Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly the GST/HST credit): who gets it

What is the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit?

The CGEB is a tax-free payment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). It helps people with low and modest incomes with the cost of groceries and everyday essentials. It replaced the goods and services tax / harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit in July 2026.

The CRA says eligibility, calculation and structure stayed the same as the GST/HST credit. What changed is the amount: the federal government added a 25% increase for five years, from 2026 to 2031. Many provinces still pay their own credit together with it.

How much is the CGEB in 2026–27?

For the payment period July 2026 to June 2027 (based on 2025 income), as of October 2026:

For single people with no children, the single supplement builds up at 2% of net income above $11,564, so very low incomes get less than the full $234. The full benefit is reduced by 5% of adjusted family net income over $46,432.

Examples from the CRA chart: a single person with $20,000 of income gets $613.72 a year; a couple with two children and $50,000 gets $1,179.60. Estimate yours with the benefit estimator.

Who qualifies?

You can get the CGEB if you are a resident of Canada for tax purposes in the month before and at the start of the month of the payment, and you are:

• 19 or older, or
• under 19 and have (or had) a spouse or common-law partner, or are (or were) a parent who lives with your child.

Your immigration status is not the test; tax residency is. Permanent residents, workers and students who are tax residents can qualify. Check your status with the tax residency checker. Your income must be under the limit for your family size.

How newcomers apply (RC151 and RC66)

Most Canadians do not apply: the CRA checks automatically when they file. Newcomers are different. In your first year, you apply before your first return.

1. No children: fill in Form RC151 online on the CRA website.
2. With children under 19: mail RC151 together with Form RC66 (Canada Child Benefits Application). Include proof of birth for all children under 19.
3. Report your world income for the years before you arrived on the form. That income is used only to calculate your benefit.
4. If documents are not in English or French, include a translation with the original.

Only one application is needed per household. The CRA says: “You do not need to do your first tax return before you can get the CGEB benefit.”

CGEB payment dates

Payments go out every three months: July, October, January and April.

• July 3, 2026 (first CGEB payment)
• October 5, 2026
• January and April 2027 (the CRA posts the exact dates on its payment dates page)

If your benefit is less than $50 a quarter, you get the full year’s amount in one payment in July. If a payment does not arrive, wait 10 business days before you contact the CRA.

How the CRA calculates your amount

The CRA uses your adjusted family net income (AFNI): your net income plus your spouse’s or partner’s, with a few adjustments. For July 2026 to June 2027, it uses 2025 income. In your first year, it uses the world income you wrote on RC151 instead.

1. Start with the base amounts for your family ($445 for you, $445 for a spouse or for the first child of a single parent, $234 for each other child under 19).
2. Add the single supplement if you are single (up to $234).
3. Subtract 5% of your family income above $46,432.

Example: a couple with one child and $50,000 of family income. Base: $445 + $445 + $234 = $1,124. Reduction: 5% × ($50,000 − $46,432) = $178.40. Benefit: $945.60 a year, or $236.40 each quarter.

Because of the 5% reduction, a single person with no children gets nothing once income passes about $60,000. Families with children stay eligible at higher incomes.

Provincial and territorial credits paid with the CGEB

When you apply for the CGEB with RC151 or RC66, the CRA also checks if you qualify for related provincial and territorial programs. Several provinces and territories pay their own credit together with the CGEB. Others, such as the Ontario Trillium Benefit, are claimed on your tax return and paid on their own schedule. Each province sets its own rules and amounts, so check your province’s page or the CRA’s child and family benefits calculator.

For the full list of programs, see government benefits for newcomers.

How to keep getting it

• File a tax return every year by April 30, even with no income. The CRA recalculates your benefit every July using last year’s return.
• If you have a spouse or partner, they must file too.
• Tell the CRA if you move, your marital status changes, or you leave Canada.

Read how to file your first return, and see the Canada Child Benefit if you have children.

Common questions

Sources

• CRA: Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
• CRA: CGEB payment amounts, July 2026 to June 2027
• CRA: Who is eligible for the CGEB
• CRA: How to get the CGEB
• CRA: CGEB payment dates
• CRA: Benefit payment dates
• CRA: Newcomers to Canada (immigrants)
• Finance Canada: Backgrounder on the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (January 2026)
• Finance Canada: Enhanced CGEB payments begin (June 5, 2026)
• CRA: Form RC151, CGEB application for new residents
• CRA: Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application

Checked against these sources on October 5, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.