calculated from the filed return; there is no application.
Filing is what turns on the GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Benefit, the Alberta Child and Family Benefit and the income-tested provincial rebates. None of them pay out to someone who has not filed.

Who can get it

  • Calculated from the filed return; there is no separate application. must meet
  • Income-tested against family net income. The threshold is indexed and re-set each benefit year. NOT PUBLISHED HERE - no figure has been verified. must meet

When it is open

  • 2026-27 benefit year
    1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027
    Annual, 1 July to 30 June
    Paid quarterly across the benefit year from the prior year's return. expected, not confirmed
    Amounts re-set each July. Re-verify the figures at the turn of the benefit year.

At a glance

Worth
$679 (indexed)
Effort
Instant
Time to money
Not recorded
How it arrives
Direct deposit
How often
Standing
Proof needed
None
Where
Canada
Last checked
15 August 2026