Canada benefit payment dates
Six federal benefit schedules for 2026 in one place, with the next payment date worked out from today.
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When are Canadian benefits paid?
CPP and Old Age Security share the same schedule, paid near the end of each month — 28 January, 25 February, 27 March and so on through 22 December 2026. The Canada Child Benefit is paid on the 20th, moved earlier when that falls on a weekend or holiday. The Canada Disability Benefit is monthly, mid-month. The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, formerly the GST/HST credit, is quarterly rather than monthly.
CPP and OAS share a schedule
The two are paid on the same day every month, near the end. That is convenient if you receive both, and it is worth knowing if you are budgeting — the bulk of a retired household's federal income tends to arrive on a single date rather than being spread across the month.
Old Age Security includes the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance and the Allowance for the Survivor on the same date. Canada Pension Plan includes the retirement pension plus disability, children's and survivor benefits.
December is the exception in both cases: payments move earlier, to 22 December in 2026, so they clear before the holidays.
That December shift catches people who have set up automatic transfers on a fixed day of the month.
The Canada Child Benefit moves around the 20th
The CCB is nominally paid on the 20th of each month, but the date shifts earlier whenever the 20th falls on a weekend or a federal holiday. Payments are never issued late for that reason — always earlier.
In 2026 that means 19 June rather than the 20th, 18 September rather than the 20th, and 11 December rather than the 20th. The December move is the largest, for the same holiday reason as CPP and OAS.
If your CCB is under $20 a month the CRA may combine payments and issue them less often, which is why some families see nothing on a listed date.
A payment that has not arrived by the listed date is usually a direct deposit timing issue rather than an entitlement problem.
The GST/HST credit is now the CGEB, and it is quarterly
As of July 2026 the GST/HST credit is called the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. Most published payment calendars still use the old name.
It is paid four times a year rather than monthly, which surprises people expecting a monthly deposit. The Government of Canada has also announced a 25% increase to the benefit for five years starting July 2026, and a separate one-time top-up was issued in June 2026 to recipients of the January 2026 payment.
That top-up was a single payment, not a new recurring amount — some calculators and articles have conflated the two.
If your quarterly entitlement works out under $50, the CRA pays the whole year in July instead of splitting it.
Provincial benefits often arrive in the same deposit
Several provincial and territorial programmes are administered by the CRA and paid alongside federal benefits, in the same transfer. That makes the deposit larger than the federal figure alone and can make it look like you have been overpaid.
The Ontario trillium benefit, the Alberta child and family benefit, the Nova Scotia affordable living tax credit, the New Brunswick HST credit and several others all work this way.
Those schedules are not listed here — this page covers the federal benefits only.
Your CRA account shows the breakdown of what each deposit actually contains.
Nothing on this page is fetched
The schedules are held in the page itself and the next payment date is worked out from your own device's clock. No request goes to any server, and nothing about you is transmitted.
The practical consequence is that this page will go stale at the end of 2026 unless it is updated, which is why it carries a verification date and sits on our annual review schedule.
The government publishes the following year's dates late in the preceding year.
If a date here disagrees with canada.ca, canada.ca is right and we would want to know.
The 2026 schedules
Issue dates, not arrival dates.
CPP and Old Age Security (same dates)Jan 28 · Feb 25 · Mar 27 · Apr 28 · May 27 · Jun 26Jul 29 · Aug 27 · Sep 25 · Oct 28 · Nov 26 · Dec 22Canada Child BenefitJan 20 · Feb 20 · Mar 20 · Apr 20 · May 20 · Jun 19Jul 20 · Aug 20 · Sep 18 · Oct 20 · Nov 20 · Dec 11Canada Disability BenefitJan 15 · Feb 19 · Mar 19 · Apr 16 · May 21 · Jun 18Jul 16 · Aug 20 · Sep 17 · Oct 15 · Nov 19 · Dec 17Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (quarterly)Jul 3 · Oct 5Veteran disability pensionJan 23 · Feb 25 · Mar 25 · Apr 24 · May 25 · Jun 25Jul 24 · Aug 25 · Sep 25 · Oct 23 · Nov 25 · Dec 24
Dates move earlier, never later, when they fall on a weekend or a federal statutory holiday. December is shifted well forward across every schedule so payments clear before the holidays.
The issue date is when the payment is sent, not when it lands. Direct deposit is usually same-day; a posted cheque takes longer.
Worked example: a retired couple with a grandchild in their care
A household receiving CPP, OAS and the Canada Child Benefit, planning a month's cash flow.
- Canada Child Benefit20 January 2026
- CPP28 January 2026
- Old Age Security28 January 2026
- Gap between first and last8 days
- December CCB moves to11 December
- December CPP and OAS move to22 December
Two deposit dates a month in most months, with everything arriving earlier in December.
The December shift is the one worth planning around. Anything scheduled to leave the account on the 20th or later still has funds; anything set for the 28th will be sitting on money that arrived six days early.
If a payment has not arrived
- Wait 5 to 10 business days — the government asks for this before any enquiry
- Check the issue date, not the day you usually see it land
- Confirm your direct deposit details are current with the CRA or Service Canada
- For CRA benefits, check that both partners have filed a tax return
- A CCB entitlement under $20 a month may be combined and paid less often
- A CGEB entitlement under $50 a quarter is paid entirely in July
Terms on this page
- Issue date
- The day the payment is sent. Direct deposit usually lands the same day; a posted cheque takes longer.
- CGEB
- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit — what the GST/HST credit has been called since July 2026. Paid quarterly.
- Combined payment
- Provincial benefits administered by the CRA are paid in the same deposit as the federal one, making the total larger than the federal amount alone.
What has changed, and when
Rates on this page have not always been what they are today. If you are working on an earlier period, use the figure that applied at the time rather than the current one.
- July 2026 The GST/HST credit was renamed the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, and the government announced a 25% increase for five years.
Common questions
When is CPP paid in 2026?
Near the end of each month: 28 January, 25 February, 27 March, 28 April, 27 May, 26 June, 29 July, 27 August, 25 September, 28 October, 26 November and 22 December. Old Age Security uses exactly the same dates.
When is the Canada Child Benefit paid?
Normally the 20th of each month, moved earlier when that falls on a weekend or federal holiday. In 2026 that means 19 June, 18 September and 11 December.
Is the GST/HST credit still paid quarterly?
Yes, though it is now called the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit as of July 2026. It is paid four times a year, not monthly. An entitlement under $50 a quarter is paid entirely in July.
Why is my December payment early?
Every federal benefit schedule shifts December payments earlier so they clear before the holidays. CPP and OAS move to 22 December in 2026 and the CCB to 11 December.
My payment has not arrived — what should I do?
Wait 5 to 10 business days from the issue date before contacting the programme. Payments are sent on the listed date but can take time to arrive, and a posted cheque is slower than direct deposit.
Where these numbers come from
- Government of Canada — Benefits payment dates The single official page listing 2026 payment dates for every federal benefit shown here.
Last verified 2026-08-01 Rates on this page are checked against the sources above at least once a year, and whenever the governing authority announces a change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
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