This RDSP Awareness Month, we’ve emphasized that there’s more to the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) than you think. We’ve published blog posts on topics like the SDSP (an RDSP option for shortened life expectancy) and what the 2027 DTC changes mean for Canadians with disabilities. Alongside our Access RDSP partners, BCANDS/IDC and Plan Institute, we have held two Ask the Expert sessions: one on the DTC, and the other on the RDSP.  

We’ve also amplified our request for support for our DTC Medical Fees Fund. Donating to this mutual aid fund means you’re directly helping people to access the DTC, by covering the fees charged by medical practitioners for filling out the application. Learn more here: Cover the Cost.  

To close out the month, we’re sharing some key resources that can help you learn more about and access the DTC and RDSP.

• RDSP.com: Find general information about the DTC and RDSP and the Access RDSP partnership, and access a variety of resources and guides. 
• RDSP Calculator: By answering a few simple questions, the RDSP Calculator can help you project the estimated future value of an RDSP, and the approximate value of future withdrawal payments.
• My DTC: An online tool developed by DABC. It includes in-depth guides for both applicants and medical practitioners on DTC related benefits, eligibility, and the overall process, as well as tools to help with applying.
• Mon CIPH: The French language version of My DTC, developed in partnership with Finautonome.
• Disability Benefits Compass: Use this resource to help guide you through the DTC, RDSP, Persons with Disability (PWD) designation, and the Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPP-D) benefit.
• Benefits Wayfinder: This Canada-wide tool is available to help you find government benefits applicable to you and is not disability-focused.
• DABC’s Help Sheet #14: The Disability Tax Credit and Help Sheet #15: The Registered Disability Savings Plan. Find them in English, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi and Spanish languages on our website: Help Sheets. These self-help guides explain the DTC and RDSP, and how to apply for them.

We hope you’ve found some of the information and resources shared this month to be helpful. Remember: There’s more to the DTC and RDSP than you think! 

Disability Alliance BC has joined more than 150 organizations from across Canada calling on the federal government to establish a single, rights-based definition of disability and to change how people with disabilities qualify for federal supports.

The joint statement, released ahead of the upcoming federal budget, sets out two complementary paths:

• A new rights-based system for defining disability, built outside the tax system.
• Immediate fixes to the Disability Tax Credit (DTC).

Download the joint statement.

Why this matters

The DTC is a gateway to the Canada Disability Benefit and 16 other federal disability programs, plus a growing number of provincial and territorial programs. It was created nearly 40 years ago as a tax-relief measure and was never designed to be the eligibility test for all other disability supports.

Far too few eligible people access the DTC because of persistent administrative barriers. Statistics Canada reports that fewer than one in six people with disabilities in Canada, and only about a third of people with very severe disabilities, access the DTC. This means hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities aren’t receiving the benefits they’re entitled to.

People with disabilities in Canada are also 50 per cent more likely to experience poverty than people without disabilities and twice as likely to experience food insecurity. Failing to bridge these gaps means failing to uphold Canada’s responsibility to protect the fundamental human rights of people with disabilities.

A question of principle

Adopting the proposed changes is a question of principle. No one should be kept from disability supports by an overly restrictive definition of disability or by persistent administrative barriers that make applying for benefits too difficult.

Getting this right would also make government work better. Federal programs — including the DTC, the Canada Pension Plan disability benefit, and veterans programs — use different definitions of disability and different eligibility rules, which can mean repeated assessments. A single definition and a centralized process for establishing disability status would cut that duplication for people with disabilities, medical practitioners, and the government.

What the statement calls for

The statement’s signatories recognize progress has been made toward reforming the DTC.

Recent federal administrative changes announced as part of this year’s Spring Economic Update are expected to unlock an estimated $345 million in support over six years for people facing access barriers. Lasting change will require fundamental reform.

The statement calls on the federal government to commit to a collaborative process to design a new eligibility system that would:

• Use the Accessible Canada Act’s definition of disability as the starting point for access to federal disability programs.
• Create a centralized process for determining disability status outside the tax system that’s dignified, accessible, and rights-based.
• Automatically extend federal disability certification to people already receiving disability benefits through provincial or territorial social assistance programs.

