How to Apply for the Disability Tax Credit in Canada

The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is a non-refundable tax credit that helps people with a severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions — or the family members who support them — reduce the amount of income tax they may have to pay. It is not a payment: it lowers tax owing when you file your return. You apply for it with Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate, and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) decides whether you are eligible. Only after the CRA approves your application can you claim the disability amount on your tax return. This guide covers the application process only: how to fill out and submit Form T2201, and what happens after you apply. It gives no eligibility advice and no medical advice — whether you qualify is the CRA's decision, based on the information your medical practitioner provides in Part B. All facts below come from the CRA's How to apply — Disability tax credit form (DTC), the CRA's Demystifying the disability tax credit, and the CRA's Line 31600 — Disability amount for self.

Step 1: Find a medical practitioner who can certify your impairment

Applying for the DTC involves two people: the person with the impairment, and a medical practitioner who can certify the effects of the impairment. Only certain practitioners can certify, and only for certain impairments:

• Medical doctor — all impairments
• Nurse practitioner — all impairments
• Optometrist — vision
• Audiologist — hearing
• Occupational therapist — walking, feeding, dressing
• Physiotherapist — walking
• Psychologist — mental functions
• Speech-language pathologist — speaking

If your medical practitioner charges a fee for completing the DTC application, you are responsible for paying it. You may be able to claim that fee as a medical expense on your tax return.

Step 2: Choose one way to apply — digital or paper

You may apply for the DTC using the digital form or the printed paper form. Choose only one method and follow it for the whole application: both Part A and Part B must be submitted using the same method. The CRA is unable to process your application if the entire application is not submitted in the same format.

You may apply at any time during the year. However, if you submit your application at the same time that you file your tax return, there may be a delay in your tax assessment, because the CRA will review your DTC application before your tax return is assessed. To avoid a possible delay, submit your DTC application before you file your tax return.

Use the most recent version of the paper form if you apply on paper: version 23e or 23f. Since September 8, 2026, the CRA no longer accepts versions of Form T2201 issued before 2023. Download the current form from the CRA's Form T2201 page rather than reusing a saved or photocopied older form.

Step 3: Complete Part A — your part

Part A is filled out by the person with the impairment or their legal representative. It asks for your basic information (name, mailing address, date of birth, social insurance number), the basic information of a supporting family member who may claim the disability amount if the credit is transferred, and your consent for the CRA to contact your medical practitioner if necessary and to automatically adjust your tax returns for previous years if applicable.

Digitally: sign in to your CRA account, select your Individual account, select Benefits and credits, then select the Apply for DTC button to open the digital form. You can also phone the CRA and have Part A filled out for you — talk to a call centre agent at 1-800-959-8281 or use the automated voice service at 1-800-463-4421. You must be able to confirm your identity before you begin. After Part A is submitted, a confirmation page appears with your reference number. The reference number is valid for up to 12 months and can be used only once by a medical practitioner to submit Part B digitally within that time. You may print the reference number as a PDF, and you can also view it in your CRA account.

On paper: complete and sign Part A of Form T2201. All fields must be completed or your application may not be reviewed and may be returned to you. The person with the disability (or their legal guardian if under the age of adulthood in their province) or their legal representative must sign the authorization section of the form (Part A, Section 4) or the CRA will not process the request. Legal representatives should make sure the CRA already has the legal documents showing they are authorized; if not, include them when mailing Form T2201 to avoid delays.

If you intend to split or transfer the credit, include the supporting family member's information in Part A, question 2 — it will save you time later.

Step 4: Your medical practitioner completes Part B

Give the form — or, for a digital application, your reference number — to your medical practitioner. Part B can only be completed by a medical practitioner. Applicants cannot complete Part B themselves; if an applicant completes Part B, it will not be processed.

Your practitioner answers a few questions about themselves and completes only the impairment section or sections that apply to you, describing the effects of the impairment. The CRA bases its decision about eligibility on the information the practitioner provides in Part B. Practitioners use their best professional judgment, based on the symptoms you report, their knowledge of your medical history, their direct observation of your limitations, and their knowledge of the effects of the impairment as they relate to your medical condition.

Digitally: your practitioner opens the CRA's digital application for medical practitioners, enters your reference number (which must match the last name and date of birth submitted in Part A), completes Part B, and submits it online. Once Part B is completed, the digital form is automatically submitted to the CRA. If your practitioner does not have a reference number, they can still fill out Part B of the digital form online, print and sign it, and give it to you — you must then fill out and sign Part A and mail the completed Form T2201 to the CRA.

On paper: after completing Part B, your practitioner must complete and sign the Certification section on the last page. The CRA is unable to process the application form if Part B is not signed, or if the signature is not handwritten — a signature in a cursive typeface does not count.

Step 5: Submit the application

If you applied digitally and your practitioner used the reference number you provided, the application is automatically submitted to the CRA. If you are signed up for digital notifications from the CRA, you will receive an email telling you the application has been successfully submitted. You can see the status of your application in your CRA account once your complete application has been received.

