For most people, approval is worth more than the credit itself.

Programs that require DTC approval

Canada Disability Benefit

Up to $200 a month — $2,400 a year for eligible low-income adults aged 18 to 64. You must be approved for the DTC to receive it. The first month of eligibility was June 2025 and payments began in July 2025. Back payments can reach up to 24 months from when your application is received, but never for months before June 2025. You and your spouse or common-law partner must have filed your income tax returns to be paid.

From September 2026, a fixed $150 supplemental amount can be paid as a lump sum to help cover the cost of obtaining DTC certification — that is, the fee a practitioner may charge to complete the form.

Child disability benefit

Up to $3,480 a year — $290 a month for each child eligible for the DTC, for the July 2026 to June 2027 benefit period. It begins to be reduced once adjusted family net income exceeds $82,847. If it is your first time receiving it, the CRA automatically calculates payments for the current and two previous benefit years.

Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)

DTC eligibility is a requirement for opening an RDSP — and the government money attached to it is substantial:

• Canada Disability Savings Grant — matching on contributions, up to $3,500 a year and $70,000 over a lifetime. Matching rates depend on family income.
• Canada Disability Savings Bond — up to $1,000 a year and $20,000 over a lifetime for low-income Canadians, paid without requiring any contribution of your own.
• Grants and bonds can be paid until 31 December of the year the beneficiary turns 49, so there is a real deadline attached to getting approved.

The bond is the point worth repeating: a person with little or no income can receive government money into an RDSP without putting in a dollar — but only once the DTC is approved.

Credits and deductions that may apply

Canada caregiver credit

A non-refundable credit for people supporting a spouse, common-law partner, or dependant with a mental or physical infirmity. Depending on circumstances and the dependant’s net income, amounts include $2,687 and up to $8,601 on the relevant lines of the return.

Home accessibility tax credit

For a qualifying renovation that lets a qualifying individual get into, move around, or function within their home, or that reduces their risk of harm there. Up to $20,000 per year in eligible expenses may be claimed. The work generally has to become a permanent part of the dwelling.

Disability supports deduction

A deduction (line 21500) for people with an impairment who paid for certain supports — such as attendant care, sign-language interpretation, or note-taking services — in order to work, run a business, or attend school. Some items require certification by a medical practitioner.

Medical expense tax credit

Worth knowing about in this context for one specific reason: the fee your practitioner charges to complete the DTC form may itself be claimable as a medical expense. Keep the receipt.

Programs often confused with the DTC

Provincial programs — British Columbia

In BC, disability assistance requires the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) designation, which has its own application and its own financial eligibility test. It is administered by the Province, not the CRA, and is separate from the DTC. Most provinces and territories also have a disability amount on the provincial portion of your tax return, which follows from DTC approval automatically.