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The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) is the new name for the GST/HST credit. It replaced that credit in July 2026 and pays about 25% more. From July 2026 to June 2027, you can get up to $679 if you're single, $890 if you have a spouse or common-law partner, and $234 for each child under 19.
The CRA pays it in four tax-free deposits a year, and you don't apply separately: filing your tax return is enough. If you rent, those deposits can go straight toward rent through Neobanc, where you pay by free Interac e-Transfer and earn 1% cashback.
The CGEB is a quarterly, income-tested payment for people and families with low and modest incomes. The CRA describes it as help with the cost of groceries and other everyday essentials, but you can spend it on anything, including rent and bills. It keeps the same rules and calculation as the GST/HST credit it replaced.
Three changes came with the new name:
Your amount for this benefit year is based on your 2025 tax return. Here are the CRA maximums next to last year's GST/HST credit:
The 2025-26 figures come from the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Quarterly amounts are the yearly maximum split into four equal deposits.
You get less than the maximum once your adjusted family net income rises past a set level, and the benefit stops entirely at higher incomes. Adjusted family net income is your net income from line 23600 of your return, plus your spouse's or partner's if you have one. Your exact amount appears in your CRA account under "Benefits and credits".
According to the CRA's CGEB guide (RC4210), you're eligible if you're a resident of Canada for income tax purposes at the end of the month before a payment and at the start of the payment month. You also need to be at least 19 in the month before the payment.
If you're under 19, you can still qualify if you have or had a spouse or common-law partner, or if you are or were a parent who lives with your child.
You generally can't get the CGEB if you're a non-resident, a diplomat or employee of another country's government, in prison for at least 90 days in a row, or deceased.
If you turn 19 before April 2027, file your 2025 return now. Your first payment comes in the quarter after your 19th birthday.
There's no separate application. The CRA checks whether you qualify when you file your return, so:
If you file late, you don't lose the money. The CRA adds any amounts you missed to your next scheduled payment.
Some provinces pay their own credits together with the CGEB, so you don't apply for them separately. The CRA's guide lists:
In Ontario, the Ontario sales tax credit isn't paid with the CGEB. It's part of the Ontario Trillium Benefit, which arrives monthly around the 10th. If you claim it for rent you paid, keep your proof of rent payments for tax time.
The CRA pays the CGEB four times a year, on the 5th of July, October, January and April. When the 5th falls on a weekend or a federal holiday, the payment goes out on the last business day before it.
The 2026 dates come from the CRA payment dates page and the 2027 dates from the CRA's RC4210 guide. The July 2027 payment will switch to amounts based on your 2026 tax return.
If your benefit works out to less than $50 a quarter, you won't get four deposits. The CRA pays the whole year's amount in one payment in July instead.
If a payment doesn't arrive, check your CRA account first. Make sure your address and direct deposit details are current and that you filed your 2025 return. The CRA can also apply your benefit to a tax balance or government debt. If you still can't find it, wait 10 business days after the payment date before you call the CRA.
For most renters, the CGEB is a few hundred dollars a year. It won't cover rent, but it stretches further when the payments it goes toward also pay you back. That's where Neobanc fits in:
Neobanc is registered with FINTRAC as a money services business and is PCI-DSS compliant.
The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit is the GST/HST credit with a new name and about 25% more money. From July 2026 to June 2027, it pays up to $679 for a single person, $890 for a couple and $234 per child, in four tax-free deposits.
File your tax return every year, even with no income, and keep your CRA details current so the payments keep coming. When a deposit lands, put it toward rent through Neobanc: pay by free Interac e-Transfer, earn 1% cashback, and your landlord still gets a regular e-Transfer.
It's the new name for the GST/HST credit. Since July 2026, it pays about 25% more, in four tax-free deposits a year, to people and families with low and modest incomes. You can spend it on anything, including rent.
From July 2026 to June 2027, the maximum is $679 for a single person, $890 for a married or common-law couple and $234 for each child under 19. Amounts are based on your 2025 tax return and drop as family income rises.
No. The CRA checks your eligibility when you file your tax return. File every year, even with no income. Newcomers send Form RC151 for the year they became residents.
Yes. The CGEB replaced the GST/HST credit in July 2026. It uses the same rules and calculation, with amounts about 25% higher for five years.
The next payment is January 5, 2027, followed by April 5, 2027. The CRA pays in July, October, January and April, usually on the 5th.
No. The CGEB is tax-free, so you don't report it as income on your tax return.
Yes. Once your CGEB lands, you can pay rent through Neobanc by free Interac e-Transfer and earn 1% cashback. Your landlord receives a regular e-Transfer and doesn't need a Neobanc account.
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