Groceries top-up payments roll out

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has begun issuing a one-time top-up payment under the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, equal to a 50 per cent increase in the annual 2025-26 value of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Credit.

This measure will deliver $3.1 billion in immediate support to the 12 million Canadians who currently receive the GST Credit, the federal government reports

First announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney in January, top-up payments for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit will roll out starting June 5. Anyone who received the GST Credit in January 2026 will automatically receive this one-time payment.

The program was previously called the GST/HST credit and is usually paid out on a quarterly basis to lower-income households to help them keep pace with the rising cost of living. “Today’s payments are delivering meaningful, targeted relief to Canadians facing higher everyday costs,” said Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty.

In addition, the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit will represent a 25 per cent increase over the GST Credit on which it is built. It will provide $8.6 billion in additional support over the 2026-27 to 2030-31 period, including to 500,000 additional individuals and families, with enriched quarterly payments starting in July. Combined with the one-time top-up, that means that a family of four will receive up to $1,890 this year and about $1,400 a year for the next four years. A single person will receive up to $950 this year and about $700 a year for the next four years.

Under the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, a single senior with $25,000 in net income will receive a one-time top-up of $267 plus a longer-term increase of $136 for the 2026-27 benefit year (total increase of $402). In total, they’ll receive $950 for the 2026-27 benefit year (including the top-up). A couple with two children with $40,000 in net income will receive a one-time top-up of $533 plus an increase of $272 for the 2026-27 benefit year (total increase of $805). In total, they’ll receive $1,890 for the 2026-27 benefit year (including the top-up).

After the one-time payment is made, eligible families and individuals will receive regular quarterly payments as of July 2026. Those amounts are additional to existing benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit, the Canada Disability Benefit and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The top-up payment will appear as a GST/HST credit on the CRA notice of determination and also on the bank statement of eligible recipients if they’ve signed up to receive direct deposits.