Canada Disability Benefit (CDB): what it pays, when, and who gets it

What is the Canada Disability Benefit?

The Canada Disability Benefit is a monthly federal income supplement for working-age adults with disabilities who have low incomes. It is run by Employment and Social Development Canada and paid by Service Canada, not by the Canada Revenue Agency, which is why you apply for it separately from your tax return.

The government launched the CDB in June 2025 and the first monthly payments went out in July 2025. By its September 2026 news release, Employment and Social Development Canada reported that 335,650 people had received a combined $813 million from the program (ESDC, September 2026).

Three features set the CDB apart from other disability payments. It is tied to the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) rather than to a work history, it is reduced by family income rather than by assets, and it is not taxable. That makes it different from the CPP disability benefit, which depends on your Canada Pension Plan contributions and is taxed.

When is the Canada Disability Benefit payment made in 2026?

Each Canada Disability Benefit payment is issued on the third Thursday of the month. The official 2026 schedule on the Government of Canada benefits calendar follows that rule for all 12 months.

The CDB does not arrive with CPP or Old Age Security. Those are paid near the end of the month (for example, October 28, 2026), while the CDB comes mid-month. Official 2027 dates are not yet announced; the full schedule, a labelled projection and what to do about a late deposit are on the CDB payment dates page.

How much is the Canada Disability Benefit payment?

From July 2026 to June 2027 the maximum Canada Disability Benefit is $204.20 a month, up from $200 a month in the first benefit year (Canada.ca, How much you could receive). The benefit year runs July to June, and the rate is adjusted for inflation each July.

You receive the full amount if your adjusted family net income is $23,000 or less as a single person, or $32,500 or less as a couple. Above those levels the benefit shrinks by 20 cents for each extra dollar, or by 10 cents each when both partners qualify. Up to $10,210 of a single person's working income ($14,294 for a couple) is ignored before that test is applied.

The July 2026 to June 2027 amounts use income from your 2025 tax return. Worked examples for singles, couples and people with job income are on the CDB amount page.

Who qualifies for the CDB, and why the Disability Tax Credit matters

To qualify for the Canada Disability Benefit you must be 18 to 64, be approved for the Disability Tax Credit, be a resident of Canada for tax purposes, and have filed your 2025 federal return. If you have a spouse or common-law partner, they must have filed too.

You also need one of these statuses: Canadian citizen, permanent resident, person registered or entitled to be registered under the Indian Act, protected person, or temporary resident who has lived in Canada for the previous 18 months.

The DTC is the gate. The CRA approves it on Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate, which a medical practitioner certifies. Without an approved T2201 you cannot receive the CDB, however low your income. The step-by-step application, including the six-digit invitation code and applying for someone else, is covered in CDB eligibility and how to apply.

What is the $150 CDB supplemental payment?

The supplemental payment is a one-time $150 for each approved Disability Tax Credit certificate that makes someone eligible for the CDB. Its purpose is to offset what people pay to get the T2201 form completed by a medical practitioner.

The first round went out on September 17, 2026, to people who received CDB payments between July 2025 and June 2026, including anyone who received only one payment. People approved for a new or renewed DTC certificate from July 2026 onward are scheduled to be paid in winter 2027; the exact date is not yet announced. No application is needed. Details are on the CDB supplemental payment page.

Can you get Canada Disability Benefit back pay?

Yes. Service Canada can pay back payments for up to 24 months before it receives your application, but never for months before June 2025. Your first deposit arrives on the third Thursday of the month after approval and includes any back pay owed.

Because the program started in June 2025, anyone who applies before mid-2027 can still reach back to the first month. After that, each month of delay can cost a month of benefit. The CDB back pay page shows how the window moves and what a lump sum looks like.

Is the CDB taxable, and does it affect other benefits?

No. Canada.ca states that CDB payments are non-taxable, do not need to be reported on your return, and come with no tax slip. The Income Tax Act was amended so the benefit is not treated as income, which also keeps it out of the net income the CRA uses for other federal benefits.

Provincial social assistance is a separate question, because each province sets its own rules. A federal briefing note from May 2025 recorded that Alberta chose to reduce AISH by the CDB, while several other provinces and territories said they would not. Is the Canada Disability Benefit taxable covers reporting and provincial interactions in detail.

Other disability payments you may be able to get

Approval for the Disability Tax Credit can open several other payments. These are separate programs with their own dates and income rules.

Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador aged 18 to 64 with the DTC may also receive the provincial Newfoundland and Labrador Disability Benefit with no application. Parents of a child with an approved DTC can receive the Child Disability Benefit with their Canada Child Benefit.

Canada Disability Benefit guides on this site

• CDB payment dates for 2026 and 2027: every date, the third-Thursday rule and missing payments.
• CDB amount: the $204.20 maximum, thresholds and worked examples.
• CDB eligibility and how to apply: the rules and the four ways to apply.
• CDB back pay: the 24-month rule and the June 2025 floor.
• CDB $150 supplemental payment: who got it and the winter 2027 round.
• Is the CDB taxable: tax status and provincial assistance.
• Newfoundland and Labrador Disability Benefit: the $400 provincial payment.