UPDATE: Launching the Canada Disability Benefit

Budget 2024 provides funding of $6.1 billion over six years, beginning in 2024-25, and $1.4 billion per year ongoing, for a new Canada Disability Benefit, including costs to deliver the program.

The proposed design of the Benefit is based on a maximum benefit amount of $2,400 per year for low-income persons with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64. This benefit is estimated to increase the financial well-being of over 600,000 low-income persons with disabilities.

Budget 2024 further announces the government will begin providing payments to eligible Canadians starting in July 2025, following successful completion of the regulatory process and consultations with persons with disabilities.

To deliver the benefit as quickly as possible and to ensure nation-wide consistency of eligibility, the proposed Canada Disability Benefit would be available to people with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate.

To ensure access to the Canada Disability Benefit for eligible Canadians, and to address an anticipated significant financial barrier associated with benefit take-up, Budget 2024 further proposes funding of $243 million over six years, beginning in 2024-25, and $41 million per year ongoing, to cover the cost of the medical forms required to apply for the Disability Tax Credit.

Next Steps
The Government is very aware that many Canadians with disabilities are in need of the additional financial support that the benefit will provide. The intent, therefore, is to move forward as fast as possible with the regulatory development process.

The next phase of the engagement process will focus on the Government of Canada’s formal regulatory development process and will begin in the coming months with the publishing of the draft Canada Disability Benefit regulations in Part I of the Canada Gazette.

Following this, stakeholders and the public will be able to review and provide comments, and the Government will then analyze the comments received and make changes to the regulations if necessary.

The final regulations will then be published in Part II of the Canada Gazette, at which time the design of the benefit will be complete.

Future updates will be posted to this website as information becomes available. Please check back in the coming weeks or subscribe using the link below to receive updates.

Supporting Canadians with disabilities
On June 22, 2023, the Canada Disability Benefit Act received Royal Assent. This benefit will help reduce poverty among working-age Canadians with disabilities.

Working-age Canadians with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty as working-age people without disabilities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made things even worse. That is why the Government of Canada is trying to address the financial hardships and other barriers faced by persons with disabilities. The aim is to ensure a Canada that is inclusive for all Canadians, including persons with disabilities.

The Canada Disability Benefit is a key commitment and is the cornerstone of Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) – a Plan that was promised in the 2020 Speech from the Throne. The DIAP is a blueprint for change to make Canada more inclusive for persons with disabilities. It is based on the understanding that disability inclusion benefits everyone. The DIAP will evolve over time – the aim is to take action across the Government of Canada and make targeted investments to create lasting change.

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disabilities-benefits.html