Disability Tax Credit (DTC)

Does the DTC (Disability Tax Credit) last forever or does it expire?

When you or your loved one qualifies for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), there will be an expiry date listed on your approval paperwork or your online My Account (Government of Canada) For example, our son was diagnosed at 3, and the approved DTC had an expiry date after 5 years. Well, guess what? 5 years later and he was still autistic. We applied again and had no issues getting it renewed. Our new expiration is when he becomes an adult. However, I’ve heard of it being renewed as well as declined for other families.  

Some other DTC tips:

• Apply for the DTC if eligible. 
• The DTC can be retroactive up to 10 years, it is worth trying to backdate.  
• Ask your doctor about backdating to birth or when symptoms arose.  
• Consult a professional or support agency like Disability Alliance BC (DABC). 
  
• Practical Tips on Autism and the DTC application

What to do if you are denied the DTC? 

• Contact CRA to request a review of your application. 
• Flood them with information, such as new or updated medical reports, letters from medical practitioners familiar with your situation, or assessments. 
• Include a detailed list of all daily challenges.  
• DTC approval is not about the label or diagnosis, it is about how the disability impacts the person and to what degree they require additional support beyond what is expected of a “typical” person their age, especially around daily functioning.  
• It is important to think about home, school, work and community environments and list all barriers and challenges. 
• Write your Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) or Member of Parliament (MP). 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Autism Tax

David Taylor, AutismBC society member and a knowledgeable expert in the area of autism money matters, has presented many groups with his “Autism and Taxes” talk and spent many years navigating all the funding options for kids on the spectrum. In this interview, David Taylor, answers some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding Autism Tax and Finance he’s come across over the years. Watch the video below: 

Can we backdate all the money that we pay the BI? Can we claim them under medical expenses in our income tax? 

If you are using your autism funding to pay for the BI, you can not use that as a tax deduction as you aren’t paying out of pocket. If you are paying above and beyond the autism funding, then I would check with an accountant about if you can claim it, perhaps as childcare or medical expenses.

You can also contact Disability Alliance BC (DABC) and they provide free tax information.

Resources

Autism Funding in BC is one of the best sites out there and totally worth bookmarking! Written by a parent, there is so much more than tax information on this site, find out about RDSPs, BC Funding, Federal Funding, and more! Check out Tax Time as well as New Disability Tax Credit Documents.

Disability Tax Credit and RDSP (Canadians Only) – Facebook Group 

Other Government Benefits to look at:

Child Disability Benefit (CDB) 

Canada Caregiver Credit (CCC)

Autism and the T2201 Guide – “Are you thinking of applying for or renewing the Disability Tax Credit Certificate? If so, there is a new version of my Autism and the T2201 Guide released with some significant changes,” (Autism Funding in BC, July 27, 2022).