Overview
The Government of Canada announced a one-time $600 payment in recognition of the extraordinary expenses faced by persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional expenses incurred by persons with disabilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic may include:
paying higher costs for personal protective equipment
hiring personal support workers and accessing other disability supports
paying for increased costs for medical supplies and medication
higher internet costs associated with physical distancing, and
increased use of taxis and home delivery services to obtain groceries and prescriptions
To ensure you get the support you need, we are extending the payment to additional beneficiaries of disability supports programs. Approximately 1.7 million Canadians will receive the one-time payment.
This payment complements other emergency supports, such as the one-time special payment through the Goods and Services Tax Credit and the one-time payment to seniors.
Eligibility
Individuals who are eligible for the one-time payment:
individuals who have an existing valid Disability Tax Credit (DTC) certificate
persons who are eligible for the DTC and who apply for it by September 25, 2020
beneficiaries as at July 1, 2020 of either:
Canada Pension Plan Disability
Quebec Pension Plan Disability Pension, or
one of the following disability supports provided by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC):
Disability Pension
Disability Award
Pain and Suffering Compensation
Critical Injury Benefit
Rehabilitation Services and Vocational Assistance Program
Income Replacement Benefit, and/or
Canadian Forces Income Support
Disability Tax Credit certificate
Persons with disabilities who have a certificate that expired in 2019 should not wait until filing their 2020 tax return to put in an application.
You must apply by September 25, 2020 to be considered for the one-time payment.
While the number of DTC applications the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will receive by September 25, 2020 will increase, CRA aims to process your application within 8 weeks, 95% of the time.
Seniors with disabilities who received the one-time seniors payment
Seniors with disabilities, who were eligible for the one-time seniors payment announced on May 12, 2020, will also be eligible for the one-time payment to persons with disabilities.
If you are eligible for both payments, you will receive a total amount of $600 broken into 2 payments:
if you received the $300 one-time seniors payment for the Old Age Security (OAS) pension, you will receive an additional $300
if you received the $500 one-time seniors payment for both the OAS pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) or the Allowance, you will receive an additional $100
Payment
You do not have to apply for the one-time payment, it will be automatically issued to:
holders of a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate, and
beneficiaries as at July 1, 2020 of:
Canada Pension Plan Disability
Quebec Pension Plan Disability Pension, or
one of the disability supports provided by Veterans Affairs Canada
If you are eligible but never applied for the Disability Tax Credit, or your certificate expired in 2019, you must do so by September 25, 2020.
We expect to issue the payments beginning this fall. The payment information will be provided on this page once available.
Delivery of the payment
The one-time payment will be issued in the form of a cheque or direct deposit. It is important that you keep your information, such as address and direct deposit information, up to date.
Recipients of payment for children with disabilities
Parents of children with disabilities will receive the one-time payment
For cases of shared custody, the payment will be split among care providers, like the Child Disability Benefit payment and the Canada Child Benefit
Agencies and care providers of children in their care will receive the payment as per the Children’s Special Allowance Act.
Contact us
You can visit the COVID-19 benefits finder for more information on the Disability one-time payment or other benefits that you may qualify for. To confirm your eligibility or to ensure we have up to date address and banking information:
Canada Pension Plan Disability Telephone: 1-800-277-9914 TTY: 1-800-255-4786
Disability Tax Credit
Telephone: 1-800-959-8281 TTY: 1-800-665-0354
Quebec Pension Plan Disability Pension Telephone: 1-800-463-5185
Veterans Affairs Canada Telephone: 1-866-522-2122 TTY: 1-800-567-5803
Online through My VAC Account secure messaging
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/covid19-emergency-benefits/one-time-payment-persons-disabilities.html