Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/disability/canada-disability-benefit/amount.html#supplemental-payment

Alt text:

'Supplemental payment:

Starting in September 2026, you may receive a supplemental amount to help offset your cost of obtaining the Disability Tax Credit (DTC).

This supplemental amount is fixed at $150 and you receive it as a lump-sum payment.

- You may be eligible to receive this additional amount for each approved Disability Tax Credit (DTC) certificate that qualifies you for a monthly CDB payment.

- Individuals who received a CDB payment before September 2026 are still eligible, even if they are no longer receiving payments now (for example, if you received a one-time payment in July 2025).

- You do not need to apply for this supplemental payment.

Note: Supplemental payments are not payable for individuals who have died prior to September 2026.'

Details:

This newly regulated supplemental payment is allegedly intended to offset the out of pocket cost of getting a DTC form filled out by a doctor, $150 max.

The issue is that the only people who would qualify are the people who already have their DTC and CDB applications approved. These two federal disability programs must be approved for you to be considered for this supplement.

But what does that mean for those who could not afford the OPE doctor fee? Reality is, it doesn't change the barrier, and doesn't help those who need the cost covered now.

If you get denied? No supplemental payment.

If you get approved for DTC & not CDB? No supplemental payment.

This change appears nice on paper, but the truth of the matter is that it doesn't change the outcome for so many who are barred from access due to these OPE doctors fees.

Instead of paying the doctor directly and ASAP, they make it so the onus is still on disabled people.

DTC is a barrier due to doctor shortages and fees.

The government knows this and chooses to leave it that way.

Glad some will be getting the supplemental payment, but infuriated that those who need it most will not.

Canada Disability Benefit - How Much Will I Get

Canada Disability Benefit - How Much You Could Receive

>Maximum benefit you could receive

>Your benefit entitlement is reevaluated every year based on your adjusted family net income from the previous year. The Canada Disability Benefit is adjusted for inflation each year to reflect changes in the cost of living. Your benefit payment will not decrease if the cost of living goes down.

>For the period of July 2026 to June 2027

>the maximum monthly benefit you could receive is $204.20;

>your benefit payment is based on your adjusted family net income from your 2025 federal income tax return

>For the period of July 2025 to June 2026

>the maximum monthly benefit you could receive is $200;

>your benefit payment is based on your adjusted family net income from your 2024 federal income tax return

>A change in your income in 2025 will only be reflected in your payments starting in July 2026.

>When you apply for the Canada Disability Benefit, you may get back payments for up to 24 months from when we get your application, but not for any previous months of eligibility prior to June 2025.

___________________________________________________________________

>Working income exemption

>A certain amount of income from employment, self-employment and taxable scholarships is excluded when calculating your benefit amount. This is called the working income exemption.

>For the period of July 2026 to June 2027

>If you are single, up to $10,210 of working income will be exempt when calculating your benefit.

>If you have a spouse or common-law partner, up to $14,294 of combined working income will be exempt.

>For the period of July 2025 to June 2026

>If you are single, up to $10,000 of working income will be exempt when calculating your benefit.

>If you have a spouse or common-law partner, up to $14,000 of combined working income will be exempt.

>Earning more than the working income exemption does not necessarily mean that your benefit amount will be reduced.

text:

Keep getting your payments

"We'll review your information every year to find out if you're still eligible. You do not have to reapply for the benefit. To stay eligible, you must continue to meet the benefit's eligibility criteria such as having an approved disability tax credit and having filed your income tax return by April 30th every year. For the full list of eligibility criteria go to the eligibility requirements.

Every June, we'll send you a letter to confirm if you're still eligible for the benefit. It will also tell you if you'll receive payments and the payment amount."

CDB Payment Information

*Note: the following is merely a "proposal", which means that it is not a definite. It is not written in legislation - merely an idea put forward.*

Canada's Federal Spring Budget contained the following proposals regarding the Disability Tax Credit (DTC):

* To improve the Disability Tax Credit application for persons with disabilities and their families, and to reduce paperwork for medical practitioners, the Spring Economic Update 2026 proposes to:

◦ Expand the list of medical practitioners who can certify eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit to include podiatrists (for a specific type of impairment) and broaden the types of impairment that can be certified by physiotherapists, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists, within the scope of their training and practice. This measure would apply to Disability Tax Credit certificates issued after 2026 for the 2027 and subsequent taxation years.

○ Streamline the application process for individuals with a formal diagnosis of certain long-lasting medical conditions. These conditions, listed in the Tax Measures: Supplementary Information annex, have been identified through the Canada Revenue Agency's experience in processing applications as satisfying the disability impact criteria for the credit. This proposal would not change the disability criteria to qualify for the credit and the Canada Revenue Agency would continue to have authority to ask for additional information to verify that these criteria are met. This measure would apply for the 2026 and subsequent taxation years.

○ Recognise provincial or territorial public guardians and trustees as being qualified to certify for the Disability Tax Credit for adults in their care for property matters who have a valid certificate of incapacity based on a medical practitioner's assessment of their mental impairment. This measure would apply to the 2026 and subsequent taxation years*

If these proposals are implemented, the outlines are in the pictures.

Picture 1: current outline of the DTC today

Picture 2: Table 2 outlining the medical practitioners who can certify a DTC *if this proposal is implemented*

Picture 3: further detailing Table 2

Picture 4: detailing the proposal of a specific list lifelong disabilities being streamlined *if the proposal is implemented.* (Note, you will still have to apply, the difference would be they won't have to fill out the extensive 16 page form proving your disability is in fact disabling.)

