Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit payment dates

CGEB payment dates for July 2026 to June 2027

The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) is paid in four instalments over a benefit year that runs from July to the following June. For the first CGEB year the CRA's payment dates page lists two dates, and the CRA's guide to the benefit sets the other two on the 5th of January and April 2027 (CRA, CGEB payment dates).

All four instalments in this cycle come from the same calculation, made from your 2025 return. Each one is a quarter of your yearly amount, so a single adult entitled to the full $679 receives $169.75 on each date. The amount changes mid-year only when the CRA redetermines your benefit after a family change or a reassessment.

The CGEB replaced the GST/HST credit, so earlier 2026 deposits (January 5 and April 2) belong to the old credit's benefit year. Those are listed on GST payment dates.

Is there a January 2027 CGEB payment?

Yes. The CRA's payments chart states that the entitlement for the 2025 base year is issued in July 2026, October 2026, January 2027 and April 2027, and the CRA's guide to the benefit says the payments are made on the 5th of those months (CRA, RC4210). That puts the January payment on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. As of October 20, 2026 the CRA's payment dates page still lists 2026 dates only.

The CRA usually adds the next year's benefit dates late in the year, and the January date should then also appear on the Government of Canada benefits calendar. If the 5th falls on a weekend or holiday, the guide moves the payment to the last business day before it.

How the CGEB payment schedule works

The CGEB follows a fixed quarterly pattern: payments in July, October, January and April. Every July the CRA recalculates the benefit from the previous year's tax return, so the July payment is the one most likely to change in size.

The CRA asks you to file by April 30 so the July recalculation has your return in hand. If your 2026 return is filed late in 2027, the July 2027 payment can be paused until the return is assessed, and anything owed is then added to the next scheduled payment. The dollar figures behind each payment are explained on GST credit amount.

When your first CGEB payment arrives

Your first payment depends on why you are becoming eligible. In each case the payment still lands on one of the regular quarterly dates; the CRA does not issue CGEB payments on other days.

For example, a person who turns 19 on August 14, 2026 and has filed a return would first be paid on October 5, 2026. Someone whose birthday is October 6, 2026 would wait for the January 5, 2027 payment. Full qualifying rules are on GST credit eligibility.

Why did I not get a CGEB payment?

The most common reasons a CGEB payment stops are an unfiled return, an unanswered CRA letter, an address or bank change the CRA was not told about, a change in marital status, income that is now too high, loss of residency, or a debt the CRA applied the payment to (CRA, reasons for stopped or changed payments).

1. Wait 10 business days after the payment date. For October 5, 2026, the tenth business day was Tuesday, October 20, because of the Thanksgiving holiday on October 12, so call from Wednesday, October 21 if the money is still missing.
2. In your CRA account, confirm whether a payment was issued, the amount and the method (deposit or cheque).
3. Check your address and direct deposit details. If you switched banks, the CRA says it can take up to a month for deposits to reach the new account, so keep the old one open until then.
4. Look for a notice of redetermination or an overpayment notice with a remittance voucher.
5. If your details are correct and the account shows no reason for the gap, contact the CRA about the missing payment.

When a payment was stopped and the CRA later confirms you qualify, the missed amounts are added to your next scheduled payment rather than sent separately. Detailed fixes for each cause are on GST credit not received, and the typical delays for bank deposits are covered in CRA direct deposit timing.

CGEB pay dates and other October 2026 benefits

The October 5 CGEB deposit is one of several benefit payments that month. Knowing the others helps you tell them apart on a bank statement.

• October 5: Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, plus any provincial credit paid with it.
• October 9: Ontario Trillium Benefit and the Advanced Canada Workers Benefit.
• October 15: Canada Disability Benefit.
• October 20: Canada Child Benefit.
• October 28: Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security.

For how the benefit itself changed from the old credit, read Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit explained, or return to the GST credit guide for the full cluster.