Quarterly payments of Ottawa’s boosted grocery and essentials benefit start today

OTTAWA — Eligible Canadians will find a bit more cash in their bank accounts starting today as quarterly payments begin for the federal Liberals’ boosted affordability benefit.

The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit is paid out to lower-income households every three months and was previously called the GST/HST credit.

Eligible households got a one-time payment worth 50 per cent of the benefit’s annual value in early June.

The quarterly payments are also getting a 25 per cent boost for the next five years.

Annual amounts can range between a few hundred dollars to more than a thousand dollars per family, depending on marital status and the number of children in the household.

Prime Minister Mark Carney pitched the affordability measure in January as a way to help Canadians cope with economic uncertainty and the rising costs of essentials.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2026.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press