GST payment dates for 2026, and when the next one lands

GST payment dates 2026

These are all the GST credit payment dates the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) used in 2026, taken from the Government of Canada benefits calendar and the CRA's payment dates page. The date shown is the day the CRA issues the money, not a guaranteed arrival day.

In the benefits calendar the October payment appears under the new name, Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, not GST/HST credit. It is the same quarterly payment. If you only search the calendar for GST, you will not see July or October listed, which is why many people think the payment was dropped.

The one-time top-up on Friday, June 5, 2026 was an extra payment outside this quarterly cycle, equal to half of the 2025-26 credit. It does not repeat.

When is the next GST payment?

The next GST payment is on Tuesday, January 5, 2027, after the October 5, 2026 deposit. It will be the third payment of the July 2026 to June 2027 benefit year and should match your July 3 and October 5 amounts unless the CRA sends you a notice of redetermination in between. The date comes from the CRA's guide to the benefit, which sets payments on the 5th of July and October 2026 and of January and April 2027 (CRA, RC4210); the payment calendar had not added it yet as of October 20, 2026.

The government's calendar notes that a payment can take a few days to reach you after it is issued. Direct deposit is normally the quicker route; a mailed GST cheque also depends on postal delivery. If you are still waiting for a paper cheque, see GST cheque for how mailed payments work and when a replacement can be requested.

Why the GST credit is paid on different days each quarter

Every 2026 GST payment date fell on the 5th of the month or on the last business day before it. Reading the dates against the calendar shows why each one landed where it did.

• January 5, 2026 was a Monday, so the payment went out on the 5th.
• April 5, 2026 was Easter Sunday and April 3 was Good Friday, so the payment moved back to Thursday, April 2.
• July 5, 2026 was a Sunday, so the payment was issued on Friday, July 3.
• October 5, 2026 is a Monday, so it stays on the 5th.

The weekend and holiday adjustments above are our reading of the published dates, not a rule the CRA states in writing. For how other benefits shift around holidays, see benefit payments on long weekends.

GST payment dates 2027: when will they be published?

The CRA's payment dates page and the benefits calendar still listed 2026 only as of October 20, 2026. Next-year dates are usually added late in the year, around November or December.

What is confirmed: the CRA's payments chart for the 2025 base year says that year's entitlement is paid in July 2026, October 2026, January 2027 and April 2027, and the CRA's guide to the benefit puts each payment on the 5th of the month, or on the last business day before it when the 5th is a weekend or holiday. That gives Tuesday, January 5 and Monday, April 5, 2027.

Why was my GST paid only once, in July?

If the quarterly amount would be under $50, the CRA pays the whole year in the July payment instead of four instalments. In practice this affects anyone whose yearly credit is under $200, usually because their income is close to the phase-out point.

Example: a single person whose credit works out to $150 for July 2026 to June 2027 received all $150 on July 3, 2026, got nothing on October 5, 2026, and will get nothing in January or April 2027. That is not a missed payment. The next deposit for that person would come in July 2027, based on the 2026 tax return.

Which provincial credits arrive on the same day as the GST credit?

Provincial credits that the CRA runs alongside the federal credit are paid in the same deposit, on the same GST payment dates. That is why the October 5, 2026 payment could be larger than the federal amount alone, and the January 5, 2027 payment can be too.

Ontario residents will not see their provincial sales tax credit on these dates. It is part of the Ontario Trillium Benefit, paid monthly around the 10th; the next Trillium payment is on November 10, 2026.

What to check if the GST payment is not in your account

1. Count 10 business days from the payment date. For October 5, 2026, that is Tuesday, October 20, because Thanksgiving on October 12 is not a business day.
2. Sign in to your CRA account and open the benefits section to see whether a payment was issued and for how much.
3. Check that your direct deposit account is still open; if a deposit fails, the CRA mails a cheque instead.
4. Look for a notice of redetermination or an offset against a debt.

Our step-by-step page for a GST credit not received covers each cause in detail. For the rules and amounts behind the payment, start at the GST credit guide or read how the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit differs from the old credit.