Tuesday April 21, 2026 | NATIONAL
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) will replace the GST/HST credit in July 2026.
As part of the transition, an additional one-time GST/HST credit top-up payment will be issued starting on June 5, 2026 to recipients who were entitled to the January 2026 payment.
This is money in your pocket, if your income is low enough to be eligible.
Payments for July 2026 to June 2027 will be based on the information from your 2025 tax return.
The one-time June 5 top-up:
The one-time top-up on June 5 was not in the Groceries and Essentials Benefit announcement in January 2026 by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
In January, only the increase in the quarterly GST/HST rebate was announced, renamed as the Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
This is a political recognition of helping low-income Canadians as household affordability has become even worse only a few months from when the first announcement was made in January.
“Now inflation is back under control, but there’s still an affordability gap,” said Wayne Long, Secretary of State for Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions on April 17 when announcing the one-time June 5 top-up to the Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
The top-up was included in the January 26 announcement by the prime minister but at that time still required Royal Assent by the Senate.
“We are offering this one-time payment to help with affordability and relieve some of that pressure for those who need it most,” said Long in a statement on Friday.
“Affordability remains a top priority for our government. We want all Canadians, including seniors, to get ahead,” said Secretary of State (Seniors), Stephanie McLean. “The new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, including the one-time payment, will do just that by putting money back in people’s pocket, helping make everyday expenses more manageable.”
What’s in a name:
Now calling the low-income support the Groceries and Essentials Benefit (instead of focusing only on groceries (as one ore more of the GST rebates as temporarily called a few years ago) is a recognition that struggling households will have other urgent concerns in addition to food purchases.
Some other essentials to which households might apply the non-taxable funds might include utility bills, credit card payments, clothing or school items for children, an unexpected car repair, or any other numerous things that would help in a pinch.
Maximum benefits:
The maximum benefit over the course of the upcoming 12-month period (July 2026 to June 2027)
- Single individual: $679
- Married or common-law: $890
- Eligible child under 19: $234 per child
Non taxable:
The GST/HST credit (or payment) in Canada is non-taxable income.
Government links:
Here’s exactly what the federal government’s Groceries and Essentials Benefit webpage says:
“In July 2026, the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) will replace the GST/HST credit. Under the new program name, payment amounts will be increased, but the eligibility, payment calculation, and structure will be the same as the GST/HST credit. Quarterly payment amounts will increase by 25% for 5 years (from 2026 to 2031) starting in July 2026.”
“As a part of the transition to the new CGEB, an additional one-time GST/HST credit top-up payment will be provided to individuals who were entitled to receive the GST/HST credit in January 2026. This immediate support will be issued starting June 5, 2026.”
“These measures will provide increased financial support to more than 12 million Canadians with low and modest incomes to help manage the costs of everyday essentials.”
===== RELATED:
- New NDP leader prioritizes affordability & digital surveillance price-fixing (April 13, 2026)
- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit replaces GST rebate to help Canadians with affordability (January 26, 2026)
- Liberals deliver on NDP push for national school food program in Budget 2024 (April 1, 2024)
- NEWS SECTIONS: AFFORDABILITY | POVERTY REDUCTION | FOOD SECURITY | URBAN FOOD RESILIENCE