No, not automatically.
If you or your child are significantly impaired by your ADHD, you may quality for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC).
Please note: the following information is intended as a general guideline only. I cannot promise whether any person will be approved for the DTC.
“Marked restrictions”
You may be eligible for the DTC if a medical practitioner certifies that you have a severe and prolonged impairment, or a cumulative effect of significant limitations.
The government of Canada defines “significant” as the following:
Limitations exist in 2 or more categories of functioning together all or almost all of the time (generally at least 90%)
Those categories being: walking, mental functions, dressing, feeding, eliminating, hearing, speaking, vision, and life-sustaining therapy
If the limitations were combined, their cumulative effect (combined impact) would be both of the following:
equivalent to being unable, or taking 3 times longer than someone of similar age without the impairment, to do an activity in 1 of the categories
present all or almost all of the time (generally at least 90%), even with the use of appropriate therapy, medication, and devices
The Canada.ca DTC information is focused primarily on those who have visible and/or physical disabilities, however severe executive dysfunction, behavioural challenges, or emotional regulation issues may allow a person to qualify.
The criteria focuses primarily on daily tasks of living, such as personal care (i.e. toileting, bathing, dressing, and other hygiene needs), however it does include mental functions. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder which does impact our cognitive functioning.
If a person with ADHD has such difficulty with following instructions, or following multistep routines, it is possible that it takes them approximately 3 times longer to complete activities of daily living.
For example, if you ask your child to go get dressed and brush their teeth, and a same-aged peer without ADHD would be considered old enough to follow these instructions independently, but your child needs continuous supervision or reminders in order to complete these basic tasks, this may be one aspect which qualifies.
If your child has significant academic, emotional, or behavioural challenges requiring 1:1 support at school or additional support services (such as Occupational Therapy, child psychology, social work), this may be another aspect which qualifies.
Basic DTC information
The DTC is a tax credit for which you can apply. If you are approved, you may be able to receive back-pay for previous tax years, dating back to the first date your child’s (or your own) disability was diagnosed, or began to significantly impact everyday life.
If you are approved, your eligibility lasts for up to four years, with the possibility of audits being performed more frequently. After four years or less, you must re-apply.
In order to apply, you are required to submit documentation from a medical professional (a doctor or psychologist, for example) proving that your child’s (or your own) day-to-day functioning is significantly impacted by ADHD.
Other ways to get support
If you are not approved for the DTC, you can re-apply in the future, or submit an appeal.
If you are not eligible for the DTC, you can seek supports from your child’s school, or from social services agencies with no fees (i.e. government funded or non-profit NGOs) or places with sliding scale fees.
You may also have coverage through your workplace’s insurance for psychological services, social services, and occupational therapy.
Please, try not to be deterred by long wait times.
Well, yes, they are discouraging and frustrating. What I mean is, regardless of what you are told about the length of the wait, put your child or yourself down on that wait list anyway.
Sometimes there’s a cancellation list and you might have an opportunity to get in sooner, or the organization could hire or receive a funding increase (yeah, right) and then start taking on new clients more quickly.
My point is: you just never know. And when you re-apply for the DTC or seek out other supports, you will be able to demonstrate the effort you have put in to securing help from multiple avenues.
If you are approved
If you are approved for the DTC, how much you receive will depend on your household income and other personal financial factors. (Please speak to a professional financial advisor if you have specific questions).
Something not everyone is aware of is, if you are approved for the DTC, you are also automatically approved for a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).
If you qualified for the DTC, I highly recommend arranging an RDSP with your financial institution. All you need is the letter of approval from the CRA and your most recent tax summary (but talk to your bank ahead of time to ensure you have everything you need to open the account).
The RDSP is a government-subsidized savings plan to help you save for yours or your child’s future. The government will match your contributions up to a certain maximum amount.
Each year you will receive a notice indicating what your maximum entitlement is, which will depend upon your household income, and how long you have been contributing to the account.
There are particular rules about making withdrawals from the account, so please read the information available on the CRA website, and speak to your financial advisor.
(I am not an accountant and am only sharing general information as a guide, this is not intended as specific financial advice).
Once the account has been accumulating savings for 10 years or more, the beneficiary can begin to make withdrawals. This money can be used for living expenses, expenses related to one’s disability, education, and support services.
If you withdraw money before the 10 years has passed, you may lose some or all of the government contributions.
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