Payment dates

Previous name: GST/HST credit

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) sends your Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) amount as quarterly payments.

Dates for payments made in 2026 

Your benefit amount is recalculated every July based on your previous year's tax return. You will receive your payments 4 times in a year. The remaining 2 quarterly payments in 2026 are made under the CGEB.

The payment dates in 2026 are:

• January 5, 2026 GST/HST credit payment
• April 2, 2026 GST/HST credit payment
• July 3, 2026
• October 5, 2026

The payment period begins in July and ends in June of the following year:

January and April payments
GST/HST credit payments

Based on your adjusted family net income from your 2024 tax return.

July and October payments

Based on your adjusted family net income from your 2025 tax return.

View other payment dates: Payment dates for CRA administered benefits and credits

If you turn 19 during the year

To ensure you start receiving the CGEB soon after you turn 19 years old, you must file your tax return for the previous year. File your tax return, even if you do not have any income to report. The CRA will automatically determine your eligibility based on the information from your previous year's tax return.

If you are entitled to receive the benefit and have filed your taxes, the CRA will issue your first payment on the payment date that comes after your 19th birthday.

For newcomers turning 19, refer to: Apply if you are a new resident of Canada.

If you file your taxes after July

The CGEB is recalculated every July based on your tax information from the previous year. If you file your taxes after July, you must wait until the CRA has assessed your tax return to determine if you are entitled to receive the benefit.

If any entitled benefit amounts were missed, you will receive retroactive payments in the next scheduled payment.

Check the status of your payment

If you want to receive email notifications about upcoming benefit payments, you can sign up to receive benefit and credit payment reminders. The reminders are sent about one week before the payment is issued.

If you have a CRA account

You can sign in to your CRA account to view:

• Your next expected payment date and amount
• The status and amount of each payment for the year, from July to the following June
• Your statement of account for the benefit, including details about amounts and entitlements, dates, and balances

CRA sign in Register for a CRA account

1. Choose your Individual account
2. On the Overview screen, find your next expected payment under "Benefits and credits"
3. Select Benefits and credits to find detailed payment information
4. Go to Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly the GST/HST credit) to find your next expected payment date and amount, payment schedule, and your statement of account

If you have not received your payment

You will not receive quarterly payments if the amount per quarter is less than $50. Instead, you will receive the entire amount as a single payment in July.

If you do not receive your benefit payment on the expected payment date, before you contact us, you can:

• Check the status of your payment in your CRA account
• Make sure your personal information is up to date
• Check other reasons for stopped or changed payments

If you still don't know why you haven't received your payment, wait 10 business days after your expected payment date before calling us.