Text says I can apply for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. Is it a scam?
Yes, it is a scam. You do not apply for this benefit. It is paid automatically based on your tax return.
A text or email says you can apply for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, or claim a one-time payment of $3,900 for the rising cost of essentials, through a link. The benefit is real and the October payment is landing now, which is exactly why the scam works. The application does not exist.
Is this the message you received?
Quoted by the CRAThe CRA says scam messages promise a one-time payment and tell people to apply for a "Grocery Rebate". In its own words: "There is no $3900 one-time payment to help with the rising costs of essentials", and "Eligible recipients would not need to apply for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit". It adds: "Do not click on any links, provide information, or reply to messages asking you to apply for any Grocery Rebate".
No word-for-word copy of the text has been published, so the block above quotes the CRA’s description of it. The dollar figure and the name of the "rebate" change between waves. The link to "apply" is the constant.
How it works
The Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit replaced the GST/HST credit in July 2026. When you file your taxes you are automatically considered for it, and it is paid quarterly on the fifth of July, October, January and April. The October 5, 2026 payment is the one going out now, so a text about "your benefit" lands at a believable moment.
The scam message says you need to apply, or that a larger one-time payment is waiting, and links to a page that asks for your SIN, banking details or CRA login. Nobody applies for this benefit. If you filed your taxes, the CRA already knows whether you qualify.
One thing that confuses people and is not a scam: some bank statements and CRA notices still label the payment "GST/HST credit". The CRA has said the payment may still be called the GST/HST credit in your account. That is a labelling leftover, not a sign anything is wrong.
How the real CRA pays this benefit
You file your taxes. The CRA works out whether you qualify and pays the benefit by direct deposit or cheque, quarterly, on the fifth of July, October, January and April. There is no form, no link and no sign-up.
The CRA will not use text messages or instant messaging, and it never sends refunds or payments by e-transfer or text. The only text it sends is a one-time sign-in code when you are signing in yourself.
Source: CRA: Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
Do I need to apply for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit?
No. When you file your taxes you are automatically considered, and payments arrive quarterly by direct deposit or cheque. Any text, email or call offering to sign you up, or to release a one-time payment, is a scam.
What to do
- Delete the message. Do not tap the link or reply.
- If you want to check your payments, sign in to your CRA account by typing canada.ca into your browser yourself.
- If you entered details, call your bank, then report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
- If you tapped the link, entered details or paid: here is exactly what to do next, step by step.
- Report the text by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM). How to do that on iPhone and Android.
- Got a different message? Run it through our one-minute checker.
Sources
If this has already happened to you, our scam recovery visit can lock down your accounts and devices. And if you are just not sure whether something is a scam, asking us is always free.