Picture 5: Table 3: the list of disabilities/conditions that would be streamlined under the new proposal (Note, if not on the list, your application process will not change. Meaning you still have the 16 page form)

Picture 6: detailing proposal regarding public guardians/trustees

–

Because Table 3 is so important and kind of inaccessible on the image, here it is in print:

Table 3

Long-lasting medical conditions eligible for streamlined application, as proposed:

A

Alzheimer's disease

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis / Lou Gehrig disease

Angelman syndrome

Autism spectrum disorder, level 3

B

Bilateral blindness (legally blind)

Bilateral hearing loss (severe or profound)

C

Cardiac functional class of 4/IV or an ejection fraction of 20% or less

Cerebral palsy (severe)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, stage III or higher

Colostomy (permanent)

Cystic fibrosis

D

Dementia

Down syndrome / Trisomy 21

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (advanced or severe)

E

Edwards syndrome / Trisomy 18

H

Hemipelvectomy

Hemophilia A (severe)

Hip disarticulation

Huntington disease

I

Ileostomy (permanent)

Intellectual disability (severe, profound or IQ of 70 or below)

L

Lower limb amputation (leg or foot)

M

Microcephaly

P

Paraplegia

Parkinson's disease (advanced or severe)

Patau syndrome / Trisomy 13

Phenylketonuria

Prader Willi syndrome

Profound hearing loss in one ear and severe hearing loss in the other ear

Progeria

Q

Quadriplegia or tetraplegia

R

Relies only on lip-reading and / or use sign language to understand conversations or communicate

Renal (kidney) failure requiring lifelong hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis

Requires lifelong continuous supplemental oxygen (O2)

S

Schizophrenia

Sickle cell disease (severe) requiring transfusions

Sign language is primary means of communicating due to profound hearing loss or expressive aphasia

Spinal muscular atrophy, type 1 and 2

Stroke (severe) no functional recovery

T

Tay-Sachs disease (infantile/juvenile)

Total mutism

Traumatic brain injury (severe)

U

Upper limb amputations (trans carpal or higher)

Source:

Budget proposals numbers/details:

https://budget.canada.ca/update-miseajour/2026/report-rapport/tm-mf-en.html

Biggest things to keep in mind here IMO:

These are PROPOSALS and not definite until written in legislation and implemented. Please do not get ahead of yourself because the gut punch of this not coming to fruition due to politics is something you really do not need. Trust me. Keep your eyes out and there will be more updates as things progress...or fall.

If this is implemented as said:

These are good steps forward, but still leave the same issues for people not on that list. Seemingly intending to further separate what disability is – and at the end of the day further discriminate. (Doctors are more likely to streamline patients, not do a 16 page form. That's the point. More doctors will be less likely to fill it out)

We are a community and there needs to be solidarity no matter what disabilities brought us to this community.

This does not follow the UN CRPD's recommendations to eliminate this barrier. It only helps certain people, and that is still discriminating against disabled people's human rights. Full stop.

But hey, it's enough to make everyone tell us that everything is fine now.

We know it's not. Solidarity. 🫂❤️

Added (personal opinions):

The fact that federal CPPD recipients (who have already been verified as disabled by their doctor and the CRA itself) aren't proposed to be streamlined along with said list in Table 3 at the very minimum is evidence that the federal government does already have ability to reach more verified disabled people with ease, but chooses not to.

Why? Because they want the DTC to remain as the barrier it is for as many people as possible while at the same time look as if they are improving the system as a whole.

That appearance will be used to combat valid criticisms from the disability community about the UN CRPD verified human rights violations of legislated destitution (federally and provincially) and federal MAID coercion for the most vulnerable.

Again, solidarity. No one left behind. Period.

What Can You Do?

This is just a proposal...so there is still time. Speak out about this. Contact your MP.

Key point to mention:

Remember the Covid one time federal payment? That was originally for only DTC recipients. It took disabled people speaking out to change political opinion and get eventually get the CPPD included as well.

Let's channel that energy.

We need to let them know this list is to restrictive and unacceptable as is. At the very least they should start by streamlining those the federal government already has access to. Bare minimum.

I do not work. Would the Disability Tax Credit benefit me?

Yes! A DTC is still beneficial even if you don't work.

For the income tax credit itself, your caregiver can take the credit in your place.

- you obtain access to open an RDSP (Definitely worth it for that alone due to the government grants and matching contributions.)

- access to *apply for* the monthly federal Canada Disability Benefit of up to $200/month

There is a company that offers help applying for the DTC for a price, should I do that?

Do NOT use those companies! Please, ask your questions here. These companies, even ones referred by non-profits, are proven scams.

Examples:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/companies-charging-for-disability-benefit-assistance-1.7569518

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/woman-seeking-canada-disability-benefit-frustrated-after-being-sent-to-costly-ai-integrated-service/

I Have Provincial Disability, Does That Help Aquire DTC?

Unfortunately not. The federal definition of disability is different than provincial. Meaning you can be deemed disabled via your provincial disability program and at the same time not be deemed disabled federally for DTC. (Or vice versa)

I Got Denied!

I am sorry you are experiencing this. This is a common experience, and it is often because the medical practitioner did not provide enough detail about your disabilities and how they disable you day to day. (Why the doctor part is so important)

Remember, doctors aren't assessing these for the government, the CRA is. A random person in an office somewhere. They aren't looking for specific diagnoses alone. They want detail on exactly how the disabilities disable you throughout the day. From when you wake up to when you go to sleep.

For example, When I had to redo mine, I had to provide personal details about how I am debilitated in my daily functioning. Showers, cooking, hygiene, all that stuff. I now have it permanently. It really hurts to get denied, please try not to be discouraged.

More information on what do to when denied:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/segments/tax-credits-deductions-persons-disabilities/disability-tax-credit/review-decision-dtc.html