The cost of living in Canada continues to go off the roof, making life more difficult for low-income earners.
The sad development is not restricted to Canada. Other countries around the world that are also affected by the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war are expressing historic inflation as in Canada.
What makes things different here is that the Canadian government has programs tailored to low-income earners which ease the impact of inflation.
One of those programs is known as the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit, helping about 11 million Canadians.
This program has been in existence since 1991 and it has been consistently adjusted to reflect the current inflation rate in the country.
In this article, I discuss everything you need to know about the GST/HST credit including the 2024 payment dates, eligibility, maximum amount and pay increase.
GST Payment Dates 2024
The GST/HST credit is paid quarterly usually on the fifth day of the payment month with exception of public holidays and weekends.
Below are the the GST payment dates for 2024:
| Quarter | GST/HST Payment Date |
| 1st Quarter 2024 | January 5, 2024 |
| 2nd Quarter 2024 | April 5, 2024 |
| 3rd Quarter 2024 | July 5, 2024 |
| 4th Quarter 2024 | October 4, 2024 |
Depending on your payment method, you will receive the GST/HST credit within 10 working days. If you didn’t receive the credit after 10 days, don’t hesitate to inform the CRA.
Usually, those that set up direct deposit receive the credit faster than those who receive it through cheque.
You can subscribe to our newsletter or leave a comment below to stay updated about the GST payment dates for 2024 and any changes.
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What is GST/HST Credit?
GST/HST stands for goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) applied to certain goods and services in Canada.
On the other hand, GST/HST credit refers to a tax rebate on applicable taxes on your goods and services purchases in Canada.
The credit is tax-free and it is administered quarterly by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to eligible Canadians that fall under low-medium income brackets.
GST/HST seeks to reduce or eliminate the goods and services taxes or harmonized sales taxes Canadians pay annually.
To this end, the credit is automatically paid to every eligible Canadian that files their annual tax return for the previous year.
That’s, the GST/HST payment dates for 2023/2024 are paid on the 2022 income. This is common with other government benefits.
Who is Eligible For GST?
The GST/HST credit is tailored to low-mid income Canadians.
However, the credit is only administered to those that meet the following GST eligibility:
- Be a Canadian resident
- File your taxes in Canada
- Be 19 years of age or older
- Have a Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- Be a parent or were a parent in the past
- Live/lived in the child
- Have a spouse or common-law partner (or in the past)
- Have eligible income bracket
The interesting part is that you can be eligible for the income GST/HST credit alongside other government benefits in Canada.
How Much GST/HST Will You Get?
The GST/HST credit amount is determined based on your marital status, number of under-19-year children and individual or family net income.
For each payment period, the GST/HST amount varies based on the current inflation rate. For the current period (July 2023 – June 2024), below are the GST/HST payment amount for singles and couples:
- Singles = $496
- Spouse/common-law partner = $650
- 1 single under-19-year child = $191
How GST/HST Credit is Calculated
The current GST/HST credit is calculated based on the previous year’s tax return. That’s to say, the July 2023 – June 2024 GST/HST payment period is based on the 2022 tax period.
When calculating your entitled GST/HST credit, the following factors are put into consideration:
- Net income (individual or family)
- Marital status
- Number of under-19-year children registered on the credit
Your child will be automatically registered for the credit if you enrolled them in the Canada Child Benefit program or you consented to your provincial or territorial birth registration.
That said, the amount of GST you get will reduce if your income surpasses a given threshold. And if your income exceeds the maximum threshold, you will not receive the GST/HST credit.
Below is a highlight of the maximum income threshold for singles and couples for the 2023/2024 payment period.
| Singles | Couples | Number of Children |
| $52,255 | $55,335 | 0 child |
| $58,755 | $58,755 | 1 child |
| $62,175 | $62,175 | 2 children |
| $65,595 | $65,595 | 3 children |
| $69,015 | $69,015 | 4 Children |
How to Apply for the GST/HST Credit
GST/HST is one of the government benefits that is automatically paid to eligible individuals without application.
Once you file your income tax return and meet the eligibility, you will automatically receive the credit quarterly.
However, you will need to apply for the GST credit if you’re a newcomer to Canada without a tax filing record.
To apply for GST/HST as a newcomer, all you need is to complete the following form that applies to you and submit it to the CRA office in your province/territory.
