Canada Disability Savings Grant 2026: Rates and Rules

If you're also saving for a child's education, our RESP grants guide covers the separate education grants; this page goes deeper on the disability plan only.

What the Grant and the Bond Pay in 2026

A beneficiary with 2026 family income of $38,237 or less can get $4,500 of government money in a year by contributing $1,500: $3,500 in grant plus the $1,000 bond. That's $3 back for every $1 saved. ESDC's how much you could get page (opens in a new tab) sets out the 2026 rules.

Source: ESDC "How much you could get" page and Notice #577. Lifetime limits: $70,000 grant and $20,000 bond.

Three rules shape the numbers:

• Income comes from 2 years back. ESDC uses the family income on the tax return from 2 years earlier, so 2026 payments are based on 2024 returns. A family whose income fell in 2025 won't see a higher rate until 2027.
• Whose income counts changes at 19. Until December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 18, the parents' or guardians' combined income is used. From the year they turn 19, it's the beneficiary's own income plus any spouse's. That switch is why many young adults suddenly qualify for the full bond.
• Contributing more than $1,500 doesn't earn more grant in a normal year. ESDC calls the extra an unassisted contribution, and it can't be withdrawn without triggering repayment of grants and bonds.

The thresholds are indexed every year. The CRA's own grant and bond page still showed the 2025 figures ($37,487, $57,375 and $114,750) when Grantsights checked it, while ESDC's pages and Notice #577 carry the 2026 figures. ESDC administers the grant and bond, so lead with its numbers.

Source: ESDC Notice #577, Table 2. These older lines still matter, because carry-forward payments for past years use each year's own thresholds.

Who Qualifies, and the Age Deadlines

The beneficiary must be approved for the DTC, be a resident of Canada, have a SIN, and open the plan before December 31 of the year they turn 59, according to ESDC's who can open a plan page (opens in a new tab). The plan holder also needs a SIN.

The age rules are where families lose money:

Who can be the plan holder. For a minor, it's a parent, legal representative or public department. An adult who can enter a contract must hold their own plan. If an adult's ability to contract is in doubt and they have no legal representative, a qualifying family member (spouse, common-law partner, parent or adult sibling) can open the plan for them. ESDC's Notice #492 says Budget 2023 extended this family-member measure until December 31, 2026. Grantsights found no announced extension beyond that date on October 30, 2026, so families relying on it should open the plan before year end or ask the issuer what applies in 2027.

Getting the DTC first. The DTC application (Form T2201) is filed with the CRA, which says on its Disability tax credit page (opens in a new tab) that it now only accepts the digital application or mail, not the "submit documents" service in your CRA account. A beneficiary can only have one RDSP at a time. Students who get DTC approval should also check the federal grant for students with disabilities in our Canada Student Grant guide, because the same paperwork often supports both.

Catching Up: the 10-Year Carry-Forward

A beneficiary who was DTC-approved and lived in Canada in past years can collect up to 10 years of missed grants and bonds, according to the CRA's grant and bond page (opens in a new tab). The annual caps rise to $10,500 of grant and $11,000 of bond while you're catching up.

A case in point is ESDC's worked example of "Paul", DTC-approved since 2015 with $35,000 income, who opens a plan in 2026. A $3,500 contribution brings the $10,500 annual maximum, applied to 2016 to 2022 at the 300% rate. The next year a $4,000 contribution brings another $10,500, but 2016 has now slipped out of the 10-year window. The lesson: each year you wait, the oldest year of entitlement drops off for good.

Lower-income beneficiaries get the bond catch-up with no money down. ESDC's example of "Lisa", DTC-approved since 2021 with $19,000 income, gets $6,000 deposited automatically when she opens a plan in 2026. If income was above the bond line in some of those years, those years pay less or nothing.

Grantsights Analysis of the Canada Disability Savings Program Data

The Government of Canada paid $566.4 million in grants and $200.0 million in bonds into RDSPs in 2024, against $382.7 million of private contributions, according to Grantsights analysis of ESDC's CDSP open data (table 3, 2024). That's $2.00 of government money for every $1 contributed. Since 2008, the government has put in $5.1 billion in grants and $2.1 billion in bonds, and total RDSP assets reached $12.8 billion by December 2024, according to the 2024 Annual Report.

