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Prime Minister Mark Carney tours a FreshCo grocery store in Brampton, Ont., Friday, June 5, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

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

Jul 3, 2026 | 2:00 AM

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.