Additional amount for disability under the Québec Pension Plan
Have you stopped working or have your employment earnings been considerably reduced due to your state of health? You could be entitled to the additional amount for disability. That is the case if you are aged between 60 and 65 and you have been receiving a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan for 6 months or more.
Are you entitled to the additional amount for disability?
You can apply for the additional amount for disability if:
- you stop working or your employment earnings decrease considerably due to your state of health;
- you earn less than $1680 gross (before taxes) per month;
- you are under age 65;
- you can no longer cancel your retirement pension uder the
QPP to receive a disability pension.
To be entitled to the additional amount for disability, you must:
If you are receiving a retirement pension under the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), you are not entitled to the additional amount for disability.
Could you be deemed to be disabled by Retraite Québec's medical advisors?
Retraite Québec's medical advisors can deem you to be disabled if your medical condition is
severe. It must prevent you from doing any type of work on a full-time basis. In addition, it must be
permanent, that is, it must be of
indefinite duration, without any possibility for improvement.
Your disability is not considered severe if:
- you can do work adapted to your limitations;
- you earned $20 171 or more in 2023, that is, at least $1680 gross (before taxes) per month.
Other agencies deem you to be disabled
An insurance company or other agency could deem you to be disabled. It does not automatically entitle you to receive a disability pension under the
QPP. The eligibility requirements of those agencies may be different.
Temporary disability (or temporary inability to work) is not covered under the
QPP.
The following elements are not taken into consideration when your ability to work is assessed from a medical standpoint:
- your language;
- your place of residence;
- the different jobs offered in your area.
Did you make sufficient contributions to the Québec Pension Plan?
You made sufficient contributions to the Québec Pension Plan to receive an additional amount for disability when you have contributed to the Québec Pension Plan for at least three of the last six years in your contributory period.
Your contributory period begins when you turn 18. It ends in the month during which Retraite Québec deems you to be disabled.
Consult your Statement of Participation under the Québec Pension Plan. Therefore, you will know if you made sufficient contributions to be entitled to disability benefits.
Amount and payments
In
2023, the additional amount for disability is $558.71 per month. The amount is added to your retirement pension until you turn 65. The additional amount for disability and your retirement pension are indexed, therefore, they are adjusted to the cost of living each year in January.
If you are receiving the additional amount for disability, your children cannot receive a pension for a disabled contributor's child.
Taxable amount
The additional amount for disability is taxable. You must therefore pay income taxes. We will not automatically deduct taxes from that income. However, you can
request source deductions.
At the beginning of each year, you receive a taxation slip to enclose with your income tax return. The slip indicates the amount of disability benefits that you received the previous year. The amount affects the calculation of the taxes, because it is added to your income. If you receive a retroactive payment, that is, for previous years, the payment and related interest are also taxable. Therefore, they are added to your income of the corresponding years.
First payment
Once your application has been sent, you will receive a decision. If your application is accepted, the letter will show you the amount of your first payment and the date on which you will receive it.
Note that there is a waiting period before you can receive your first payment, normally expected on the fourth month following the month during which you were deemed to be disabled.
Example of a waiting period before your first payment |
|
January |
February |
March |
April |
May |
| We deem a person to be disabled. |
The waiting period begins. | Second month of the waiting period. | Third month of the waiting period. | The waiting period has ended. Payment of the additional amount for disability begins. |
Thereafter, you will receive the additional amount for disability. Consult the
Payment dates.
We could deem you to be disabled again for the same reason within five years after payment of your disability pension has ended. In that case, you will receive your disability pension without waiting.
End of payment of your additional amount for disability
Payment related to the additional amount for disability ends when you turn 65. It also ends if you are no longer disabled or if your employment earnings increase.
Your employment earnings increase or you are returning to work
The additional amount for disability could be affected if you return to work or if your
employment earnings increase.
You could no longer be entitled to it before age 65.
Your state of health is improving
You are no longer entitled to the additional amount for disability if you are nolonger disabled.
Notify us of any change related to your state of health. That way, you can avoid having to repay amounts to which you were not entitled.
As of age 65
You will no longer automatically be entitled to the additional amount for disability when you turn 65. You will continue receiving your retirement pension. No action is required on your part.
Application for additional amount for disability
Would you like to file an application? Consult the
Application for Disability Benefits to find out the steps to take.
Also consult