Apply for the Disability Tax Credit

These tips follow CRA guidance on common gaps in Part B. They are not approval strategies and do not predict whether the CRA will approve your application.

Many applications struggle because Part B lists a diagnosis without describing functional impact. Help your practitioner document how the impairment affects daily activities.

• Describe specific activities (feeding, dressing, walking, mental functions, etc.) and how long tasks take compared with someone of similar age.
• Note how often limitations occur (for example, daily, or nearly all the time) and whether they persist even with medication, therapy, or assistive devices.
• Bring examples from the past 12 months: school reports, therapy notes, hospital visits, or a symptom journal you kept at home.
• If multiple areas are affected, explain how they combine (cumulative effect) even when no single area meets the marked-restriction test alone.
• Ask whether your practitioner is familiar with Form T2201 Part B and the functional language the CRA expects.

Practitioners may charge a fee to complete the form. You are responsible for paying it, but you may be able to claim it as a medical expense on your tax return.

Your medical practitioner must certify how your impairment affects daily life. The CRA compares Part B to these criteria. Even if you are unsure, you may still apply; the CRA decides from the practitioner's certification.

• Severe and prolonged impairment (generally expected to last at least 12 continuous months).
• Marked restriction in a basic activity of daily living: unable to do the activity, or it takes about three times longer than someone of similar age without the impairment, even with therapy, medication, or devices; present about 90% of the time.
• Cumulative effect: significant limitations in two or more categories that together equal one marked restriction.
• Life-sustaining therapy that supports a vital function.

The CRA states that you may still send an application even if you are not sure you meet the criteria.

Who can certify Part B

Only certain practitioners can certify specific impairments on Form T2201. The CRA publishes this list on canada.ca.

Federal proposals could expand which practitioners may certify certain impairments for certificates issued after 2026. Those changes are not yet law. Until rules are enacted, follow the current practitioner list below.

See proposed 2027 DTC certification changes on MyEligible

Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate, is the CRA application form. Part A is your personal details; Part B is your practitioner's medical certification.

Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate, is the CRA form for DTC applications. Part A is completed by you or your legal representative with personal details. Part B is completed by your medical practitioner, who certifies how the impairment affects daily activities. Applicants cannot complete Part B themselves. With the digital process, Part B submits automatically when the practitioner finishes. With paper forms, mail Part A and Part B together.

Use the same method (digital or paper) for Part A and Part B. Submit through the CRA digital DTC form or by mail. Since July 14, 2026, do not upload Form T2201 through CRA My Account "submit documents." Use version 23e or 23f of Form T2201.

The CRA reviews your application and may contact your practitioner (who has 60 business days to respond). Processing times vary; track status in CRA My Account.

After the CRA receives a complete application (Part A and Part B together, using the same digital or paper method), it compares your practitioner's certification with DTC eligibility criteria. The CRA aims to process your application and send a notice of determination in a timely manner; it may take longer if information is missing. Check the CRA's current targeted processing times for Form T2201 on canada.ca and use the progress tracker in CRA My Account.

The supplemental payment is a one-time lump sum from Service Canada, separate from your regular monthly CDB. It is meant to help offset costs of obtaining the DTC. This page covers DTC application steps; the supplemental payment itself requires no action from you.

1. Who receives it

   Eligible CDB recipients receive $150 per approved DTC certificate that qualifies them for a monthly CDB payment. This includes former recipients who received CDB before September 2026, even if they no longer receive monthly payments. People who became eligible in July 2026 or later receive the supplemental payment in winter 2027.

2. No application needed

   You do not apply for the supplemental payment separately. Service Canada issues it automatically via direct deposit or cheque on file. You do not need to submit a medical practitioner fee receipt for this payment.

3. DTC costs are separate

   Some medical practitioners charge a fee to complete Form T2201 Part B. The supplemental payment is issued after you are an eligible CDB recipient; it does not pay your practitioner directly. Ask your practitioner about fees before your appointment.

If you were eligible in past years but did not claim the DTC, you may request reassessment of up to 10 previous tax years. The retroactive benefit depends on tax payable each year.

DTC approval may open access to other programs such as RDSP grants and bonds and the Canada Disability Benefit. Each program has its own rules; approval does not guarantee payment.

• After DTC approval: RDSP grants and bonds

  If you are approved for the DTC, you may be able to open a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and receive matching grants and bonds. Use MyEligible's RDSP estimator to think about grant room, then open a plan with an RDSP issuer at a participating financial institution.

  RDSP grant and bond estimator

  Where to find participating institutions:

  RDSP issuers guide (Plan Institute / rdsp.com)Official financial institutions list (canada.ca)

• Working-age income support: Canada Disability Benefit

  If you are ages 18 to 64 and approved for the DTC, you may also apply for the federal Canada Disability Benefit through Service Canada. Amounts are income-tested, not a flat payment.

  Canada Disability Benefit guide

These patterns come from CRA guidance on incomplete applications and denied decisions. They are tips to prepare, not predictions about your case.

• Part B describes a diagnosis but not how daily activities are restricted.
• Missing signatures, mismatched reference numbers, or Part A and Part B submitted separately on paper.
• Uploading Form T2201 through CRA My Account "submit documents" (not accepted since July 14, 2026), using an obsolete Form T2201 version (before 2023, not accepted after September 8, 2026), mixing digital and paper parts, or reusing a reference number.
• Mandatory fields incomplete (SIN, name, address, date of birth) or illegible handwriting on paper forms.
• Duration or frequency of limitations not documented (CRA looks for prolonged, frequent effects).
• Filing your tax return at the same time without leaving time for the DTC review first.

A denial is not necessarily the end. Your notice of determination explains why. Compare it with your copy of Form T2201 and the CRA eligibility criteria.

• Disability tax credit overview
• How to apply for the DTC
• DTC eligibility criteria
• CRA review of your application
• CRA decision and if denied
• Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate
• Form T1-ADJ, T1 Adjustment Request
• CRA sign-in services (My Account)
• Check CRA processing times
• Help speed up your DTC application (2026)
• File an income tax objection