Disability tax credits may help with extra expenses caused by Parkinson’s Disease. Depending on the credit that you apply for, you may or may not need to provide evidence of your circumstances. Below, you will find a compilation of possible tax credits that you may be eligible for! This is not an exhaustive list, so please consult a professional if you have any questions.

Disability Tax Credit (DTC)

What is the DTC?

• It is a non-refundable tax credit that helps people with disabilities or their supporting family member reduce the amount of income tax they may have to pay.
• It has no relationship to other federal or provincial disability programs (ex. CPP disability benefits).

Eligibility:

• “A medical practitioner must certify that you have a severe and prolonged impairment in 1 of the categories [walking, mental functions, dressing, feeding, bowel or bladder functions, hearing, speaking, vision, or others], or significant limitations in 2 or more categories, or receive therapy to support a vital function”
• Please click HERE for the criteria for each category.

For more information about the DTC and application, please click HERE.

If you are approved for the DTC, you may also be eligible for:

1. Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)

• A savings plan intended to help an individual approved for the DTC to save for long-term financial security.
• Contributions are not tax deductible and can be made until 59 years of age.

For more information about the RDSP, please click HERE.

2. The disability supplement of the Canada Workers Benefit

• Eligible if your net income is below the net income level set for the province.

For more information about the disability supplement, click HERE.

Canada Caregiver Credit (CCC)

• The CCC is a non-refundable tax credit.
• It is for individuals who support a spouse, common-law partner, or a dependant with a physical or mental impairment.
• It is also available for individuals who support a parent (or their spouse’s/common-law partner’s parent), grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew.
• The amount you can claim depends on your relationship to the person you are supporting, their net income, your circumstances, and other credits.
• If the person you are supporting already has an approved DTC Certificate, then you do not need a signed statement from a medical practitioner.
  • If they do not have an approved DTC Certificate, you may be asked to provide a signed statement from a medical practitioner.

Claiming Medical Expenses on Your Tax Return

• If you have paid for medical expenses, you may be eligible to claim them on your tax return. For example, treatment by an occupational or physiotherapist who provides voice or exercise therapy may be eligible. If you have private insurance, please check with them to find out which of your expenses may be eligible.
• You may need documents like the DTC Certificate.

For more information about claiming medical expenses, please click HERE.

Canada Pension Plan (CPP)

There are a number of CPP benefits that you may qualify for, as listed below.

Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit

• This is a monthly payment. You must meet the minimum contributory requirements in order to qualify.
• There is a late applicant provision that is automatically considered when applying, which may help you qualify for CPP disability benefits if you did not apply when you first became disabled.

Eligibility:

• You are under 65 years old.
• You have contributed enough to the Canada Pension Plan.
• You have a mental or physical disability that regularly stops you from doing any type of substantially gainful work.
• You have a disability that is long-erm and of indefinite duration or is likely to result in death.

For more information about the CPP Disability Benefit, please click HERE. Also, please find the full in-depth toolkit HERE.

Canada Pension Plan Post-Retirement Disability Benefit

If you currently receive the monthly CPP retirement pension, you can get this benefit if:

• You are 60-65 years old.
• You have contributed enough to CPP.
• You have a mental or physical disability that regularly stops you from doing any type of substantially gainful work.
• You have a disability that is long-term and of indefinite duration or is likely to result in death.
• You have been receiving the CPP retirement pension for more than 15 months or become disabled after starting to receive the retirement pension.

For more information about the CPP Post-Retirement Disability Benefit, please click HERE.

Canada Pension Plan Children’s Benefit

• If you are receiving a disability benefit, any of your dependent children can get a monthly payment if they are under 18 years old, or 18-25 years old and attending school full-time.

There are 2 types of benefits:

• The disabled contributor’s child’s benefit: a monthly payment for a child of a person receiving the CPP disability benefit (either the disability benefit or post-retirement disability benefit).
• The surviving child’s benefit: a monthly payment for a child of a deceased contributor (deceased must have made sufficient contributions to CPP to qualify).

To qualify, the child must be:

• The natural child of the contributor, or adopted legally while under the age of 21, or legally living with and in custody and control of contributor while under the age of 21.
• If the child is 18-25 years old, they must be attending a recognized educational institution full-time. They must have the Declaration of Attendance at School or University signed by the registrar at the educational institution.
• Once the child has turned 25 years old, they are no longer eligible.

For more information about the CPP Children’s Benefit and application, please click HERE.