Caring Matters Blog Blog >

The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is a non-refundable tax credit meant to help people with disabilities or their caregivers.

If you qualify, you can receive up to $8,416 per year (2019 amount), but according to many, figuring out whether or not you’re eligible isn’t that easy. Only roughly 40 percent of Canadians who qualify receive it.

The eligibility criteria can be a bit confusing for people applying, as well as the medical practitioners who have to certify that a person may be eligible. In fact, this has been the topic of many news stories in the past few years.

To help make things a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of 10 conditions that qualify for the DTC.

First, the DTC eligibility requirements

To be eligible, the person must meet one of the following criteria:

• be blind
• be markedly restricted in at least one of the basic activities of daily living, such as hearing, feeding, speaking, or dressing
• be significantly restricted in two or more or the basic activities of daily living (can include a vision impairment)
• need life-sustaining therapy

The person’s impairment must also meet all of the following criteria:

• be prolonged, which means the impairment has lasted, or is expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months
• be present all or substantially all the time (at least 90 percent of the time)

10 Conditions that likely qualify

Every person’s situation is unique and no two people have the exact same experience, even if they have the same condition or injury.

So while this isn’t a guaranteed or even a complete list by any means, these are among the most commonly approved ailments:

1. Blindness
2. Severe hearing impairment
3. Stroke
4. Alzheimer’s disease
5. Parkinson’s disease
6. Kidney failure
7. Diabetes
8. Multiple sclerosis (MS)
9. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
10. Arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc.)

More information on the DTC and eligibility requirements is available on the Government of Canada website.

If you qualify

The DTC can help fund the costs associated with a disability, such as home improvements to accommodate mobility issues. It can also offset the cost of in-home care services to assist with tasks such as bathing, dressing, cooking, and escorting to medical appointments – just to name a few.

If you have an ailment that affects your ability to function, it’s worth applying for the DTC.

David Porter, CPCA
Director

Living Assistance Services – Senior Home Care

Article Resources
Disability Tax Credit (DTC). Government of Canada. (2020). https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/segments/tax-credits-deductions-persons-disabilities/disability-tax-credit.html
The CRA makes it so hard to get the disability tax credit, many don’t even try. E Alini – Global News. (2018). https://globalnews.ca/news/3956042/cra-disability-tax-credit-canada/