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What to know before you apply

Apply as soon as you develop a severe and prolonged disability

You should apply for CPP disability benefits if you have a severe and prolonged disability that prevents you from working regularly.

The date Service Canada receives your application could affect when your benefit starts.

If someone is helping you communicate with Service Canada

You can authorize someone to communicate with Service Canada on your behalf by:

  1. signing in to your My Service Canada Account and selecting the "Give consent to communicate on my behalf" link
    OR
  2. completing the Consent to Communicate Information to an Authorized Person form (ISP-1603)

This does not give someone consent to:

  • apply for benefits on your behalf
  • change your payment address
  • request or change the withholding of tax
If you are applying on someone's behalf

To act as an administrator for someone who cannot manage their own pension and benefits, you must:

  1. have a medical professional complete the Certificate of Incapability form (ISP-3505)
  2. choose and complete the form that applies to you:
If you're a parent or guardian

You can request the child-rearing provision and the children's benefit (both are included in the application form).

Keep track of your documents and correspondence

Keep photocopies of everything you submit. If you call us, write down the name of the person you speak to and the date and time of your conversation.

How to apply

To apply for Canada Pension Plan disability benefits, follow these 2 steps:

Step 1: Apply (apply with a paper form or apply online)

Step 2: Submit your medical form (after you submitted your application)

Step 1: Apply

You can apply for CPP disability benefits with a paper form or online.

Apply with a paper form

1. Choose and complete the form that applies to you:

OR

If you download the form

Check your downloads folder, even if the page indicates the form is loading.

2. Submit the form:

Tips for applying with a paper form
  • Download and save a fillable form to your computer
  • Write your Social Insurance Number at the top of each page
  • Sign every section that requires your signature using a pen
  • If you need more space, use extra blank paper, attach it to your application, and include your Social Insurance Number on each additional page

Apply online

Please note that the online process is the same if you have a severe and prolonged illness that is both terminal and non-terminal.

  1. To apply, register or sign into your My Service Canada Account (MSCA):
    Apply
  2. Start your application:
    • once you're in MSCA, select "Apply for Canada Pension Plan disability benefits" from the Canada Pension Plan section to start a new application or recover an application already in progress
  3. Complete the paper consent form:
  4. Submit the consent form:
  5. After submitting your forms:
    • sign in to MSCA anytime to upload additional documents

Step 2: Submit your medical form

Once your application is submitted, work with your doctor or nurse practitioner to complete the medical form.

  1. Choose the form that applies to you:
  2. Before giving the form to your doctor:
    • complete Sections 1 and 2 of the form
  3. If your doctor or nurse practitioner returns the form, submit the form:
If you are receiving disability benefits from insurance or an agency

If you're already getting disability benefits from an insurance company or a provincial/territorial agency, you can ask them to send us your most recent medical records instead of filling out the medical report form.

Healthcare Professional Reimbursement

Service Canada will pay up to $85 to your healthcare professional for filling out the medical form. If your healthcare professional charges more than $85, you will need to pay the extra amount.

Consult the amounts that Service Canada will reimburse your health care professional.

Receive a response from us

We aim to make a decision on your eligibility within 120 calendar days (4 months).

Priority processing time for terminal illnesses

If we confirm you have a terminal illness, we aim to process your application within 5 business days.

A "terminal illness" is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is likely to result in death within 6 months.

Priority processing time for grave conditions

If we confirm your condition is grave, we aim to process your application within 30 calendar days.

A "grave condition" is a rapidly progressive medical condition. A list of grave conditions was developed based on extensive research by ESDC. These medical conditions have a high probability of meeting the CPP disability eligibility criteria.

Grave conditions include:

  1. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
  2. Acute Myeloid Leukemia
  3. Adrenocortical Cancer
  4. Alzheimer's Disease (early onset, less than age 60)
  5. Amyloidosis
  6. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
  7. Anal Cancer
  8. Appendiceal Cancer
  9. Bladder Cancer (Metastatic, Stage IV)
  10. Brain Cancer
  11. Breast Cancer (Metastatic/recurrent)
  12. Cervical Carcinoma
  13. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
  14. Chronic Liver Disease
  15. Colorectal Cancer
  16. Endometrial Cancer
  17. Esophagus Cancer
  18. Follicular Lymphoma
  19. Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
  20. Gallbladder Cancer
  21. Huntington Disease
  22. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
  23. Kidney Cancer
  24. Liver Cancer
  25. Lung Cancer
  26. Malignant Melanoma
  27. Malignant Tumours of Small Intestine
  28. Multiple Myeloma
  29. Muscular Dystrophy (Adult onset)
  30. Ovarian Cancer
  31. Pancreatic Cancer
  32. Parkinson's Disease
  33. Post-inflammatory Pulmonary Fibrosis
  34. Primary Cerebellar Degeneration
  35. Progressive Polyneuropathy
  36. Quadriplegia and Quadriparesis
  37. Schizophrenia
  38. Stomach Cancer
  39. Thymus Cancer
  40. Uterine Sarcoma
  41. Vascular Dementia

Confirmation: We'll send a letter confirming we received your application.

Follow-up: We may contact you if we need more information.

Decision: You'll receive a letter in the mail with a decision.

Status updates: To view your application status:

OR

Severe

A disability is considered severe only if the CPP determines that it usually or always prevents you from doing any substantially gainful work.

Prolonged

A disability is considered prolonged only if the CPP determines that it is likely to be long-term and of indefinite duration or is likely to result in death.

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