Canada Student Disability Grant: Payment Dates, Amounts, & Eligibility

The Canada Student Grant for Students With Disabilities provides financial assistance to students with permanent or prolonged disabilities.

Paid every school year, eligible full-time and part-time students with disabilities can receive $4,000 annually from this federal program.

This article covers everything you must know about the Canada student disability grant, including its payment dates, eligibility requirements and how much you can receive.

What is the Canada Student Grant for Students With Disabilities?

The Canada Student Grant for Students With Disabilities is a government program that helps full-time or part-time students with a permanent, persistent or prolonged disability with the cost of education.

It is available to eligible students for each year of study. The school year runs from August 1 to July 31. You can apply for the grant when you apply for student aid in your province or territory.

This grant is not available to students from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Quebec since they have their own student aid programs.

Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities

The Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities is a government program that helps qualified students pay for extraordinary education-related costs for services and assistive equipment.

The services and equipment covered by this grant include:

• Tutors
• Note takers
• Interpreters
• Readers
• Assistive technology (computer, software, etc.)
• Specialized transportation (to and from school)
• Reimbursements for learning disability assessments

Canada Student Financial Assistance (CSFA) Program

The Canada Student Financial Assistance (CSFA) Program provides the Canada Student Grants and Loans to help qualified full-time and part-time students with the costs of post-secondary education.

You only need to submit one application through your province or territory of residence. Your application will be automatically assessed for multiple types of student grants when you apply for student aid with your province or territory.

Do you have to pay back Canada student grants?

Unlike loans, Canada student grants, or Federal Student Grants, do not need to be paid back.

These non-repayable grants provided by the Government of Canada are often given based on a student’s financial need rather than merit.

How Much Can You Receive from the Canada Student Disability Grant?

For the Canada Student Disability Grant, you can be eligible for $4,000 per year and continue to receive it as long as you still qualify. The grant payment will remain the same regardless of the amount of your assessed need.

If you qualify for the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities, you can receive up to $20,000 per school year.

• In British Columbia, eligible students receive a grant amount of $2,800 per program year. The amount is temporarily increased from $2,000 from pre-pandemic levels until July 2024.

• In Ontario, students with disabilities can get the maximum funding per academic year of $2,000 from the Bursary for Students with Disabilities and $20,000 from the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities.

• Nova Scotia provides up to $2,800 per year for students with disabilities and up to $20,000 per year for students eligible for Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities.

When Will You Receive the Grant?

You can receive the Canada Student Disability Grant every school year for as long as you remain eligible. The school year runs from August 1 to July 31.

Canada Student Disability Grant Eligibility

In Canada, severe permanent disability can refer to any functional limitation in activities that people have to do daily, such as speaking, hearing, remembering, and finding their way around.

You can be eligible for the Canada Student Disability Grant if you meet the following requirements:

• Have a financial need;
• A student in a qualified program at a designated school;
• A student with a disability recognized by the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program, and
• An application along with a document (or documents) showing you have a disability.

Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities

To be eligible for the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities, you must complete the eligibility requirements for the Canada Student Disability Grant, as well as the following:

• Written confirmation from a qualified person that you need education-related services or equipment; and
• A document confirming the related cost of equipment and services.

Any of the following individuals are qualified to confirm your need for education-related services or equipment:

• A rehabilitation caseworker;
• An official from a centre for students with disabilities;
• A guidance counsellor; or
• A financial aid administrator from the student’s school.

How to Apply for the Canada Student Disability Grant

To apply for the Canada Student Disability Grant and the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities, go to your province or territory to determine your eligibility and how much you can get.

Below is the list of the provincial and territorial student aid offices in Canada:

• Alberta Student Aid
• British Columbia Student Aid
• Manitoba Student Aid
• New Brunswick Student Financial Services
• Newfoundland and Labrador Student Aid
• Northwest Territories Student Financial Assistance
• Nova Scotia Student Assistance
• Nunavut Student Funding
• Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)
• Prince Edward Island Student Financial Services
• Quebec Student Financial Aid
• Saskatchewan Student Loans
• Yukon Student Financial Assistance

After you submit your application, your provincial or territorial student aid service will notify you of what you must do to obtain the grant.

You can receive your grant once you (or your school) confirm your enrollment. Log in to your National Student Loans Service Centre account to verify you are enrolled.

You can apply for the grants at the same time that you apply for student aid in your province or territory.

Other Canada Disability Grants

The Registered Disability Savings Plan

The Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) is a long-term savings plan designed to help Canadians with disabilities, and their families, save for the future.

Contributions to an RDSP are not tax-deductible and can be made until the end of the year when the beneficiary turns 59.

The government will pay a matching grant of 300%, 200%, or 100%, depending on the beneficiary’s adjusted family net income and the contribution amount.

To be eligible for this plan, you must meet the following requirements:

• A resident of Canada;
• Under the age of 60;
• Social insurance number; and
• Have a long-term disability that qualifies you for the Disability Tax Credit.

You can get up to $3,500 in one year in matching grants and up to $70,000 over your lifetime. Your RDSP can receive a grant on contributions made until December 31 of the year in which you turn 49.

Canada Disability Savings Grant and Bond

When you open an RDSP, you can apply for the following:

Canada Disability Savings Grant

The Canada Disability Savings Grant is a matching grant that the government pays up until December 31 of the year you turn 49.

The maximum amount you receive is $3,500, with a limit of $70,000 over your lifetime.

Canada Disability Savings Bond

The Canada Disability Savings Bond is the money the Canadian government pays to the RDSPs of low- and modest-income individuals. There is no requirement to contribute to the plan to get the bond.

The maximum amount the government will pay is $1,000, with a limit of $20,000. An RDSP will receive payments until the year the beneficiary turns 49.

You can receive a higher amount if you received approval for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) for any or all of the past e10 years, an amount called a carry-forward.

The DTC is a non-refundable credit that reduces your taxable income to zero and offsets the additional disability-related living costs.

When you receive DTC approval, the government will reimburse you with retroactive tax credits for up to 10 years in addition to an annual refund in the future.

The DTC for 2023 can be anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 per year of eligibility for an adult, and from $3,000 to $4,500 per year of eligibility for a child.

The Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) administers the grant and the bond programs.

FAQs

Related:

• Student Loan Forgiveness in Canada
• Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability
• B.C Disability Benefit