Grantsights analysis of CDSP open data tables 2 and 3 (calendar 2024, downloaded October 30, 2026) and take-up rates from the 2024 Annual Report, Figure 2. Take-up is the share of DTC-approved people aged 0 to 49 who have an RDSP. The open data combines the 3 territories. Dollar figures are rounded.

What the data shows:

• Two in three eligible people still have no plan. The national take-up rate was 34% in 2024, down from 37% in 2021. ESDC's report says the main reason is the 2022 change that made people with type 1 diabetes eligible for the DTC (retroactive to 2021), which grew the eligible pool faster than new plans. Nunavut's rate was 9%.
• Many open plans got no grant that year. The report counts 135,000 beneficiaries who received a grant and 139,000 who received a bond in 2024, against 311,000 active plans. About 54,000 of those plans belong to people aged 50 and over, who can't get either, but that still leaves roughly 120,000 plans for people under 50 with no grant in 2024, usually because nobody contributed.
• Lower-income provinces get more per dollar saved. Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I. and New Brunswick got $2.58 to $2.84 of government money for every dollar contributed, because more beneficiaries there qualify for the bond, which needs no contribution. Alberta was lowest among the provinces at $1.66.
• Age 49 is a hard cliff. In the open data, people aged 50 and over contributed $40.6 million in 2024 and received no grants or bonds. The report notes a spike in contributions just before age 50 among people who opened plans late, which is catch-up money people rush to claim before the deadline.
• New plans are rising. About 31,000 beneficiaries opened a plan in 2024, the most in the 7 years the report covers.

What ESDC Doesn't Tell You About the Grant

ESDC's pages explain each rule on its own. These are the common mistakes and traps that sit between them.

1. Withdrawing early costs $3 for every $1. If any grant or bond was paid in the last 10 years, ESDC's withdrawal page (opens in a new tab) says you repay $3 of grant and bond for every $1 withdrawn, up to the total paid in that period. A $600 withdrawal can cost $1,800 of government money. Your financial organization must hold back that amount (the "assistance holdback amount") in case it has to be repaid.

2. Closing the plan or death repays 10 years of grants. When a plan is closed or the beneficiary dies, the proportional rule doesn't apply: every grant and bond paid in the previous 10 years goes back to the government, and the rest goes to the estate by December 31 of the year after death. Families of people with a life expectancy of 5 years or less should ask the issuer about the specified disability savings plan election, which allows withdrawals of up to $10,000 a year without that repayment.

3. Losing DTC approval doesn't wipe out the grant. Since 2021, if the beneficiary loses DTC approval, the holder can keep the plan open. ESDC's DTC approval page (opens in a new tab) says no grants and bonds have to be repaid just because of the loss, but no new contributions, grants or bonds are allowed, and withdrawals before age 60 trigger repayment of grants and bonds paid in the 10 years before approval was lost.

4. Missed tax returns mean missed bonds. ESDC needs filed tax returns for the past 2 years to set the rate. The beneficiary should start filing their own return every year from the year they turn 17, even with no income, or the bond can stop when the income test switches to them at 19.

5. Rollovers don't earn a grant. Money moved in from a deceased parent's or grandparent's RRSP or RRIF, or RESP investment income, counts toward the $200,000 lifetime contribution limit but gets no matching grant, according to ESDC's contributions page (opens in a new tab). Contribute fresh money to collect the match. Our RESP grants guide explains when an RESP can roll its earnings into an RDSP.

6. Withdrawals can hit provincial benefits in 3 provinces. Opening and contributing don't affect federal, provincial or territorial benefits anywhere, but ESDC says withdrawals may reduce provincial benefits in Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

7. Withdrawals are capped when government money outweighs yours. ESDC's 2024 report explains that if grants and bonds exceed private contributions at the start of a year, yearly withdrawals are limited to the greater of 10% of the plan's value or a formula in the Income Tax Act. Honest advice: families who expect to need the money in their 60s may prefer to contribute enough to match the government's share.

How to Open an RDSP and Apply

Opening an RDSP and applying for the grant and bond happens at the same time, and you don't need an existing account at the bank you choose, according to ESDC.

