The GST/HST Credit Is Gone. Here’s What Replaced It — and What Lands October 5

If you have been waiting for a GST/HST credit payment and nothing has arrived, your file is not being held up. The credit does not exist anymore.

The GST/HST credit was replaced in July 2026 by the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. The final payment under the old name went out on April 2, 2026. Everything since has been paid under the new one.

The good news is that the change came with a 25% increase. Here is what you are actually owed and when it arrives.

What changed, and what did not

This is a rename with a raise, not a new program with new rules.

What stayed the same: eligibility, how the amount is calculated, the quarterly schedule, and the fact that it is tax-free. Provincial and territorial credits that used to be bundled into your GST/HST credit payment are now bundled into your CGEB payment instead.

What changed: the name, and a 25% increase to the benefit amount applied in July 2026. The CRA has said that increase stays in place for five years, from 2026 through 2031.

You do not need to apply, reapply, or update anything. If you filed a tax return, you are assessed automatically — same as before.

The amounts for July 2026 to June 2027

These maximums are based on your 2025 tax return:

• $679 for a single individual
• $890 for a married or common-law couple
• $234 for each child under 19

So a couple with two children under 19 tops out at $1,358 for the year, and a single parent with one child at $913.

These are maximums. The benefit reduces as adjusted family net income rises, and the point at which it phases out entirely depends on your household size. Anything added on top for a provincial or territorial credit sits outside these federal figures and varies by where you live.

When the money arrives

The CGEB pays quarterly, on the 5th of July, October, January and April. If the 5th falls on a weekend or a federal holiday, the payment moves to the business day before.

• July 3, 2026 — paid early, because July 5 was a Sunday
• October 5, 2026 — next payment
• January 5, 2027
• April 5, 2027

Divided into four, the maximum quarterly payment works out to $169.75 for a single person, $222.50 for a couple, $228.25 for a single parent with one child, and $339.50 for a couple with two children.

There was also a one-time top-up on June 5, 2026 for anyone entitled to the credit in January 2026. That was separate and does not repeat.

The other CRA dates left in 2026

If you are budgeting around several benefits, here is the rest of the year:

• Canada Child Benefit — September 18, October 20, November 20, December 11
• Ontario Trillium Benefit — September 10, October 9, November 10, December 10
• Advanced Canada Workers Benefit — October 9
• Alberta Child and Family Benefit — November 27

Note that the CCB December payment lands on the 11th rather than the 20th. That is the annual holiday adjustment and it catches people out every year.

If nothing arrived

Wait ten business days before contacting the CRA. That is the standard window, and calling earlier will not speed anything up.

Check that you filed your 2025 return. The July 2026 to June 2027 benefit year is calculated from it. No return, no payment — and this is by far the most common reason a payment stops. If you have not filed, file late; the benefit is issued retroactively once assessed.

If your spouse also files, both returns matter. The benefit is calculated on adjusted family net income, so an outstanding return from either partner holds up the household payment.

New to Canada? You are the one exception to automatic enrolment. Newcomers have to apply separately rather than waiting to be assessed.

Check direct deposit details. A closed bank account is the second most common cause. Update it in CRA My Account rather than waiting for a cheque to be reissued.

A word on the scams

Any rename of a federal benefit produces a wave of fraud, and this one is no exception. The pattern is predictable: a text or email saying your “new grocery benefit” needs to be claimed, with a link to a page that asks for your SIN and banking details.

The CRA does not text you a link to claim a benefit. There is no application for the CGEB if you are already filing taxes in Canada, so there is nothing to claim and no form to complete. Anyone charging a fee to “register” you for it is running a scam — the same way fee-charging outfits attached themselves to the CRA data breach settlement.

If you want to verify anything about your own payment, sign in to CRA My Account directly rather than following a link someone sent you.

---

Also worth your time

• Two CIBC Mutual Fund Settlements Are Open at Once — deadline October 21
• $7.5M Silk and Great Value Recall Settlement — deadline October 16
• Scotiabank $10.45M NSF Fee Settlement
• CRA Data Breach Settlement Canada 2026

---

Amounts and payment dates are as published by the Canada Revenue Agency for the July 2026 to June 2027 benefit year. Quarterly figures are the annual maximums divided by four and may differ slightly from your actual deposit. This article is general information, not financial or tax advice. Confirm your own entitlement in CRA My Account or on canada.ca.