Date: October 4, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Millions of Canadians receiving the federal Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) are set to receive their next quarterly payment on Monday, October 5, as the government continues its enhanced support for low- and modest-income households facing the cost of food and other essential goods.
The October payment is the second regular quarterly payment under the new benefit and the final scheduled CGEB payment of 2026. The program replaced the former Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) credit in July, with the federal government increasing the benefit amounts by 25%. Payments are tax-free and are issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) every three months.
The CGEB is calculated using information from a recipient's 2025 tax return for the current July 2026-to-June 2027 benefit period. The CRA automatically determines eligibility for people who have filed their tax returns, meaning there is generally no separate application for existing recipients.
For the current benefit year, a single individual can receive up to $679 annually, while a couple can receive up to $890. Families can also receive up to $234 for each eligible child under 19. The amounts are divided into quarterly payments, meaning the maximum October payment is approximately $169.75 for a single recipient, $222.50 for a couple and $58.50 for each eligible child.
Single-parent families can receive an additional amount for their first eligible child. The actual amount paid to an individual or family depends on adjusted family net income, marital status and the number of eligible children in the household.
The benefit begins to phase out once adjusted family net income reaches the applicable threshold. For the current benefit period, the CRA's calculations use the recipient's 2025 tax information to determine the amount.
To qualify, a person generally must be a resident of Canada for tax purposes in the month before the payment and at the beginning of the month in which the payment is issued. Recipients must normally be at least 19 years old. There are exceptions for people under 19 who have a spouse or common-law partner or who are, or were, a parent living with their child.
The CRA sends the benefit through direct deposit or by cheque. Canadians who have registered for direct deposit should see the payment deposited into their bank account around the scheduled payment date, while people receiving cheques may have to wait longer for delivery.
Some Canadians will not receive a separate October payment. The CRA says that if a person's calculated benefit is less than $50 per quarter, the entire annual benefit may instead have been paid in July.
Some recipients could also receive a higher-than-expected amount in October if they are entitled to retroactive payments. This can happen when a person filed their tax return late and became entitled to amounts that were not included in the July payment.
The CGEB was introduced as an enhanced version of the former GST/HST credit. The federal government said the 25% increase would remain in place for five years and would extend assistance to roughly 500,000 additional individuals and families, alongside the more than 12 million Canadians already receiving the benefit.
The October 5 payment is part of the four-payment cycle for the 2026-27 benefit year. The remaining payments are scheduled for January and April 2027, while the July and October 2026 payments make up the two payments issued during the 2026 calendar year under the new program.
Canadians can check their individual payment amount and payment date through their CRA My Account. The CRA advises recipients who do not receive an expected payment to wait 10 working days after the scheduled payment date before contacting the agency.
The October payment comes as households across Canada continue to deal with higher costs for food and everyday necessities. The federal government has presented the enhanced benefit as part of its broader affordability measures aimed at providing additional support to lower- and modest-income Canadians.