Who qualifies?

You must meet all four of the following tests to qualify for the CDCP. Missing even one means you do not qualify, and you will need to re-check when your situation changes. The tests are set by the Government of Canada and published on Canada.ca.

Test 1: No access to dental insurance

You must not have access to dental insurance. That includes coverage through your own employer, a family member's employer benefits, a pension plan, or a professional or student organisation. It also includes health spending or wellness accounts that can be used for dental care. Turning down coverage that is offered to you does not help: if you could have it, you are treated as having access. Buying a private plan yourself also counts as having access. The question is not whether you currently claim on a plan, but whether dental coverage is available to you at all.

Test 2: Adjusted family net income under $90,000

Your adjusted family net income must be less than $90,000. This is based on your tax return — broadly, your net income plus your spouse or common-law partner's net income, with certain adjustments for Universal Child Care Benefit and Registered Disability Savings Plan amounts. The figure comes from your filed return and your Notice of Assessment, not from a pay stub or an estimate. The limit is strict: $90,000 itself is not "under $90,000", so a family at exactly $90,000 does not qualify. See Income tiers and co-payments for how income also sets your co-payment.

Test 3: Canadian resident for tax purposes

You must be a Canadian resident for tax purposes. This is a tax concept, not a citizenship test: Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and others who live in Canada and are resident for tax purposes can qualify, while someone who lives outside Canada and is not tax-resident generally cannot. Newcomers become able to apply once they have lived in Canada long enough to file a Canadian tax return, because the income test depends on that return.

Test 4: Tax return filed

You — and your spouse or common-law partner, if you have one — must have filed your tax return in Canada for the previous year, so your family income can be assessed. Without a filed return and a Notice of Assessment, Service Canada cannot verify your income, and your application cannot be assessed. Filing late is better than not filing: it is the return that unlocks the assessment.

Special cases

• Children under 18: a child's eligibility follows the parent or guardian's situation; the parent applies for the child.
• People with a Disability Tax Credit certificate: the same four tests apply; the certificate was relevant to the phased rollout, not to a separate income limit.
• Coverage under another government program: having coverage from a provincial or territorial social program does not automatically disqualify you. Benefits are coordinated between programs, with the CDCP generally paying first. See Provincial vs federal.
• Your spouse or partner: each adult applies separately. Listing your spouse on your application helps confirm marital status and family income; it does not apply for coverage on their behalf.

Photo credits: de07.jpg — Desk with laptop and calculator (CC0); de08.jpg — Piggy bank (CC0); de09.jpg — Calculator (CC BY-SA 3.0) All photos via Wikimedia Commons under the licences noted.