1. Get DTC approval for the beneficiary from the CRA. Without it, no financial organization can open the plan.
2. Make sure the beneficiary and holder have SINs, and that tax returns are filed for the past 2 years.
3. Choose a financial organization. ESDC's how to open a plan page (opens in a new tab) lists 19 that have agreed to be named, including the big banks, Desjardins and several investment firms, and says other credit unions and planners may also offer RDSPs. Ask about fees and investment options.
4. Sign the grant and bond application when you open the plan. Bonds for eligible past years are deposited automatically; grants arrive within 6 to 8 weeks of each eligible contribution.
5. Watch for the Statement of Entitlement each February up to the year the beneficiary turns 49. It shows how much grant is available that year, including carry-forward, and how much to contribute to get it.

Anyone can contribute with the holder's permission, which is how grandparents and other relatives often add money. A full plan can be moved to another participating financial organization, but partial transfers aren't allowed.

The Canada Disability Benefit Is Separate

People searching for the disability savings grant often mean the Canada Disability Benefit, which is a monthly payment, not savings. According to Canada.ca's Canada Disability Benefit page (opens in a new tab), it pays DTC-approved people aged 18 to 64 up to $204.20 a month for July 2026 to June 2027, based on 2025 family income. Single people get the full amount with adjusted family net income of $23,000 or less after subtracting up to $10,210 of working income, according to Canada.ca's amount page, which still uses the July 2025 to June 2026 figures in its examples. From fall 2026, eligible recipients also get a one-time $150 supplemental payment toward the cost of getting the DTC, with no application needed.

Canada.ca's amount page says RDSP income received is subtracted when the Canada Disability Benefit calculates adjusted family net income, so RDSP withdrawals don't reduce it.

Scams and Red Flags

The grant and bond are free to claim through your financial organization, so anyone charging a percentage to "unlock" RDSP money is a red flag. Keep these points in mind:

• DTC promoter fees are capped by law. Companies that charge to help with a DTC application can't take a share of your refund. The Disability Tax Credit Promoters Restrictions Regulations (opens in a new tab) set the cap at $100 per request when it began in 2021, indexed to inflation from December 2025. The CRA application itself is free.
• No one needs your SIN to "release" a bond. Bonds for past years are paid automatically into the plan after you open it and apply. A caller asking for your SIN, CRA login or bank details to speed this up isn't part of the process.
• Check the CRA's fraud guidance. The CRA's protect yourself against fraud page (opens in a new tab) explains how to check whether a call or text is really from the CRA, and fraud can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (opens in a new tab).
• Call ESDC directly. For RDSP questions, use the contact details on ESDC's own RDSP pages rather than a number in an unsolicited message.

Related Grants and Savings Guides

An RDSP is one piece of the money available to people with disabilities and their families:

• Children's education savings. Our RESP grants guide covers the Canada Education Savings Grant and the Canada Learning Bond, and explains when RESP earnings can roll into an RDSP.
• Students with disabilities. The Canada Student Grant guide covers the federal grant of up to $2,800 a year for students with permanent or persistent disabilities.
• Ontario students. Our OSAP grants guide explains Ontario's 2026-27 changes to grants and loans.
• Families in the UK. If you're comparing systems, our Disabled Facilities Grant guide covers the UK grant for home adaptations.

Sources Checked

All pages read and files downloaded on October 30, 2026.

• ESDC: Registered Disability Savings Plan (opens in a new tab), How much you could get (opens in a new tab), Who can open a plan and apply (opens in a new tab), How to open a plan (opens in a new tab), Make contributions (opens in a new tab), If you lose DTC approval (opens in a new tab), Withdraw money (opens in a new tab), Transfer or close a plan (opens in a new tab)
• ESDC issuer bulletins: Notice #577, 2026 income matching rates (opens in a new tab) and Notice #492, qualifying family member measure (opens in a new tab)
• Canada Disability Savings Program: 2024 Annual Report (opens in a new tab) and CDSP Statistics open data (opens in a new tab)
• Canada Revenue Agency: Canada disability savings grant and bond (opens in a new tab), Disability tax credit (opens in a new tab)
• Canada.ca: Canada Disability Benefit (opens in a new tab), eligibility (opens in a new tab) and amounts (opens in a new tab)
• Justice Laws: Disability Tax Credit Promoters Restrictions Regulations (SOR/2021-55) (opens in a new tab)