Unveiling the New Grocery Rebate Program in Canada by CRA

Grocery Rebate

As announced as part of Budget 2023, the Government of Canada introduced a Grocery Rebate to provide financial support to eligible Canadians. This Rebate is scheduled to be issued on July 5, 2023, alongside the next quarterly GST/HST credit payment.

The Grocery Rebate will be equivalent to double the GST/HST credit amount you received for January 2023.

Who can get the payment

You will receive the Grocery Rebate if you were entitled to receive the GST/HST credit for January 2023.

To get the Grocery Rebate, you have to file a tax return for 2021, even if you have no income to report for that year.

Please note it is possible you may be entitled to the Grocery Rebate, but not the July GST/HST credit or vice versa. The Grocery Rebate is calculated based on your 2021 tax return, but the next quarterly GST/HST credit payment in July 2023 is calculated based on your 2022 tax return. Please check your Notice of (Re)determination for more information.

Eligibility criteria

You and your spouse or common-law partner (if applicable) must meet the eligibility criteria for the 2021 base year to qualify for this rebate.

Payment details

The Grocery Rebate will be double the amount of your GST/HST credit payment from January 2023.  The amount is calculated based on your family situation in January 2023 and your 2021 adjusted family net income.

You could receive a maximum payment of up to:

If you are single

  • $234 (no children)
  • $387 (with 1 child)
  • $467 (with 2 children)
  • $548 (with 3 children)
  • $628 (with 4 children)

If you are married or have a common-law partner

  • $306 (no children)
  • $387 (with 1 child)
  • $467 (with 2 children)
  • $548 (with 3 children)
  • $628 (with 4 children)

How to calculate your Grocery Rebate payment

If you received your GST/HST credit payment as a lump sum in July 2022, you will still benefit from the Grocery Rebate.

Tax refunds, benefit and credit payments may be applied to pay outstanding balances. You can check the status of your benefits by logging into your CRA My Account. Contact the CRA if debt repayment causes you financial hardship. Call 1-888-863-8662 for benefit debt or 1-888-863-8657 for tax return debt. Learn more at Canada.ca/balance-owing.

Payment Date

The Grocery Rebate will be issued on July 5, 2023.

If you do not receive the Grocery Rebate on the expected date, please wait 10 business days before you contact us.

We also encourage you to review your Notice of Redetermination for more information about how much you are entitled to receive and when, and any changes to your payments.  If you are signed up for My Account, you can find your Notice by clicking on the “Mail” link.

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/goods-services-tax-harmonized-sales-tax-gst-hst-credit/grocery-rebate.html



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