The Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) is a new government benefit that people can now apply for. It’s a monthly payment for people who are:

• - approved for the disability tax credit
• - between 18 and 64 years old

They must also:

• - be one of the following: -- a Canadian citizen
• -- a permanent resident
• -- a protected person
• -- a temporary resident who’s lived in Canada for the past 18 months
• -- someone who’s registered or could be registered under the Indian Act
• - be a resident of Canada for income tax purposes
• - have filed their income taxes for the most recent tax year

In most cases, if someone has a spouse or common-law partner, they must also have filed their taxes for the most recent tax year.

The most someone can get from the CDB is $200 a month. People can use this online tool to see how much they can get.

How to apply

People must fill out and send an application form to Service Canada. A person’s legal representative can apply for them using the Canada Disability Benefit Legal Representative Application.

People can apply:

• - online
• - by phone at 1-833-486-3007 or 1-833-467-2700 for TTY
• - by filling out a paper form and taking it or mailing it to a Service Canada office

To fill out the application, people need their:

• - Social Insurance Number,
• - immigration status, and
• - a mailing address.

Disability tax credit

People must first be approved for the disability tax credit to get the CDB. To qualify for the disability tax credit, a person must have a prolonged and severe disability.

Prolonged disability

Prolonged means the disability has lasted 12 months or longer. Or a medical practitioner expects it to last at least that long.

Severe disability

A disability is severe if it: 

• - stops someone from being able to do one daily activity at all. Or it makes the person take 3 times longer to do the activity than someone without a disability. This is called a marked restriction. 
• - makes it hard for someone to do 2 or more daily activities. And this has the same effect as if they had a marked restriction in one daily activity.

The person must have these limitations all the time or at least 90% of the time. And taking medication or getting other support does not change it. 

A disability is also severe if someone is getting life-sustaining therapy for it at least 2 times a week. And that therapy takes 14 or more hours a week. 

Apply for the disability tax credit

To apply for the disability tax credit, people must fill out the T2201 – Disability Tax Credit Certificate and send it to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). 

The form has 2 parts:

1. 1. The person or their legal representative fills out Part A. It asks for personal information.
2. 2. A medical practitioner fills out Part B. They must explain how the disability affects the person’s life and how long they expect the disability to last.

Getting approved for the disability tax credit can take several months. Right now, it may take up to 15 weeks to get approved.

How much people can get

The most someone can get from the CDB is $200 a month. How much they get depends on their income and the income of their spouse or common-law partner.

What counts as income

To figure out someone’s income for the CDB, Service Canada:

• - starts with a person’s adjusted family net income from the most recent tax year, and
• - takes away any working income they earned up to a certain amount.

For single people, Service Canada takes off any working income up to $10,000. And for couples, Service Canda takes off up to $14,000 of working income.

For example, a couple has an adjusted family net income of $35,000. And $15,000 of that is working income. Their income for the CDB is $21,000. This is because:

        $35,000 adjusted family net income

        - $14,000 working income

        = $21,000

Even though the couple had $15,000 in working income, the most the CDB can subtract is $14,000.

Income limits

A person’s CDB payment goes down for every dollar of income they have over a certain amount. The chart below shows:

• - how much income people can have, and
• - how much their CDB payment goes down for each dollar of income they have over that amount. Relationship status: single How much income they can have: $23,000 Every dollar over that amount, their CDB goes down by: 20 cents Relationship status: married or have a common-law partner How much income they can have: $32,500 Every dollar over that amount, their CDB goes down by: 20 cents Relationship status: married or have a common-law partner who also gets the CDB (their spouse or partner’s payment goes down the same amount) How much income they can have: $32,500 Every dollar over that amount, their CDB goes down by: 10 cents

People can use this online tool to see how much they can get.

Not counted as income 

CDB payments do not count as income for: 

• - Ontario Works
• - the Ontario Disability Support Program  
• - the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program

This means that people will not get less money from these programs because they get the CDB. Source of information: stepstojustice.ca

Need help?

If you have questions or need assistance with applying for the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) or obtaining the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), you can contact CUIAS Immigrant Services. Our consultants will provide individual support and help you navigate all the details.

📞 Phone: 416-767-4595 📍 Office addresses — see here