Western Grocer Serving the industry since 1916
Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement on Monday morning from an Ottawa grocery store, saying millions of Canadians will soon see more money in their bank accounts.
The new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit is a one-time payment aimed at tackling food inflation, delivering extra cash this year to more than 12 million Canadians. Plus, Carney announced a longer-term increase to quarterly GST/HST Credit payments, kicking in this July.
Carney said his government is raising the current GST/HST Credit by 25% for the next five years. On top of that, there will be a one-time grocery benefit payment this year, worth 50% of your usual annual credit.
Carney pointed to the rising food prices for essentials like ground beef, orange juice and coffee, saying they’ve jumped as much as 24% in the past year.
To be eligible for these new and boosted payments you must:
Be a Canadian resident for tax purposes
Be at least 19 years old (or meet specific criteria if you’re younger)
File a 2025 tax return, when the time comes (even if you made no income)
The amount you receive depends on your adjusted family net income. You’ll get the full GST/HST Credit if your income is $46,432 or less, regardless of your family size. For single individuals, there’s also a minimum income threshold to get the full single supplement. You must earn at least $23,264 to receive the maximum amount available to you. So to get the full credit, single people must make between $23,264 and $46,432.
If you earn more than that, your credit gets reduced — and it cuts off completely around (roughly):
$60,000 for a single person
$73,600 for a family with two kids
