Canada Grocery Rebate 2026: CGEB Amounts & Payment Dates (Updated)

Summary

• The original Grocery Rebate was a one-time payment issued on July 5, 2023, and it won’t return under that name.
• In 2026, Ottawa replaced the GST/HST credit with the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB), which pays 25% more for five years and came with a one-time top-up in June 2026.
• For July 2026 to June 2027, the CGEB pays up to $679 for a single person or $890 for a couple, plus $234 per child under 19.
• The next payment arrives January 5, 2027. No application is required; you just need to have filed your 2025 tax return.

If you’ve been searching for a “grocery rebate” in 2026, the program you want is the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. It’s the old GST/HST credit with a new name, bigger payments and the same automatic quarterly schedule. This guide to grocery rebate Canada 2026 payments covers:

• What the original grocery rebate was
• Whether there was a grocery rebate in 2025
• How the new CGEB works
• How much you can get in 2026–27
• Payment dates and eligibility
• How to make sure you receive it

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What was the original Canada grocery rebate?

The Grocery Rebate was a one-time, tax-free payment the federal government sent on July 5, 2023, to everyone entitled to the January 2023 GST/HST credit. It was worth double that January credit, which worked out to a maximum of $153 per adult, $81 per child and $81 for the single supplement.

In practice, that meant up to about $234 for a single person with no children and $467 for a couple with two children. Canada grocery rebate eligibility was tied to that January credit, and the CRA calculated the payment from 2021 tax returns, so nobody had to apply.

That program is over. The Canada Revenue Agency grocery rebate page now lists the Grocery Rebate as no longer available and warns that messages inviting you to apply for a ‘new Grocery Rebate’ are scams.

Was there a Canada grocery rebate 2025 payment?

No. There was no grocery rebate in 2025. What arrived that year was the regular GST/HST credit, paid quarterly on January 3, April 4, July 4 and October 3, 2025.

So if you’re looking for a Canada grocery rebate October 2025 deposit, you're thinking of the October 3 GST/HST credit payment. There was also no Canada grocery rebate payment in November 2025. The only CRA-administered sales tax relief in Ontario that month was the monthly Ontario Trillium Benefit. Anyone searching for a grocery rebate 2025 Canada payment should know that the replacement program was announced in January 2026 and started paying in June 2026.

What is the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit?

The CGEB replaces the GST/HST credit: a tax-free quarterly payment that helps low- and modest-income households cover groceries and other day-to-day costs. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced it on January 26, 2026, and Bill C-19 received Royal Assent on February 12, 2026.

According to the Department of Finance backgrounder, the CGEB delivers $11.7 billion in extra support over six years through two measures:

• A one-time top-up equal to 50% of your 2025–26 GST/HST credit, paid on June 5, 2026, to anyone who received the January 2026 credit. This Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit one-time payment required a filed 2024 tax return.
• A 25% increase to regular quarterly payments for five years, starting July 2026, with amounts indexed to inflation.

More than 12 million Canadians receive it. Despite the name, there are no rules on how you spend it.

How much is the grocery rebate in Canada in 2026–27?

For the July 2026 to June 2027 payment period, based on your 2025 tax return, the CRA says you can receive up to:

Household

Maximum annual CGEB

Single

$679

Married or common-law couple

$890

Each child under 19

$234

Canada groceries benefit payment amounts, July 2026 to June 2027

The annual amount is split into four payments, so a single person at the maximum gets about $169.75 per quarter. Payments shrink as adjusted family net income rises.

How much grocery rebate will I get?

Your Canada grocery rebate 2026 amount depends on your marital status, the number of eligible children you have and your 2025 adjusted family net income. Counting the June top-up, the federal government’s own examples show a single senior with $25,000 in net income receiving $950 for the 2026–27 benefit year, and a couple with two children earning $40,000 receiving $1,890.

For a personal estimate, use the CRA’s child and family benefits calculator.

Ontario residents: the Ontario sales tax credit (up to $378 per adult and per child) is paid separately as part of the Ontario Trillium Benefit, on top of the CGEB.

Grocery rebate 2026: when will it be paid?