It also calls for immediate action to remove barriers in the current DTC application process while the new system is built, including:

• A new plain-language application form.
• Direct reimbursement of medical practitioners who certify applications.
• Fewer unnecessary temporary certificates and simpler renewals.
• An option for supported decision-making.
• More funding for the Disability Benefit Navigation program.

All reforms must be designed in partnership with people with disabilities, in keeping with Canada’s human rights commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including the principle of “nothing about us without us.”

Together, we can build a Canada where no eligible person is kept from disability supports by administrative barriers.

Read the full statement and the list of signatories: Download the joint statement.

DABC has signed on to following letter, sent to The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families. Read it below or download it here: Letter to Minister Hajdu.

October 15, 2026

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families
Government of Canada

Re: Budget 2026 Recommendation to Double the Child Disability Benefit

Dear Minister Hajdu,

We are writing as a collective representing families, advocates, organizations, researchers and community members from across Canada to urge your government to double the Child Disability Benefit in Budget 2026, as recommended by the Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) in their September 2026 report.

Families raising children with disabilities across Canada are facing increasingly extraordinary and unavoidable costs related to disability, including for affordable, accessible housing. At the same time, many parents face reduced employment opportunities due to barriers to accessing inclusive child care and education, and limited availability of home care support. For many families, the result is a difficult combination of higher costs and reduced earning capacity.

The Child Disability Benefit is an important part of Canada’s social safety net, but its current level does not adequately reflect the realities facing families. For July 2026 to June 2027, the maximum Benefit is $3,480 per child annually, or $290 per month.

The call to double the Child Disability Benefit is not new. In a 2019 mandate letter, the federal government committed to doubling the benefit, and in 2021, the National Advisory Council on Poverty explicitly recommended that the government “deliver on the commitment to double the Child Disability Benefit to improve support to families caring for children with disabilities.” Since then, BC Complex Kids Society and advocates across Canada have continued to call for this increase through federal pre-budget consultations.

In 2025, Canada’s progress on implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was reviewed. In its Concluding Observations, the CRPD Committee recommended that Canada “ensure adequate support to children with disabilities and their families, to parents with disabilities, and to prevent separation of children from their families on the basis of disability.” Budget 2026 is an opportunity to make progress on Canada’s commitment to the CRPD.

We urge the Government of Canada to act on Recommendation 120 as stated in the Recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) for the 2026 Budget:

Double the Child Disability Benefit to better offset the additional costs associated with disability-related care and support.

In addition we recommend raising the threshold at which the Benefit starts to be reduced and work with provinces and territories to prevent clawbacks.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to share the experiences of families from across Canada and discuss how this investment can make a meaningful difference. Thank you for your consideration and for your commitment to building a Canada where every child and family can thrive.

Sincerely, Brenda Lenahan
Executive Director, BC Complex Kids Society

Helaine Boyd
Executive Director, Disability Alliance BC

Dr Keiko Shikako
Canada Research Chair in Childhood Disability

Neil Belanger
Chief Executive Officer, Indigenous Disability Canada

Raihanna Hirji-Khalfan
National Director, Race and Disability Canada

Rabia Khedr
Chief Executive Officer, Disability Without Poverty

Krista Carr
Chief Executive Officer, Inclusion Canada

Leila Sarangi
National Director, Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty

Jennifer Zwicker
Canada Research Chair in Disability Policy for Children and Youth and Chief Scientist for Kids Brain Health Network

Rachel Martens
University of Calgary Research Knowledge Broker, Parent Advocate

Emily Gruenwoldt
President and CEO, Children’s Healthcare Canada and Executive Director, Pediatric Chairs of Canada

Cc
Prime Minister Mark Carney
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue
Leslie Church, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Jobs and Families
Anna Gainey, Secretary of State – Children and Youth
Wayne Long, Secretary of State – Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions
Karina Gould, Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance