If you have restrictions that severely impact your daily life, you may qualify for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), a non-refundable tax credit that helps to reduce taxes that you or your caregiver owes. The DTC also acts as a gateway to other benefits or financial programs, like the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and Canada Disability Benefit (CDB).
Once you submit your application, the CRA will determine whether you’re eligible and and how long your eligibility will last. Some people are indefinitely approved for the DTC; this means you will never have to apply again, unless the CRA asks you to! However, we find that it’s more common for the CRA to approve applicants for a certain number of years, sometimes even when their disability is permanent.
Make sure you know if/when your DTC expires. If your DTC expires, you will need to fill out a new application form. We can help!
The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is a non-refundable tax credit that reduces the amount of income tax you owe. You might know that eligible applicants must be approved for the DTC before gaining access to other benefits, like the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB). It’s an important benefit—and many people with disabilities face barriers to accessing it because medical practitioners generally charge a fee for filling out their part of the DTC application form.
Last October, during RDSP Awareness Month, we launched our DTC Medical Fees Fund—a mutual aid fund that can help eligible applicants cover their DTC medical certification fees. A big thank you to all who have contributed to the Fund so far! It’s very encouraging to see the DABC community providing this support. We’ve now surpassed the $3,200 mark in total funds raised, with 100% of all funds contributed going directly to cover the cost of DTC applicants’ medical certification fees.
From April 17th-May 17th, we accepted applications for our first round of funding. We had very high interest in the fund! While we weren’t able to cover every applicant’s DTC costs this round, we are renewing our call for support this RDSP Awareness Month. We want to help as many people as we can.
Donations of all amounts are welcome, with every contribution of $100-250 covering approximately one applicant’s fee. Our most generous contribution so far has been from a donor providing $1000 to cover a handful of applicants’ fees. Donations through this fund are such a tangible way to know the personal impact of your gift. To make your contribution today, click the following link and scroll to the bottom of the page: DTC Medical Fees Fund | DABC.
Can’t donate? We’d be very appreciative if you could help spread the word!
The Access RDSP partnership between DABC, Plan Institute and BC Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS) has had years of experience providing free navigational supports through income tax filing, the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) and other financial planning matters. For RDSP Awareness Month, our team of experts are hosting two “Ask an Expert” sessions, where you can learn and ask any question about the DTC, RDSP, taxes and other financial topics.
Join us again this year:
Ask an Expert Week 1: Disability Tax Credit and Tax Topics
When: Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025, at 12 PM Pacific Time.
