Canadians who qualify could be getting some extra financial help from the federal government in the coming days and weeks, including Old Age Security payments and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
Depending on a person’s residency, age, income threshold, tax-filing status and other factors, some of these benefit payments could be sent to bank accounts and mailboxes as early as next week.
For almost all payment types, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will be sending the money directly to the bank accounts for those that qualify and have registered for direct deposit. Otherwise, payments may be mailed out to those Canadians, but could take longer.
Here are some of the benefits to watch out for.
Many older Canadians will start seeing money roll into their bank accounts or mailboxes very soon as the next Old Age Security (OAS) payment arrives on June 26, 2026.
Unlike the Canada Pension Plan, which is based on employment contributions, OAS is a regular payment based on the age of Canadians and how long they’ve lived in Canada.
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OAS payments are made monthly to any Canadian who is a citizen or legal resident at the time of approval, and those persons must have been a resident of Canada for at least 10 years since the age of 18.
Although employment does not effect eligibility for OAS, income does.
According to the federal government, that income may have come from employment, but could also come from benefits like EI, rental properties, RRSP withdrawals, taxable interest, dividends and capital gains.
Canadians who meet the initial criteria, and are 65 to 74 years old, qualify for OAS payments if their total annual income falls below $148,451, and could receive monthly payments of up to $743.05.
For those ages 75 years and older, that income threshold increases to $154,196, and payments also increase to as much as $817.36 per month.
Those payment amounts may be less if OAS recipients have an income that exceeds the income thresholds. This is commonly known as OAS “clawbacks,” where the payment amount falls gradually for every dollar over the income thresholds.
The first Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) is also scheduled to be paid out to qualifying Canadians starting July 3, and marks the first official benefit payment of its kind.
Formerly known as the HST/GST credit, the CGEB program was launched as a new program that replaced the previous benefit, and aimed at better helping qualifying Canadians that may be struggling with the heighted cost of living in Canada — including for food.
The CGEB payment amounts will be 25 per cent higher than the former HST/GST credit starting on July 3 and through to 2031. These payments will happen every quarter, and are separate from the one-time HST/GST top-up payment sent out earlier in June.
The amount that qualifying Canadians may receive depends on their situation, including tax-filing status with the CRA, marital status and whether they have any children. The payments will be made quarterly, including on July 3, 2026 and Oct. 5, 2026.
There will also be payments made sometime in January 2027 and April 2027, but the specific dates have yet to be announced.
Qualified persons must be at least 19 years old and be residents of Canada for tax purposes during the given year. They must also have an annual income that falls below the most recent thresholds listed by the CRA.
The maximum income in the 2025 tax year for an individual with no children is $60,012 and increases depending on how many children they have.
For example, with one child, that amount increases to $68,912 with two children it’s $73,592 with three it’s $78,272, and with four children it’s $82,952.
For married or common-law incomes to qualify for the CGEB payment, the total household net income must fall below $64,232 with no children, $68,912 with one child, $73,592 with two children, $78,272 with three and $82,952 with four children.
The CRA also says that those parents in a shared custody situation may be able to qualify for half the CGEB credit for the child or children.
For single individuals, they may receive up to $679, split into four payments in the period between July 2026 and June 2027.
Qualifying Canadians who are married or have a common-law partner will receive up to $890.
Those with children may also receive an additional $234 for each eligible child under the age of 19 during the fiscal year.
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