Standing at the checkout these days can feel like a bit of a gut punch. Prices that seemed high a year ago look almost reasonable compared to what things cost now, and most Canadians have felt that shift in a very direct way.
The federal government is putting some money back in people’s pockets next month to help absorb some of that pressure. On June 5, the Canada Revenue Agency will issue a one-time payment to eligible Canadians as part of a transition into a new benefit program designed to address the rising cost of food and other essentials.
The payment works out to 50% of whatever a recipient was receiving through the GST/HST credit for the 2025-26 benefit year, and it serves as a bridge into the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, a new quarterly program that permanently replaces the GST/HST credit starting July 3.
What’s the actual dollar amount?
It depends on who you are and what you earn. Run the numbers and a single person bringing in $25,000 a year walks away with $267 on June 5. A family of four at $40,000 gets $533. Zoom out to the full year and the picture gets bigger: factoring in the June payment and the new quarterly installments that follow, a single person could collect up to $950 in 2026, while a family of four could see as much as $1,890.
“We know that many Canadians are feeling the pinch when buying groceries and necessities,” CRA Secretary of State Wayne Long said when the benefit was announced last month. “We are offering this one-time payment to help with affordability and relieve some of that pressure for those who need it most.”
Does anything need to be done to get it?
Nothing. As long as you filed your 2024 tax return and were collecting the GST/HST credit as of January 2026, the payment goes out automatically. Worth noting: it may show up in your bank account labeled as a GST/HST credit rather than under the new benefit name, so don’t mistake it for something routine.
What does the longer-term picture look like?
The July 3 rollout of the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit brings quarterly payments that run 25% higher than what the GST/HST credit was delivering, with those increases guaranteed for five years and calculated based on your 2025 tax return. The federal government expects more than 12 million Canadians to receive payments through the combined benefit structure.
The backdrop to all of this is a food inflation picture that has been grinding away at household budgets since 2020, adding roughly $782 in extra costs for the average Canadian family compared to what they would have spent otherwise.