# GST Credit and Groceries Benefit Estimate

> Check what your household could receive from the GST/HST credit, now paid as the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, from July 2026

Someone living alone on $30,000 of income can receive $679 in a year, which is $169.75 every three months. Enter your income and household below to see your own amount for July 2026 to June 2027.

## How much can each household get?

In July 2026 the old GST/HST credit became the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, and the CRA's own page says the amount went up by 25%. It's built from a few blocks: $445 for you, the same for a spouse or partner, and $234 per child below age 19. A person without a partner also gets a $234 supplement, and a single parent gets the adult amount for the first child.

| Household | Most per year |
| --- | --- |
| Single, no children | $679 |
| Couple, no children | $890 |
| Single parent, one child | $1,124 |
| Couple, two children | $1,358 |

The payment year before this one gave $349 to an adult and $184 to a child. The new amounts are clearly bigger. That's the good news.

## What does your income do to the amount?

Under $11,564 of adjusted family net income, the benefit grows as income rises, at 2% of each extra dollar. Over $46,432 it shrinks at 5% of each extra dollar. Between the two limits you get the full maximum, and that stretch is wide, running from $11,564 all the way up to $46,432, so a lot of different incomes end up with exactly the same amount and a raise inside it changes nothing.

Take a couple with two children and an income of $20,000. They're in the flat zone, so the calculator shows the full $1,358, paid as four cheques of $339.50. Now take a single adult earning $60,000. The maximum of $679 is cut by $678, which leaves $1 for the whole year. That's how fast it disappears once you're above the line.

The middle ground is more interesting. A single adult at $50,000 is $3,568 over the limit, so the cut is 5% of that, about $178, and the benefit lands near $501 a year, or roughly $125 a quarter. Still a few bucks worth having.

## Do you have to apply?

You have to file a tax return, and that's about it. The CRA's page on [who is eligible for the benefit](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-groceries-essentials-benefit/who-eligible.html) says the payment starts once your return is filed and you meet the other conditions, and that you can qualify even with no income in the year. You generally need to be at least 19, though younger people qualify if they have a spouse or partner or are raising a child.

That's the catch for students, newcomers and anyone who skips filing because they earned nothing. Sam in Calgary, 22 and working part time, might owe no tax at all and still leave money on the table by not filing.

## How reliable is the estimate?

The 2% and 5% rates aren't printed on the official pages. We worked them out from the published payment chart, and they match the figures given there. So treat the result as a close estimate, not a promise. There was also a single extra payment on 5 June 2026. It falls before the July 2026 to June 2027 year, so it isn't in this estimate.

Which income should you enter? Last year's. A change in your pay now has no effect on the current payments, so enter last year's figure even if your pay has moved since. Otherwise the result won't match the payment you actually get. If your family situation changes, say a new baby or a separation, that is the kind of change that does feed through, so tell the CRA about it.

## What other benefits are worth a look?

Children raise the credit, and they also open the door to the much larger [Canada Child Benefit calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/family-benefits/canada-child-benefit). If a disability affects you or a child, the [disability tax credit calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/family-benefits/disability-tax-credit) shows a federal credit by year. Between jobs? Try the [EI benefits calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/family-benefits/ei-calculator). And for the tax behind the credit's old name, use the [GST and HST calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/sales-tax/gst-hst-calculator).

## Our sources

Yearly amounts, the two income limits and the payment dates come from the federal benefit pages, which we checked on 29 September 2026. Confirm the new name and the higher amounts on the official site before you rely on them. This is an independent guide, separate from any government body.

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Source: https://tax-services.ca/calculators/family-benefits/gst-hst-credit
Last updated: 2026-10-09
Independent information site. Not affiliated with the CRA. No services, no guarantee of accuracy. See https://tax-services.ca/disclaimer