# Disability Tax Credit and Retroactive Refund

> Disability claims can reach back 10 years. Estimate the federal credit for each year, plus the extra amount for a person under 18

An adult who claims the disability tax credit back to 2021 could see $8,443 in federal credits over six tax years. Pick your first year below and the disability tax credit calculator adds up each year for you.

## What is the credit worth each year for an adult?

For any year, the credit is the disability amount times the lowest federal tax rate of that year. That rate was 15% up to 2024, 14.5% for 2025 and 14% for 2026. The table starts at 2021.

| Tax year | Disability amount | Federal credit, adult | Under 18 supplement |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2021 | $8,662 | $1,299 | $5,053 |
| 2022 | $8,870 | $1,331 | $5,174 |
| 2023 | $9,428 | $1,414 | $5,500 |
| 2024 | $9,872 | $1,481 | $5,758 |
| 2025 | $10,138 | $1,470 | $5,914 |
| 2026 | $10,341 | $1,448 | $6,032 |

Notice the credit slipped in 2025 and 2026 even though the amount went up. The rate was cut, and that outweighed the rise.

## Two examples, one adult and one child

Take an adult claiming from 2021 with no cap on tax paid. The yearly credits are $1,299, $1,331, $1,414, $1,481, $1,470 and $1,448, and they add up to $8,443. Choose Ontario and a provincial credit of $530 appears for 2026, kept apart from that total.

Now tick the box for a person under 18 and start in 2024. The credit is $2,345 for 2024, $2,328 for 2025 and $2,292 for 2026, a total of $6,964. That supplement is why a child's figure runs so much higher than an adult's. For 2026 alone the gap is $844 ($2,292 against $1,448).

## Who can claim it?

The CRA's [disability tax credit page](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/segments/tax-credits-deductions-persons-disabilities/disability-tax-credit.html) says a person with a severe and prolonged impairment may apply for it. The calculator can't judge that for you, and neither can this page. It only shows what the credit is worth if approval comes through.

A parent or caregiver often does the paperwork for a child. Picture Priya in Surrey, whose daughter is ten: she would tick the under 18 box here to see the larger figure, then start the real application with the CRA separately.

## Will I actually get a refund?

Not automatically. The credit can't push your tax below zero, so if a person paid $500 of federal tax in a year, only $500 of credit is usable for that year, whatever the table says. Enter the tax paid each year and the calculator caps every year at that number. Leave it at 0 to see the uncapped value.

Here's how the cap plays out. If someone paid $900 of federal tax for 2023, only $900 of the $1,414 credit is usable, and the other $514 is lost for that year. That's why a low earner often sees far less than the headline total.

Two more limits. The supplement for a person under 18 is reduced when child care or attendant care expenses were claimed above a set threshold, and the calculator doesn't model that reduction.

And approval comes first. A claim only works once the person has been approved, and that approval is separate from this estimate. Once it's granted, the credit can also open other programs, such as the registered disability savings plan and the Canada Disability Benefit.

## What else can you claim alongside it?

Many people with a disability claim other credits too, and the [tax credits calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/income-tax/tax-credits) shows the wider set. For a child, the [Canada Child Benefit calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/family-benefits/canada-child-benefit) includes the child disability benefit. Household support is covered by the [GST/HST credit calculator](https://tax-services.ca/calculators/family-benefits/gst-hst-credit).

## Where this information comes from

Disability amounts for 2016 to 2026 are from the federal tax credit pages. We calculate each yearly credit by multiplying the amount by the rate, so it may differ from your return by a dollar. Provincial amounts for 2026 come from payroll forms, and Quebec isn't included. We checked the figures on 29 September 2026. We aren't a government service and we don't speak for one.

---
Source: https://tax-services.ca/calculators/family-benefits/disability-tax-credit
Last updated: 2026-10-08
Independent information site. Not affiliated with the CRA. No services, no guarantee of accuracy. See https://tax-services.ca/disclaimer