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Applications for the CDB can be submitted on the web via the application portal, by phone and in person at a Service Canada Centre as of June 20.

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To apply for the CDB, you and your spouse or common-law partner (if applicable) must have filed your 2024 federal income tax return(s), and you must be a Canadian resident for income tax filing purposes, among other criteria.

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Benefit amounts for the July 2025 to June 2026 payment period are calculated using your adjusted family net income for the 2024 tax year. The maximum amount you could receive from July 2025 to June 2026 is $2,400 ($200 per month). This amount will be adjusted upwards for inflation each year to reflect changes in the cost of living.

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Because the CDB is an income-tested benefit, the benefit amount you will receive will start to decrease after your “adjusted family net income” reaches a certain threshold. This is basically equal to your combined family net income as reported on line 23600 of both you and your spouse or partner’s returns. If your adjusted family net income is considerably above that threshold, your benefit amount could be zero.

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How exactly your income affects your benefit amount is complicated and will depend on three factors: your marital status; whether you and/or your spouse or partner have income from employment or self-employment and whether you and your spouse or are both receiving the CDB.

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Note that a certain amount of income from employment or self-employment is excluded when calculating your benefit amount. This is called the “working income exemption.” If you are single, up to $10,000 of working income will be exempt, and if you’re married or living common-law, up to $14,000 of combined working income will be exempt.

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The government has provided an estimator to find out how much money you could get from the CDB. To get an accurate estimate, start with your and your spouse’s or partner’s 2024 notices of assessment to input the exact numbers from various lines on the assessments.

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Finally, keep in mind that the DTC not only entitles you to the new CDB, but it’s also the gateway credit to opening up a registered disability savings plan (RDSP). These plans are designed to help build long-term savings for individuals with disabilities. Individuals may contribute up to $200,000 on behalf of a beneficiary who qualifies for the DTC. There is no tax on earnings or growth while in the plan.

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In addition to the power of tax-deferred compounding, Canada Disability Savings Grants (CDSGs), with a lifetime maximum of $70,000 per beneficiary, and Canada Disability Savings Bonds (CDSBs), with a lifetime maximum of $20,000 per beneficiary, may be received up until the end of the year in which the beneficiary turns 49, depending on family income.

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Original contributions are not taxed when disability assistance payments are ultimately made to the beneficiary, but earnings, growth and government assistance are included in the beneficiary’s income. If the beneficiary has zero or minimal other income, the basic personal amount combined with the DTC may allow most or all of the funds to come out of the RDSP tax-free.

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Jamie Golombek, FCPA, FCA, CFP, CLU, TEP, is the managing director, Tax & Estate Planning with CIBC Private Wealth in Toronto. Jamie.Golombek@cibc.com.

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