Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit: what changed from the GST credit

What is the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit?

The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit is a tax-free quarterly payment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to individuals and families with low and modest incomes, meant to help with the cost of food and other everyday essentials. It took over from the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit in July 2026 (CRA, CGEB overview).

The short form used on CRA pages is CGEB. The first quarterly payment under the new name was issued on July 3, 2026. In its April 2026 announcement, the CRA said the quarterly and one-time payments together would reach more than 12 million recipients.

In practical terms, nothing about how you qualify changed. What changed is the name on the deposit, the size of the payment and the reason the government gives for it: rising grocery prices rather than sales tax alone. For a wider overview of the program and its history, see the GST credit guide.

What stayed the same from the GST credit

The CRA states that the CGEB uses the same eligibility rules, payment calculation and structure as the GST/HST credit. If you understood the old credit, you already understand the new one; only the dollar figures moved.

Because the structure carried over, so did the income thresholds' method: the benefit still starts shrinking at 5% of adjusted family net income above a threshold, which is $46,432 for July 2026 to June 2027. Provincial programs that used to ride along with the GST/HST credit, such as the Saskatchewan Low-Income Tax Credit and New Brunswick's HST credit, are now paid with the CGEB instead.

How much bigger is the CGEB, and how long does the increase last?

The CGEB raised payments by 25% starting in July 2026, and the CRA says the higher level is set to remain for five years, from 2026 to 2031. After that period, whether the extra amount continues depends on future federal decisions; nothing has been announced.

Part of the jump is the 25% boost and part is ordinary indexation to inflation, which is applied every July. That is why a single adult's maximum went from $533 to $679 rather than rising by exactly a quarter. The breakdown for every family type is on the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit amount page.

Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit eligibility: who gets it

You can get the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit if you are a resident of Canada for tax purposes and at least 19 years old. People under 19 also qualify if they have or had a spouse or common-law partner, or if they are a parent who lives with their child (CRA, who is eligible).

• Residency is tested twice for each payment: in the month before the CRA pays and at the start of the payment month.
• Your adjusted family net income must be below the cut-off for your family type, which runs from roughly $60,000 for a single adult to $82,952 for a couple with four or more children in 2026-27.
• Children registered for the Canada Child Benefit are added to your CGEB automatically.
• Children in the care of a child welfare agency generally do not count for the benefit.

Special situations, including shared custody, students living away from home and newcomers partway through a year, are covered on GST credit eligibility.

Do I need to apply for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit?

No, in most cases. The CRA checks every assessed tax return for CGEB eligibility, including returns that report no income, and starts payments automatically (CRA, how to get the benefit). If you were getting the GST/HST credit before July 2026, you were moved over without doing anything.

New residents of Canada

In your first year as a Canadian resident you can apply before filing your first return. Without children, use the online version of Form RC151, Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit Application for Individuals Who Become Residents of Canada. With children under 19, mail a paper RC151 together with Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application, and proof of birth for each child, to your tax centre. One application covers the whole household.

Turning 19

Young adults do not need a separate form. As long as you have filed a tax return, the CRA pays your first CGEB on the next scheduled payment date after your 19th birthday, so someone turning 19 in November 2026 would first be paid in January 2027.

Filing late

The CRA asks for returns by April 30 so quarterly payments are not interrupted. A late return can pause the benefit, but once the return is assessed any amounts you were entitled to are paid with the next scheduled payment.

When is the CGEB paid?

The CGEB is paid four times a year, in July, October, January and April. The 2026 payments were on July 3 and October 5, and the CRA's guide to the benefit sets the next two for January 5 and April 5, 2027, although its payment calendar had not listed them as of October 20, 2026. Full dates, and what to do if a payment is late, are on CGEB payment dates; if you are looking for the older GST schedule, see GST payment dates.

Changes you must report to keep the right amount

Because the benefit depends on who is in your household, the CRA expects to hear about life changes promptly, with the date they happened. It then sends a CGEB notice of redetermination showing the new yearly amount.

• A new spouse or common-law partner, a separation, or the death of a partner.
• A child joining or leaving your care, or a change in custody arrangements.
• A move, even when your direct deposit account stays the same, since the CRA says payments can stop if your address is out of date.
• Leaving Canada or becoming a non-resident for tax purposes.

If a change is reported late and the CRA finds you were overpaid, it sends a notice with a remittance voucher and keeps future benefit payments and refunds until the balance is cleared.