Quarterly Payments of Ottawas Boosted Grocery and Essentials Benefit Start Today

Prime Minister Mark Carney tours a FreshCo grocery store in Brampton, Ont., on June 5, 2026. (The Canadian Press/Chris YoungEligible 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 percent of the benefit’s annual value in early June.The quarterly payments are also getting a 25 percent 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 martial 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.