The new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit is paying out soon and you can get up to $717
This is a one-time top-up before it replaces the GST/HST credit.
Canadian money.
You can get up to $717 from the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit soon.
This is a one-time top-up government payment before the new benefit replaces the GST/HST credit.
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) just revealed details about the top-up payment and the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
More than 12 million eligible Canadians will get a one-time top-up on Tuesday, June 5, 2026.
This is meant to help those with low and modest incomes manage the day-to-day costs of essentials like groceries.
The one-time payment is part of a transition to the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which will replace the GST/HST credit in July 2026.
You're eligible for the one-time top-up payment if you filed your 2024 tax return and received the GST/HST credit in January 2026.
The amount you'll receive is 50% of your total GST/HST credit for the 2025-26 benefit year.
If you're a single individual or single-parent family, you could get a maximum payment of up to:
- $267 with no children
- $441 with one child
- $533 with two children
- $625 with three children
- $717 with four children
If you're married or have a common-law partner, you could get a maximum payment of up to:
- $349 with no children
- $441 with one child
- $533 with two children
- $625 with three children
- $717 with four children
Parents who share custody of a child will each get half of the payment amount they would've received if they had full custody.
If you have direct deposit set up with the CRA, your Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit payment will be deposited into your bank account.
If you don't have direct deposit set up, you'll get a cheque from the CRA by mail.
This one-time top-up payment might still be called the GST/HST credit payment as Canadian financial institutions are updating their systems.
So, you might see it as the GST/HST credit instead of the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit in your bank account or on a cheque in your mailbox.
When the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit replaces the GST/HST credit on July 3, 2026, payment amounts will be higher.
The quarterly payments will continue to increase by 25% for the next five years.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.