Ontario Trillium Benefit 2026: October payment arrives Friday, plus remaining dates

Today, October 9, is deposit day. The 10th lands on a Saturday and Monday is Thanksgiving, so the CRA moved the October Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) payment up to Friday. Use the weekend to run through this list before the November 10 and December 10 payments arrive.

1. Log in to CRA My Account and confirm today's deposit. If it is missing, check that your banking details are current before you call. A closed account is a common reason a payment goes astray.
2. Put November 10 and December 10 in your calendar. Both fall on weekdays, so expect them on the usual date.
3. Check whether you are on monthly payments or a lump sum. If your yearly amount is $500 or less, the whole thing was paid in July and nothing comes this month. Above $500, you can take monthly payments or one payment at the end of the benefit year. Some people pick the lump sum so the money lands together and goes straight to a property tax bill or an RRSP contribution.
4. Pull your 2025 return and confirm the ON-BEN form was filed. The OTB is not automatic. Your 2025 return sets your payments for July 2026 to June 2027, and no ON-BEN means no benefit.
5. Look at line 23600 if you had a lean income year. That line, your net income, decides eligibility. A business owner who reinvested heavily or a self-employed person who made a large RRSP contribution can drop low enough to qualify. Because the benefit includes a property tax credit, a homeowner with a large tax bill sometimes qualifies when they assumed they would not.
6. Tell the CRA right away if you or a family member left Ontario. You must live in Ontario on the first day of the payment month. Payments received after a move become a debt to the CRA, and it charges interest.
7. Have adult children who rent claim 20% of their rent as property tax paid. This applies when the landlord pays municipal property tax. Students and young renters often miss it.

The OTB is tax-free, so it will not push you into a higher bracket. The item people skip most often is number 5. They see "low-income benefit" and stop reading, even after a year when their net income dropped.