CANADA — The next Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit payment is scheduled for Monday, October 5, according to the Canada Revenue Agency’s payment calendar.

The tax-free benefit was previously called the GST/HST credit. October is the last scheduled quarterly payment of 2026.

What determines the amount?

CRA calculates payments using adjusted family net income, marital status and the number of eligible children under 19. Information from the 2025 tax return determines the payment period running from July 2026 through June 2027.

For that full year, CRA lists maximum amounts of $679 for a single individual, $890 for a married or common-law couple and $234 for each eligible child. These are annual maximums, not the amount of Monday’s payment; an individual household’s entitlement may be lower.

Check the notice before budgeting

A CRA account shows the next expected payment date and amount under Benefits and credits. The agency also issues a benefit notice detailing annual entitlement and the payment schedule.

People generally need to file a 2025 tax return, even with no income, so CRA can determine eligibility. Newcomers have a separate application process explained in the agency’s guide.

CRA says an annual benefit calculated at less than $50 per quarter is paid in full in July. That can explain why an eligible person does not receive another quarterly deposit in October.

If a scheduled payment does not arrive, CRA advises waiting 10 working days before contacting it. Readers should use their own CRA notice or account to confirm their entitlement.

Sources: CRA payment calendar; payment calculations; CRA benefit guide.

Representative grocery-checkout file photo, location unspecified: Gerry Thomasen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; resized. Not a photograph of a benefit recipient.