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The cheque is in the mail 

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(CNW) More than 6.6 million Ontario households will receive the HST Transitional Benefit payment starting June 10, but more than 80 percent of residents are unsure or don't expect to receive the payment, according to a recent survey commissioned by H&R Block Canada and conducted by Harris/Decima.

About a quarter of residents think they don't qualify because they earned too much money in 2009; 11 percent of people polled said they didn't know about the benefit.

"The HST will be applied to some items that were previously exempt from provincial sales taxes so the HST transitional benefit is a short term series of payments meant to help offset some of the increases," explains Cleo Hamel, a senior tax analyst from the Tax Advisory at H&R Block. "As long as you filed your 2009 tax return by April 30 and you qualify, you should be receiving the first installment payment shortly."

Less than half of Ontario residents who expect to receive the benefit (45 percent) said filing their 2009 tax return triggered the HST transitional benefit, and more than 60 percent said they did not know the amount.

The transitional benefit in Ontario actually includes a large number of taxpayers because the income thresholds are higher than other similar credits," says Hamel. "If you are single person earning $80,000 or less, you will qualify for the full amount. For families and couples, the threshold is $160,000. If you earn more than this, the HST benefit will be reduced accordingly."

Single Ontario residents who qualify will receive three payments of $100. Families and couples who qualify will receive three installments of $330, $335 and $335. The three installments will be paid in June and December 2010 and June 2011.