Disability tax certificate

[Louise W]

This covers many conditions includung Diabetes, MS and ADHD. If you, your spouse or dependents have any of these conditions they can apply for a disibility tax credit using form T2201 which can be found at cra.gc.ca in the forms section. Your doctor signs the form and you mail it to canada revenue agency to be approved. Once approved it is used to increase your non refundable tax credits meaning it increases the amount you can earn before you pay tax. The amount can be transferred to a parent or spouse. This form can be backdated to the day you were diagnosed and adjustments to past tax returns can then be made

[puddin57]

is there a list of conditions covered?

[Andit]

Here's a link to the tax form:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2201/

Note that it isn't that easy to get. When I was on dialysis, I was eligible. Once I had a transplant, I was no longer eligible, even tho I'm on disability. It's a very narrow interpretation of what "significantly impaired" means.

Here is a link to the actual form:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2201/t2201-09e.pdf

Your best bet is to talk it over with your family physician & see whether they feel you are eligible.

[Insane]

It's very hard to get. For the hearing loss portion, you essentially have to be an ASL user to qualify.
Basically, to be significantly impaired, you have to still be impaired even with devices, medication, ect...

[eriluo]

My son has autism and we have this certificate. If you have a child with a disability, once you receive this certificate if you are eligible to, you can get your taxes reassessed to when they were born.

[jojos_n_kelowna]

As of this year, the Government established a RDSP (Registered Disability Savings Plan)...read more info here http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/t.../menu-eng.html

Edit: You have to be approved by the Government for the Disability Tax Credit in order to be eligible for this RSDP.

Basically, you set up this special account at your financial institute and depending on the annual household income, for the first $500 per year that you deposit, the Government puts in $3 to each of your $1 so that equals $1,500. The annual maximum of the Goverment grant is $3,500 per year if you deposit $1,500 total in your RSDP.This is called the Disability Savings Grant. For th Disability Savings Bond, based on the household income, the Government will deposit a portion up to $1,000 per year. Note that any amount the Government deposits in your account will have to be paid back if you should withdraw money within the first 10 years.

This is an incredible benefit for the disabled and their families.

[brunt]

It's very hard to get. For the hearing loss portion, you essentially have to be an ASL user to qualify.
Basically, to be significantly impaired, you have to still be impaired even with devices, medication, ect...

Depends highly on your audiologist. Canada Revenue Agency has recently (in the last decade) loosened the requirements for disability.

My wife and I just got her grandmother qualified. She has significant hearing loss (loss in the 85% range) where she can get by most of the time with a hearing aid.

Her current audiologist told her point blank that she wouldn't even test my wife's grandmother to see if she would qualify. As her grandmother was not particularly happy with her current audiologist, we tried another new one in town. He was fantastic! A new guy and really works hard for customer satisfaction. I printed up the forms, and she went in for a test, and he filled them out. A couple of months later, we received a letter that the audiologist was being recontacted for some further questions. About a month later, we got the OK from Revenue Canada saying that she had been approved.

If in doubt, ask another audiologist.

[Insane]

Depends highly on your audiologist. Canada Revenue Agency has recently (in the last decade) loosened the requirements for disability.

My wife and I just got her grandmother qualified. She has significant hearing loss (loss in the 85% range) where she can get by most of the time with a hearing aid.

Her current audiologist told her point blank that she wouldn't even test my wife's grandmother to see if she would qualify. As her grandmother was not particularly happy with her current audiologist, we tried another new one in town. He was fantastic! A new guy and really works hard for customer satisfaction. I printed up the forms, and she went in for a test, and he filled them out. A couple of months later, we received a letter that the audiologist was being recontacted for some further questions. About a month later, we got the OK from Revenue Canada saying that she had been approved.

I filed an amendment for 10 years of income tax returns, and received a sizeable refund. She also gets about $2,000 bigger refund every year now.

If in doubt, ask another audiologist.

Your second audiologist was wrong.

The criteria is quite clear. If you get by with a device you do not qualify. Pretty much the only ones that qualify are children with a hearing loss learning language, people awaiting a cochlear implant and those who use ASL.


Your patient is considered

markedly restricted in hearing if, all or substantially all the time, he or she:

is unable to hear so as to understand another person familiar with the patient, in a quiet setting, even with the use of

appropriate devices; or

takes an inordinate amount of time to hear so as to understand another person familiar with the patient, in a quiet
setting, even with the use of appropriate devices

[AmberLab]

In the Atlantic Provinces, people awaiting or who have a cochlear implant do not qualify for this. It's been a bone of contention for many of my friends.

I really think the program needs to be re-written. Just about all disabilities require money for periodical upkeep of devices/parts and any medications. These items are not cheap to obtain.

[Insane]

Awaiting a CI you should qualify but once you get it you don't qualify. You have to be impaired in order to qualify for a CI, so there is little basis to deny it while awaiting one. I'll sign it for children with a CI if they are pre-language but once they hit school and have caught up to their peers they don't qualify according to the definition. I think it's horrible. But it needs to be taken up with the government!

[Angela273]

good info

[ashedfc]

Persons on disability, RDSP (Registered Disability Savings Plan) is a better way for planning for future. For every $1500 contribution, govt. adds $3500 into it, making a total of $5000.
Where can you get the govt. to pay $3500 (just for opening an account & adding $1500).

[omegacanuck]

The disability tax certificate is very hard to get. As has been mentioned, you have to be quite restricted in basic daily activities (dressing yourself, feeding yourself, going to the bathroom, etc), even WITH appropriate tools and equipment.

As an example, my grandfather, who was in his 70s, and was missing one leg, had to fight tooth and nail to get it because he was told that he could use crutches (which is what he did). However, he also had a heart condition so he could not go up stairs, or walk any real amount of distance.

[mousy]

I have this disability cert. But I am having a hard time getting CPPD. I have to go to the tribunal to try to fight it. Any suggestions on what to say there to make them see that I need this?
I have surgical complications that has made me hurt when I walk, sit or stand. I need help in everything in my life. I have nerve damage in both my legs and the medical mesh that is in me cuts into my abdomen all the time and is eroding into my bladder and urethra. It is crazy that I have to fight this!

I got my answer within 2 weeks for this Income tax credit but have been fighting for the CPPD since September of 2009.
Can anyone help?

Mousy

[hellobaby]

diabetes is not mention in the certificate!