Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
There is no separate GST rebate for British Columbia. When people in BC search for a GST rebate, they usually mean the federal quarterly payment that used to be called the GST/HST credit. The CRA says it was renamed in July 2026 (the new name is the CGEB). You don’t apply for it. You’re considered automatically when you file a tax return.
Is the old GST/HST credit still paid in BC?
The money is, under a new name. According to the CRA, the last payment under the old name went out on 2 April 2026. The CGEB is tax-free, paid quarterly and aimed at people with low and modest incomes. The CRA also says payments went up by 25% in July 2026 and that the increase runs through 2031.
No dollar table for the new benefit turned up on the CRA pages we read, so we won’t quote amounts. The CRA points to a “How much you can get” section, and that is where your figure will be. Our GST/HST credit calculator still carries the old name, so treat its answer as a rough guide until you’ve checked it against the CRA page.
Who gets the benefit and how do you start?
The test is income and family situation, and the CRA works it out from your return. That means the one thing you can do is file, even if you earned almost nothing. Plenty of people skip a return because they owe nothing, then miss quarterly payments for years. If you’re a new resident of Canada, the CRA says you apply separately.
Picture Jordan in Kelowna, a part-time student who made $9,000 last year and figured a return wasn’t worth the bother. No return means the CRA has nothing to test, so no benefit is calculated and no quarterly deposit shows up. Filing takes an evening and can turn on payments for the whole year ahead. If you want the bigger picture of what’s out there, our guide to benefits and credits lays out the main ones.
Payment dates are listed on a CRA page of their own, and the benefit runs on a cycle that is recalculated each July. If your marriage ends, a child is born or your income jumps, tell the CRA and your file gets updated. The tax credits calculator shows other federal amounts you may be missing, though it’s federal only and leaves out BC’s own credits.
What about GST on a new home in BC?
This is the other rebate people mean. Buyers of new homes can recover part of the GST, and the federal government has a first-time buyers’ rebate. The CRA page we checked says it covers up to $50,000 of GST, in full for homes up to $1,000,000, and falls to zero at $1,500,000. It applies to agreements signed on or after 20 March 2025 and before 2031.
| Purchase price | First-time buyers’ GST rebate, as we read the CRA page |
|---|---|
| $1,000,000 or less | Full rebate, up to $50,000 |
| $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 | Maximum falls by $10,000 for each $100,000 over |
| $1,500,000 or more | None |
For a quick check of the middle row: a $1,200,000 home is $200,000 over the line, so the maximum drops by $20,000 to $30,000. The new housing rebate calculator runs these rules. Two caveats from our own review: the older 36% rebate’s phase-out between $350,000 and $450,000 is assumed to be a straight line, and BC property transfer tax exemptions aren’t modelled at all. We go through the new-home numbers in more detail in a separate article on the GST rebate on a new home in BC.
Can a BC business get GST back?
A registered business claims input tax credits for the GST it pays on costs, and that is a normal part of filing. It isn’t a rebate you apply for, and it doesn’t touch the 7% PST, which BC runs separately. A seller under the $30,000 small supplier limit doesn’t have to register at all, so there is no GST to claim back on the sales side.
On a purchase you can check the split with the GST and PST calculator. Remember it applies 12% to every price, while many BC items carry less PST or none, so a restaurant meal or a children’s item can come out lower at the till.
What mistakes cost people money?
Waiting for a form is the big one. There isn’t one for the benefit, only a return. Another is believing an offer to “claim your BC GST rebate” for a fee. Be wary of that. The CRA pays the benefit itself, automatically, and you can view payments by signing in to My Account under benefits and credits.
A smaller slip: forgetting to update your marital status or your kids on your return. The benefit is based on family income, so a wrong status can mean a wrong amount. Check it at tax time before you hit send. For the provincial side of things, the British Columbia page collects the local rates in one place.
Where we got these figures
Benefit details come from the Canada Revenue Agency pages on the GST/HST credit and its replacement, read in September 2026. The first-time buyers’ rebate figures come from the CRA page dated June 2026. BC’s 7% PST is on the provincial finance site. Nothing here has any tie to a government body.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a BC-only GST rebate?
No. The payment people mean is a federal benefit, and the CRA pays it the same way in every province.
Do I have to apply for the benefit?
No. The CRA considers you automatically when you file a return. New residents of Canada apply separately.
What happened to the GST/HST credit?
The CRA says it was renamed the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit in July 2026.
How much will I get?
The CRA gives amounts in its How much you can get section. We could not confirm a dollar table, so check that page.
Is there a GST rebate on a new home in BC?
Yes, there are federal rebates for new homes, including a first-time buyers' rebate up to $50,000 of GST.
- GST, HST, PST and QST explained for every province
Which GST, HST, PST or QST applies where you shop or sell in Canada, the 2026 rates for every province, who must register and how to add or remove tax
- British Columbia income tax and PST in 2026
How British Columbia income tax works in 2026: seven brackets starting at 5.6%, the tax reduction credit, the 7% PST and the BC calculators