If you applied on paper, either you or your practitioner must mail the fully completed form — Part A and Part B together — to the CRA. Part A and Part B received separately are not considered a complete application. Send it to one of these tax centres, and keep a copy for your records:

• Jonquière Tax Centre, 2251 René-Lévesque Blvd, Jonquière QC G7S 5J2
• Sudbury Tax Centre, Post Office Box 20000, Station A, Sudbury ON P3A 5C1
• Winnipeg Tax Centre, Post Office Box 14000, Station Main, Winnipeg MB R3C 3M2

As of July 14, 2026, you must send your DTC application to the CRA using the digital DTC application form or by mail. You may not send DTC forms through the submit documents section of your CRA account, and a PDF or scanned version of the paper form must not be uploaded through your CRA account — print it and mail it.

Before mailing, check that the form is complete and readable. The CRA returns applications that are missing the applicant's signature in Part A, missing the practitioner's signature in Part B, signed in a typeface rather than by hand, missing mandatory information (social insurance number, name, address, date of birth), or signed by a legal representative whose authorization documents the CRA has not received.

Step 6: What happens after you apply

The CRA reviews your application and sends you a notice of determination. The notice shows the years for which you are eligible for the DTC, and this information can also be viewed in CRA My Account. Due to higher than normal intake volume, the CRA says it may take up to 8 weeks to process a Form T2201.

Eligibility for the DTC can go back a maximum of 10 years from the date the CRA received your application. If you gave consent in Part A, the CRA will automatically adjust your tax returns for previous years if you are approved for those years. If you were eligible in past years but did not claim the disability amount, you may be able to claim it going back up to 10 years.

Approval periods vary depending on the effects of the impairment. Your eligibility may expire after a certain number of years, and you will have to reapply at the end of that period. The CRA notifies you on your notice of assessment one year in advance of expiry, and again in the year it expires. If you are approved on an ongoing basis and your notice of determination does not indicate an expiry date, do not submit a new Form T2201 unless the CRA asks for one.

If your application is denied, your notice of determination will explain why. You can send additional medical information to the CRA within one year of the date of your notice of determination — such as medical reports or a letter from your medical practitioner — and another review will be completed. If you believe the information already in your application was sufficient, you can instead file a formal objection to appeal the decision within 90 days of the date on your notice of determination.

Step 7: Claim the disability amount on your tax return

Once your DTC application is approved, you can claim the disability amount on your taxes. The CRA needs a completed Form T2201, certified by a medical practitioner, to determine eligibility, and your tax return can only be processed with the disability amount after that determination is made. Do not claim the disability amount on a return before your application is approved — the claim will be rejected.

Claim the disability amount for yourself on line 31600 of your income tax and benefit return. For the 2025 tax year, the disability amount was $10,138 if you were 18 years of age or older; if you were under 18, use the Federal Worksheet to calculate the amount. A supporting family member can claim the disability amount transferred from a dependant on line 31800. Provincial disability amounts are claimed on the provincial form and differ by province.

What this guide could not verify

The CRA pages state the 2025 disability amount ($10,138 for a person 18 or older, on line 31600) but do not publish the 2026 disability amount, so this guide states no 2026 figure — check the CRA's line 31600 page or your 2026 tax package for the current amount before claiming it. The CRA states a targeted processing time of up to 8 weeks for Form T2201 while also noting higher than normal intake volume, so your application may take longer than 8 weeks; check the status in your CRA account rather than relying on the 8-week figure. The fee a medical practitioner may charge for completing Part B is set by the practitioner, not by the CRA, so this guide states no fee figure. Confirm all three points with the CRA at 1-800-959-8281 or in your CRA account before relying on them.

Related guides:

• How to Apply for the Canada Workers Benefit — the refundable credit for low-income workers, which includes a disability supplement for people with an approved DTC.
• How to Apply for ODSP in Ontario — Ontario disability support, a separate Ontario benefit with its own two-stage application.
• How to Apply for the Canada Child Benefit — the federal child benefit, which includes a child disability benefit for children eligible for the DTC.
• How to Apply for Old Age Security in Canada — the federal pension for seniors, a separate application through Service Canada.

Sources

• Canada Revenue Agency, How to apply — Disability tax credit form (DTC) — the digital and paper application steps, the Part A and Part B division, the reference number (valid up to 12 months, single use), the practitioner table, the July 14, 2026 end of submit-documents filing, the September 8, 2026 end of pre-2023 form versions, the tax centre mailing addresses, and the return reasons.
• Canada Revenue Agency, Demystifying the disability tax credit — the 10-year maximum retroactivity, the 90-day objection deadline, the notice of determination showing the eligible years, and the reapplication rule when an approval period expires.
• Canada Revenue Agency, Line 32600 — Amounts transferred from your spouse or common-law partner — the 2025 disability amount of $10,138 for a person 18 or older on line 31600, and the rule that a new Form T2201 is not needed if a spouse's prior approval period is still running.
• Canada Revenue Agency, Disability Tax Credit (DTC) — the targeted processing time of up to 8 weeks for Form T2201, and the rule that an approved DTC can be claimed for past years going back up to 10 years.
• Canada Revenue Agency, Webinar — Persons with disabilities and their caregivers — the DTC as a non-refundable tax credit, the notice of determination after review, the one-year window to send additional medical information for a second review, and the 90-day formal objection deadline.