Step by step
What actually happens, from first email to approval.
Applying for the Disability Tax Credit is not one action. It is a sequence, and four different people hold a piece of it. This page lays out the whole journey and makes clear, at every stage, whose turn it is.
Most applications that go wrong do not get refused — they simply stall, because nobody is certain whose turn it is. Knowing what comes next, and who is holding it, is most of the battle.
The four people involved
Only one of them decides, and only one of them can certify. Neither of those is us.
You
The person with the impairment, or someone applying on their behalf. You complete Part A, you choose the route, and you decide what to share with anyone.
Us
We explain, prepare, and help you describe your situation accurately. We charge nothing, ever. We cannot certify your impairment and we cannot approve you.
Your medical practitioner
The only person who can complete Part B. They certify what your impairment is and how it affects you. They may charge for their time.
The Canada Revenue Agency
The only body that decides eligibility. They review the application, ask questions if they need to, and issue the decision.
Stage by stage
Only four of these steps involve an official form, and every one of them is free to download from the Canada Revenue Agency. Where no form is shown, none is needed.
How long the whole thing takes depends mostly on two stages you do not control — your practitioner’s availability, and the CRA’s current processing queue. The CRA publishes its current processing times on its own How to apply page.
1You work out whether it is worth a look
Eligibility is decided by the effect of an impairment on daily life, never by a diagnosis. If you are unsure — and most people are — that is the normal starting point, not a reason to stop.
2You get in touch
Email us and describe your situation in your own words. Do not send medical records in a first email — ordinary email is not a secure channel, and we will tell you if a document is genuinely needed.
We are small and new, so allow a few days for a reply. Tell us if something is time-sensitive, such as a CRA deadline, and we will treat it that way.
3We work out where you stand
We look at which of the CRA’s categories your situation touches, whether the cumulative-effect route applies, whether retroactive years are worth claiming, and what happened if you applied before. Then we tell you plainly what we think, including when we think the case is weak.
We will never tell you that you are certain to be approved. Only the CRA decides.
4You start the form and choose your route
The application is Form T2201. There are two routes, digital and paper, and one rule catches people out: Part A and Part B must both be submitted the same way. You cannot start digitally and finish on paper.
On the digital route you complete Part A and the CRA gives you a reference number. Guard it — your practitioner cannot file Part B without it.
This is also where you ask the CRA to adjust your previous years automatically if you are approved. Say yes. It is what turns an approval into a refund.
5Your practitioner certifies Part B
You give them the reference number and they complete the medical section. This is theirs alone — we cannot do it, and neither can you.
Your reference number is valid for 12 months and can be used only once. If your practitioner is slow to book, chase it early rather than late. If they are unfamiliar with the form, ask us — we can explain what it asks for.
They may charge a fee for their time. Keep the receipt: it may be claimable as a medical expense. From September 2026 a fixed $150 supplemental amount can help cover the cost for Canada Disability Benefit recipients.
6The CRA reviews it
Now you wait, and so do we. The CRA may write to your practitioner for more detail — that is routine and is not a bad sign.
The outcome arrives as a notice of determination, which sets out the decision and, if you were refused, the reason for it. Keep it. You will need it either way.
7Approved — and then the reassessments
If you asked for prior years to be adjusted, the CRA reassesses those returns. That is where a lump-sum refund comes from, and why a first approval can be worth so much more than one year’s credit.
Your notice says which years you are approved for. The DTC is not always granted indefinitely, so note the end year — re-certification may be needed later.
8Refused — which is not the end
A refusal is a decision about the evidence that was in front of the CRA, not a verdict on your life. Very often the impairment qualifies but the form did not describe it well enough.
There are two free routes, and you can use them. Bring us the notice and we will help you read the reason and decide which fits.
The dates that matter
Four clocks run through this process. Missing one is the single most avoidable way to lose money you were entitled to.
| The clock | How long | Runs from |
|---|---|---|
| Your reference number (digital route) | 12 months, single use | When the CRA issues it after Part A |
| Retroactive claim | Up to 10 previous tax years | The year of approval, looking back |
| Request a review of a refusal | Within 1 year | The date on your notice of determination |
| File a formal objection | Within 90 days | The date on your notice of determination |
The CRA charges nothing for the form or the application. We charge nothing for any of the help described on this page, at any stage, whatever the outcome. The only money that may change hands is your practitioner’s fee for their own professional time — paid to them, not to us, and never a percentage of anything.