CRA payment dates in December 2026

CRA payment dates December 2026

Every monthly benefit is paid in December, and all of them land before Christmas Day, which falls on a Friday in 2026. The official issue dates are below.

The whole-year schedule is on the CRA payment dates hub, and the month before is on November payment dates.

Payment benefit dates for Christmas: why December is early

In a normal month the Canada Child Benefit arrives on or just before the 20th, and CPP and OAS land in the last three business days. December 2026 would have pushed CPP and OAS into the days after Christmas. Instead the calendar puts them on December 22, and moves the CCB to December 11.

Early money in December has a cost later. Your January payment does not move earlier to match, so the gap between deposits is longer than usual.

December benefit payment dates by program

When is CPP paid in December?

CPP is issued on Tuesday, December 22, 2026, together with the OAS pension, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance and the Allowance for the Survivor. December is also the last payment before the January CPP increase, which for 2027 is not yet announced.

Is there a GST or CGEB payment in December?

No. The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which replaced the GST/HST credit, is paid in January, April, July and October. The last 2026 payment was October 5, and the next is January 5, 2027, the date in the CRA's guide to the benefit. The CGEB payment dates page tracks it until the payment calendar lists it.

Other payments not made in December

• Advanced Canada Workers Benefit: the last 2026 instalment was October 9.
• Alberta Child and Family Benefit: the last 2026 instalment was November 27.
• Supplemental Canada Disability Benefit for newly eligible people: planned for winter 2027, date not yet announced.

Provincial payments in December

Provincial child benefits paid with the CCB come early with it on December 11. That includes the Ontario Child Benefit (up to $146.66 per child a month), the BC Family Benefit, the Nova Scotia Child Benefit, the New Brunswick Child Tax Benefit, the Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit and the PEI Child Benefit.

The Ontario Trillium Benefit keeps its normal date of December 10. PEI residents should watch for a new name: the PEI Sales Tax Credit becomes the Prince Edward Island Essentials Benefit starting November 2026, with a minimum payment of $175 for everyone who qualifies.

If a December payment does not arrive

Waiting periods count working days only, so Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day push the contact date later.

1. For the December 11 CCB, wait 5 working days. That puts the earliest contact date at Monday, December 21, 2026.
2. For the December 10 OTB or the December 24 NL Disability Benefit, wait 10 working days. For the NL payment, count past December 25 and the other statutory holidays.
3. For CPP and OAS on December 22, Canada.ca asks you to wait 5 to 10 business days, which runs into January.
4. Before calling, confirm your direct deposit information and mailing address; Canada.ca notes that mailed cheques take longer than direct deposit.

Service Canada handles missing pension payments; the Service Canada payment dates page explains who to contact. The 2027 payment date tracker will list the January dates once they are posted.

Looking for the December 2025 dates?

Canada.ca's benefits calendar now shows the 2026 schedule only. To confirm when a December 2025 payment was made, check the deposit in your bank records. For CCB and other CRA benefits, CRA My Account also lists past payments.