The Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) is a federal monthly payment for people with disabilities who are between 18 and 64 years old. If you are eligible and approved, you will start getting payments in the month after your application is received.
The CDB also allows for back pay up to 24 months from when your application is submitted, if you were eligible in those earlier months. However, back payments do not go further back than June 2025, even if you would have been eligible earlier. This is because the CDB started being delivered in June 2025.
How does back pay work?
Back Pay Example 1: If you turned 18 in March 2025 and became eligible for the CDB at that point, and you apply for the CDB today in June 2026, the earliest date you can receive back pay is still June 2025.
Back Pay Example 2: If you turned 18 in August 2025 and became eligible for the CDB at that point, and you apply for the CDB today in June 2026, the earliest date you can receive back pay is August 2025 because that was the first month you were eligible.
If you think you may qualify for the CDB, you should apply by June 2027 to receive the maximum amount of available back payments. If you apply after June 2027, even if you were eligible in earlier years, you may receive less back pay than you are entitled to because back pay is capped at 24 months.
Why does this matter now if the maximum back pay deadline is a year away?
For some people, getting the CDB takes a lot of time and effort.
To get the CDB, you must first be approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). Applying for the DTC can be a complicated and time-consuming process that involves you and a medical practitioner completing forms that certify the effects of your severe and prolonged impairment. For additional resources on this process see here.
After you submit your DTC application, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may take up to 8 weeks or more to process your application (the processing timelines are updated on the government’s website here). Some applications take even longer if the CRA asks for more information from you or your medical practitioner.
To get back payments, you may also need to file taxes for previous years. This is because you must file a tax return to get CDB. The time to process a tax return varies. Currently, the CRA reports that electronic filing has a 2-week processing time, while paper filing has a 12-week processing time. For more information on how to find a free tax clinic to help you with filing your tax return, see here.
I have done my taxes, I am within the age range, and I meet all the other CDB requirements now. How do I apply?
To apply for the CDB you will need:
- your social insurance number
- your mailing address, and
- your legal status in Canada
There are multiple ways to apply. You can apply:
- online via Service Canada’s website
- via mail by submitting a paper application
- via an in-person application at your local Service Canada Centre, or
- via phone using CDB’s hotline at 1-833-486-3007 (for TTY call 1-833-467-2700)
You can also get individualized help for free. See here for ISAC’s approved list of CDB navigator organizations that should never charge you money.
There is no downside to applying for CDB in Ontario because social assistance does not claw back CDB, and CDB will not decrease federal benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
Don’t miss out on money that you can get – every dollar counts!