So there’s been a bunch of confusion about this new one-time COVID-19-related payment of $600 that you get if you have the Disability Tax Credit here in Canada. People are running around wondering if they need to apply for something special to get the payment. If you already have the Disability Tax credit, no, you don’t.
Now, let’s do the longer version. Like I said, if you know you have a Disability Tax Credit Certificate filed, and it’s all good, then you just wait for the payment. That link says it will come in the fall. The fun comes if you have any doubt about whether you have a valid Disability Tax Credit Certificate on file. Depending on whatever they determine when you first filled it out, you sometimes have to renew the certificate. Mine just keeps rolling over since my eyes aren’t going to spontaneously heal no matter how many people try to pray for me. Whatever the case is, the status is tied to your account. So, if someone does your taxes, you can go ask them to let you know if you have one of these, or if you have access to all the features of CRA My Account, you can go check for yourself. After you log in, go to credits and benefits, and you will find a heading for Disability Tax Credit, whether you have a certificate and a link to view it if you have one.
If by some unfortunate set of circumstances, you are eligible for the Disability Tax credit and don’t have the certificate, you still can get it before it’s too late. They say you have until September 25 to get it and be able to get this one-time payment. What you need to do is get a T2201 form and you and your doctor fill it out. I don’t even remember doing this, probably because my folks were smart and did this when I was 18, and at the time, I was 18 and a clueless stupidhead about things like this. But that’s how it works. You should probably move quickly because I think I read somewhere that it takes up to 8 weeks for them to process the T2201 forms…and you barely have that before the window closes. So go, go, go!
To those who need to get their Disability Tax Credit stuff together, good luck. To the rest of us, you can relax now. The payment will come.
Also related: No, this has absolutely nothing to do with your ODSP. Wrong level of government. Please stop asking. Several ODSP related communities have moderators who’d probably appreciate it.
Oy. People. Federal, provincial! Learn it, fear it, respect it.
How are people feeling about having to wait until sometime in the fall? I can’t imagine that’s going over well in some circles.
I can’t speak for everyone, but this particular people was hoping for a wee bit of means testing. I mean, I’ll take the free money, and maybe the bill collectors can send Trudeau a thank you letter, but I can do my job from home and my finances haven’t been impacted overly much, so I really don’t *need* the payment. Things are starting to be even less screwy, so I mean who knows? Maybe by the time they send it out I can use it to buy a ticket out of the city for a few days.
You may not technically need it, but remember, there’s no such thing as extra money. There’s just money you have before something goes boom.
And honestly, I’m half amazed to see any level of government thinking about disabled people at all. Under normal circumstances they would all be tripping over themselves to help the struggling large business owner instead of worrying about you or I.