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Eligible Canadians will soon be receiving extra money from the federal government in the form of a topped-up GST payment before the program transitions into the grocery benefit next month.
The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) was announced in January as a replacement for the GST/HST credit starting in July.
Prime Minister Mark Carney billed the measure as increased financial support to more than 12 million Canadians to help manage the costs of everyday essentials like groceries. It will be essentially the same format and principle as the GST payment, but will have quarterly payment amounts that are 25 per cent higher than the GST payment for five years.
Before it kicks off next month, those who qualify will be receiving an additional GST top-up payment starting on June 5.
Here’s what to know.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says the additional top-up payment will be equal to 50 per cent of the total annual GST credit for the period from July 2025 to June 2026, provided those individuals or households were entitled to receive the payment sent out in January 2026.
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For example, the CRA says if a person’s total annual GST credit in that period was $400, then their top-up payment will be an extra $200.
That amount can vary, based on the number of children in a household as of January 2026, and the family or individual’s net income declared in their 2024 tax filing. The CRA adds that only those who filed their 2024 tax return will be entitled to the GST credit and their net incomes must fall below the maximum thresholds.
In addition, qualified persons must be at least 19 years old and be residents of Canada for tax purposes during the given year.
The CRA says to qualify for the GST payments, the maximum income for an individual with no children is $56,181 in the 2024 tax year and increases depending on how many children they have.
For example, with one child, that amount increases to $63,161, with two children it’s $66,841, with three it’s $70,521, and with four children it’s $74,201.
For married or common-law incomes to qualify for the GST payment, the total household net income must fall below $59,481 with no children, $63,161 with one child, $66,841 with two children, $70,521 with three and $74,201 with four children.
The CRA also says that those parents in a shared custody situation may be able to qualify for half the GST credit for the child or children.
Individuals who qualify could receive a top-up payment of up to $267 with no children, $441 with one child, $533 with two children, $625 with three and $717 with four children.
For those married or common-law individuals who qualify, each couple would receive a top-up payment of $349 with no children, $441 with one child, $533 with two children, $625 with three and $717 with four children. These are the amounts where, if someone has shared custody of a child, each parent will get half of the amount.
Payments will start going out to qualified households starting June 5, and the CRA says they will still be labelled as the GST/HST credit. Once financial institutions update their systems, then the new payments will be given a label that reflects the new grocery and essentials benefit program.
Those who are already signed up for direct deposit with the CRA will see the payments deposited into their bank accounts starting on June 5.
The CRA says paper cheques will still be mailed out to those who have not enrolled for direct deposit but urges Canadians to sign up for the service so as to receive these and other payments faster and more securely.
If Canadians do not receive the top-up payment, the CRA says there are several potential reasons.
This includes that they did not file their 2024 tax return, they were not eligible or entitled to the GST credit in January 2026, a spouse or common-law partner already received the extra payment on behalf of the family, or the payment was applied to an outstanding balance if those persons owe money to the CRA.
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