GST cheque dates for 2026, the next cheque, and what to do if it is late or lost

When will my GST cheque arrive?

Your GST cheque is issued on the official payment date and then spends time in the mail. Canada.ca notes that payments go out on the listed dates but may take a few days to arrive, and a mailed cheque is the slower of the two methods (Government of Canada, benefits payment dates).

The January 5, 2027 date comes from the CRA's CGEB guide, which sets payments on the 5th of July, October, January and April (CRA, RC4210); the CRA payment calendar had not yet listed it as of October 20, 2026. The whole-year calendar, including provincial credits paid on the same day, is on GST payment dates.

GST cheque vs direct deposit timing

Direct deposit lands in your bank account on the payment date itself, while a GST cheque in the mail depends on Canada Post delivery to your address. A rural address, a mail hold or a forwarding order can all add days that a deposit never sees.

A cheque also has to be cashed or deposited before you can use the money. That is why the CRA encourages direct deposit and why a mail disruption hits cheque recipients hardest.

What if my GST cheque is late in the mail?

Do nothing until 10 business days have passed since the issue date. That is the waiting period the CRA sets for the CGEB before it will look into a missing payment (CRA, CGEB payment dates). For the October 5, 2026 cheque, 10 business days runs to October 20, because Thanksgiving on October 12 is not a business day.

1. Check your CRA account to confirm a payment was issued, the amount, and that it went by cheque rather than deposit.
2. Confirm the mailing address the CRA has on file. A cheque sent to an old address is a common explanation after a move.
3. Check whether the amount was small enough to be paid all at once in July. Quarterly amounts under $50 are not mailed in October, January or April.
4. After 10 business days, contact the CRA to have the payment traced. Other causes of missing money are listed in GST credit not received.

Lost, stolen, damaged or old GST cheques

Each problem has its own fix, set out on the CRA's uncashed cheque page (CRA, uncashed cheques).

Old or uncashed cheque

Government of Canada cheques never expire, so a GST cheque found in a drawer years later can still be cashed at any financial institution in Canada at no charge. As of July 2026, the CRA said it was holding 10.8 million uncashed cheques worth $1.88 billion.

Lost cheque

1. Sign in to your CRA account and open Uncashed cheques. It lists personal cheques that are at least six months old.
2. Download the pre-filled Form PWGSC 535 from your account. It is personalized to the payment, so a blank copy from elsewhere will not work.
3. Sign it by hand, then upload it through Submit documents or mail it to the Sudbury tax centre.
4. Expect the replacement to take several weeks. It comes faster by direct deposit; a replacement cheque can take up to 10 more business days in the mail.

Cheques less than six months old do not appear in the online list. For a recent GST cheque, contact the CRA after the 10-business-day wait instead.

Stolen or damaged cheque

Report a stolen cheque after 10 business days have passed. A damaged cheque that a bank will not accept is mailed to the Receiver General's Imaging and Receiver General Operations Directorate in Matane, Quebec, for replacement.

Switching from GST cheques to direct deposit

The fastest way to stop getting paper GST cheques is to add your bank account in your CRA account or through your bank's online banking. The CRA updates its records the next business day after either online method (CRA, direct deposit for individuals).

1. Sign in to your CRA account and choose your individual account.
2. Go to Profile, then Direct deposit, then Edit.
3. Enter the institution, transit and account numbers of a Canadian bank or credit union account.
4. Keep your old account open until the first payment reaches the new one.

The CRA no longer accepts direct deposit changes by phone. The paper Canada direct deposit enrolment form still works, but the CRA estimates processing at up to three months or longer, so a cheque or two may still arrive in the meantime. More on timing is in CRA direct deposit time.

GST cheque Canada: who still gets paper payments

Anyone who has not given the CRA a Canadian bank or credit union account receives their CGEB by cheque. That often includes people filing their first return, newcomers who applied with Form RC151, and people who closed the account on file without updating it.

The benefit itself is the same either way; what changed in July 2026 is the name, explained on the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit page. For the program basics see the GST credit guide, and to check what your cheque should be for, use the GST credit calculator.