Federal One-Time $150 Disability Payments Start Sept. 17

Bank of Canada $100 and $50 banknotes are seen in Vancouver, B.C. on March 28, 2021. Those who qualify for the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) program will automatically be awarded a one-time payment of $150 on Sept. 17, 2026. The Canadian Press/Bayne Stanley

Canadians who qualify for the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) program will receive an automatic one-time payment of $150 from the federal government this month to help offset the cost associated with applying for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC).

Distribution of the new supplemental payment will begin on Sept. 17, Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu announced in a Sept. 10 press release.

“This new supplemental payment will help cover the cost of getting the disability tax credit, so more people can access the support they are entitled to,” she said.

Eligible recipients will receive a $150 supplemental payment for each approved DTC certificate that qualifies them for the CDB, the release said. This includes people who received their CDB payments in a single instalment for a complete payment period, as well as people who have received the benefit in the past.

An individual who has received only one payment and is no longer eligible for the CDB would still qualify for this funding, the government said.

It will not be necessary to apply for the payment. Eligible individuals will receive the payment automatically, based on their eligibility date for the benefits program.

Those who qualified between July 2025 and June 2026 will receive their payment on Sept. 17, and those who became eligible after July 2026 will be issued a payment early next year.

The Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) program officially started accepting applications last June and the first monthly payments were issued the following month for those who qualified. The benefit offers a maximum of $200 per month, or $2,400 per year, to low-income adults with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64.

Applicants must be approved for the Disability Tax Credit to qualify for the benefit.

The government said at the time that applicants would receive their first payment on the third Thursday of the month following their approval and would also be eligible for back payments “if applicable.”

Since its official launch by Service Canada last year, the CDB program has drawn criticism from some applicants and advocacy groups over payment delays and what they describe as a lengthy and complicated application process.

A major technical system issue miscalculated working income exemptions shortly after the initial rollout, causing thousands of eligible applicants to receive underpaid amounts or face payment delays. 

Advocacy organizations such as Disability Without Poverty said the administrative issues undermined trust among people relying on the benefit.

The Canada Disability Benefit was introduced in parliament in 2022 and was passed the following year. It officially became law in June 2023 after receiving royal assent.

The government allocated $6.1 billion in the 2024 federal budget over a span of six years to support the initiative, along with a continuous annual funding of $1.4 billion.