Millions of Canadians could lose their federal benefit payments this summer — Here's why

Several federal benefit payments that put money in Canadians' pockets every month could soon be delayed or cut off entirely. But whether or not that happens is entirely in your hands.

The Canada Child Benefit, the Advanced Canada Workers Benefit, the Canada Disability Benefit and the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit are all at risk if you haven't taken care of one specific thing.

It comes down to how the Canada Revenue Agency determines who gets what. The CRA uses the income reported on your tax return to assess your eligibility and calculate your payment amounts for the upcoming benefit year. For most federal payments, the next benefit year runs from July 2026 to June 2027, based on the 2025 return you file this year.

But if you file late, your payments for the 2026/27 benefit year could be delayed until the CRA receives and processes your return. If you don't file at all, those payments could stop entirely.

While meeting the deadline seems like an obvious fix, a new H&R Block study revealed that nearly 9 million Canadians still haven't filed their taxes. That's about 28% of the population, up from roughly 22% at the same point last year.

Of those yet to file, most say they simply haven't gotten around to it yet. About 7% are dragging their feet because they're worried they'll owe money, and more than one in ten plan to file after the deadline entirely. A smaller group, around 5%, say they've tried but have run into trouble accessing their CRA My Account.

"Filing your taxes is the essential trigger for receiving government benefits," Stefanie Ricchio, a CPA and TurboTax spokesperson, told Narcity. "Even if you have no income to report, you and your spouse must both file annually to avoid payment interruptions."

Ricchio also told Narcity that missing the deadline can mean losing out on money you didn't even know you were entitled to. "Filing on time ensures your information is current, reflecting any changes in marital status or the number of children in your care, which directly impacts your benefit totals," she said. Without a filed return, the government has no way to assess your situation, and you could "miss out on thousands of dollars" in tax-free income-based benefits.

This applies to provincial programs as well. Quebec residents, for instance, are automatically registered for certain provincial benefits when they file, so skipping a return means missing those too.

The deadline for most individuals is Thursday, April 30, 2026. Self-employed individuals and their spouses or common-law partners have until Monday, June 15, 2026.

This story was inspired by the article "Your federal benefit payments could be delayed or stopped soon and here's why," which was originally published on Narcity by Lisa Belmonte.