The CRA pays the CGEB on the 5th of July, October, January and April, or the last business day before if the 5th falls on a weekend or holiday. Here are the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit 2026 payment dates and the rest of the benefit year:

Payment date

Status

July 3, 2026

Paid (first CGEB payment)

October 5, 2026

Paid

January 5, 2027

Upcoming

April 5, 2027

Upcoming

These Canada grocery rebate payment dates come from the CRA’s RC4210 guide, which lists the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit payment dates for the full 2026–27 period. Your own CGEB benefit payment date and amount also appear in CRA My Account.

If your benefit works out to less than $50 per quarter, the CRA pays the full year in July instead. If a payment doesn’t arrive, wait 10 working days before calling the CRA at 1-800-387-1193.

Canada grocery rebate 2026: eligibility

Who gets the grocery rebate in Canada? You’re eligible if you’re a resident of Canada for tax purposes at the end of the month before, and at the start of the month of, each payment. You also need to be at least 19, or have a spouse or common-law partner, or be a parent living with your child. Those are the core Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit eligibility criteria.

You generally can’t receive it if, at payment time:

• you’re not a resident of Canada for tax purposes
• you’re exempt from Canadian tax as an officer or servant of another country (such as a diplomat)
• you’ve been confined to a prison or similar institution for 90 consecutive days or more

Canada grocery rebate 2026 income eligibility depends on your 2025 adjusted family net income. Together with your marital status and the number of eligible children you have, it determines your amount, and payments phase out as income rises. In short, who qualifies for the grocery rebate in Canada comes down to residency, age and a filed tax return, with income setting how much you get.

How do you get the grocery benefit?

You get it automatically when you file your 2025 tax return, even if you had no income. If you have a spouse or common-law partner, enter their SIN and net income on your return, even if it’s zero. Only one of you receives the payment for the household.

Keep your address, direct deposit details and marital status up to date in My Account. A missed address change can stop payments even if your bank account hasn’t changed.

Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit: how to apply as a newcomer

Newcomers to Canada apply with Form RC151 for the year they became residents. Everyone else is enrolled automatically once their return is assessed.

How can you stretch your benefits further?

The CGEB works best alongside the other benefits you’re entitled to. A few habits help:

• File on time every year. Most federal and provincial benefits, including the Canada Child Benefit and Canada Workers Benefit, are calculated from your return.
• Point the money at essentials first. Groceries, utilities and medication free up room elsewhere in your budget.
• Chip away at high-interest debt. A few hundred dollars applied to a credit card balance can save more in interest than it buys at the checkout.

For a deeper look at the quarterly schedule, see our guide to GST payment dates.

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Let’s recap:

• The 2023 Grocery Rebate was a one-time payment, and the CRA considers it closed.
• Its successor, the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, pays up to $679 for singles and $890 for couples in 2026–27, plus $234 per child, with the next payment on January 5, 2027.
• You don’t apply. Filing your tax return each year keeps the payments coming.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there a grocery rebate in 2026?

Not under that name. The 2026 equivalent is the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which replaced the GST/HST credit in July 2026 and included a one-time top-up paid on June 5, 2026.

Grocery rebate 2026: when will it be paid next?

The next CGEB payment is January 5, 2027, followed by April 5, 2027.

Do I need to apply for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit?

No. The CRA determines eligibility automatically when you file your tax return. Newcomers use Form RC151.

Who is eligible for the Canadian grocery rebate?

Canadian residents for tax purposes who are at least 19 (or have a spouse, common-law partner or child) and have filed their 2025 tax return. Your 2025 adjusted family net income sets the amount.

Why didn’t I get the June 2026 top-up?

The top-up went to people entitled to the January 2026 GST/HST credit, which required a filed 2024 tax return. If you hadn’t filed, file now; the CRA assesses eligibility once your return is processed.

Do I have to spend the benefit on groceries?

No. It’s a tax-free payment you can use however you like.

Is the $2,000 'financial relief payment' I saw online real?

No. The CRA has flagged a $2,000 direct-deposit relief payment as disinformation. The CRA also won’t text or email you a link to claim a benefit.

Can newcomers to Canada get the grocery benefit?

Yes, if you meet the residency and age rules. Send Form RC151 for the year you became a resident.

Sources

• CRA: Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (RC4210), 2026–2027 payment period
• Department of Finance: Backgrounder on the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
• Department of Finance: Legislation passes to deliver new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
• CRA: Payment dates for CRA-administered benefits and credits
• CRA: Grocery Rebate, no longer available
• CRA: Budget 2023 Grocery Rebate amounts
• CTV News: Federal benefit payment dates for 2025

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