- If you have a child – Form RC66
- If you don’t have a child – Form RC151
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GST Increase 2024
A one-time grocery rebate was proposed by the Liberal government in March 2023 to offset the impact of food inflation in the country.
This rebate, which was under the Cost of Living Relief Act (Bill C-64), was said to cost the government $2.5 billion.
The bill was passed unanimously by the House of Commons and Senate and received Royal Assent on May 11, 2023.
The rebate was issued to only the eligible recipients of the GST/HST credit.
The was the amount eligible Canadians received from the one-time grocery rebate:
| Number of Children | Singles | Couples |
| 0 child | $234 | $306 |
| 1 child | $387 | $387 |
| 2 children | $467 | $467 |
| 3 children | $548 | $548 |
| 4 Children | $628 | $628 |
Use the Grocery Rebate Calculation Sheet to know the approximate amount you were entitled to.
The one-time grocery rebate was issued on July 5, 2023. That’s, it was combined with the third quarterly GST credit payment.
However, a lot of Canadians were not impressed with the one-time rebate as it couldn’t move a needle considering the level of inflation in the country.
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About GST Double Payment
The scheduled GST payment amount for the 2022/2023 period was $467 for singles, $612 for couples, and $161 for every single under-19-year child.
But on September 13, 2022, the Canadian Prime Minister announced plans to double the Goods and Services Tax Credit (GSTC) for six months. The bill was sponsored by Chrystia Freeland who doubled as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
The following were the GST double payments for the 2022/2023 payment period:
- $234 extra for singles without children
- $467 extra for couples with two children
- $225 average extra for seniors
With this increase, singles with no children will receive up to $701 within the July 2022 -June 2023 payment period.
On the other hand, couples with two children will receive up to $1,401 within the same payment period.
That said, GST double payment costs the government an additional $2.5 billion towards helping 11 million Canadians.
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Who Was Eligible for Double GST Payment?
There was no a separate eligibility for the double GST payment. The GST double payment was available to all the existing recipients of the GST/HST credit.
Potential recipients needed to only file their 2021 income tax return to be eligible for current GST/HST credit and increase.
This was much easier as one must not earn income to file their annual tax return in Canada.
GST Double Payment Dates
The GST double payment was paid as one lump-sum payment on November 4, 2022.
However, the payment was rolled out within 10 business days starting from November 4, 2022. This implies that the double payment was not paid in one day to all beneficiaries.
The double payment was released followIng parliamentary approval and royal assent.
You can bookmark this page, comment below or subscribe to our newsletter above to stay updated about any future GST double payment.
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FAQs on GST Payment Dates 2024
When is the next GST payment?
The next GST payment will be on April 5, 2024. That will be the second GST quarterly payment for 2024.
Is GST payment every month?
No. GST is paid quarterly usually on the fifth of January, April, July and October.
How many times a year is GST paid?
GST is paid four times within the payment period of July-June. The payments are usually made on the fifth of January, April, July and October.
Is there an increase in GST payments?
Yes, there was a one-time grocery rebate payment to eligible GST/HST recipients on July 5, 2023.
Is GST taxable?
As a tax rebate, GST is not taxable. This means that you don’t need to include the credit on your taxable income.
When is GST doubling?
The GST credit is doubling for six months within the July 2022 to June 2023 payment period. Following parliamentary approval and royal assent, the government started paying the double GST payment on November 4, 2022.
Why didn’t my GST double?
Don’t panic! Although the government started distributing the one-time GST double payment on November 4, 2022, it will take up to 10 business days to for the double payment to rollout completely. So you will likely receive the payment within the 10 days period so long you’re eligible.
But if you are eligible but didn’t receive the payment after 10 business days, don’t hesitate to contact the CRA.
Was the double GST approved?
The GST double payment has been approved by the House of Commons and the Senate. In addition, the bill has received royal assent, making it ready for implementation on November 4, 2022.
Is GST doubled in October?
No. The GST double payment occurred in early November 2022 even though the bill received parliamentary approval and royal assent in October.
Final Thoughts
There’s everything you need to know about the GST payment dates for 2024 and the increase payment.
How much GST payment will you receive in the 2024 payment period? Please let me know in the comment.
If you need further clarification or have any concerns, also let me know in the comment below.
If you’re impacted by this article, please share it with as many people that would also benefit from it.
Before leaving, don’t forget to check out my related posts to learn more about other government benefits in Canada.
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