CDCP 2026: who qualifies for the Canadian Dental Care Plan, co-pays and how to apply

This guide explains the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) for the 2026-2027 benefit period, which runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. It is education, not advice. Your own co-payment level, coverage start date and member ID are in the letter from Service Canada and in the CDCP section of My Service Canada Account; check there, or call Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342, before booking care on the strength of anything here.

How much does the CDCP cover at each income level?

The CDCP pays 100% of the CDCP established fee for eligible services when adjusted family net income is under $70,000, 60% between $70,000 and $79,999, and 40% between $80,000 and $89,999. The rest of the CDCP fee is the member’s co-payment, paid straight to the dental office. The table comes from the Canada.ca coverage page.

How to read this table: find your family's adjusted net income in the first column. Both percentages apply to the CDCP established fee for a service, not to the dental office's own price. At $90,000 or more the family is not eligible.

Adjusted family net income	CDCP pays (share of the CDCP fee)	Your co-payment (share of the CDCP fee)
Lower than $70,000	100%	0%
Between $70,000 and $79,999	60%	40%
Between $80,000 and $89,999	40%	60%

Source: Canadian Dental Care Plan — Canada.ca (overview; applications open); Do you qualify — Canadian Dental Care Plan — Canada.ca (the 4 eligibility requirements); Do you qualify — Canadian Dental Care Plan — Canada.ca (income and residency requirements); Do you qualify — Canadian Dental Care Plan — Canada.ca (how to calculate adjusted family net income); Do you qualify — Canadian Dental Care Plan — Canada.ca (retiree opt-out exception); Do you qualify — Canadian Dental Care Plan — Canada.ca (T4 box 45 / T4A box 015 check); Do you qualify — Canadian Dental Care Plan — Canada.ca (government social program coverage); What services are covered — CDCP — Canada.ca (co-payment table, under $70,000); What services are covered — CDCP — Canada.ca (co-payment table, $70,000 to $79,999); What services are covered — CDCP — Canada.ca (co-payment table, $80,000 to $89,999); What services are covered — CDCP — Canada.ca (what a co-payment is); What services are covered — CDCP — Canada.ca (covered services; orthodontics); Canadian Dental Care Plan — Apply — Canada.ca (applications open; what you need); Canadian Dental Care Plan — Apply — Canada.ca (apply online through MSCA); Canadian Dental Care Plan — Apply — Canada.ca (apply by phone); Canadian Dental Care Plan — Apply — Canada.ca (spouse applies separately); Canadian Dental Care Plan in MSCA — Canada.ca (2026-2027 benefit year dates); Renew your Canadian Dental Care Plan coverage — Canada.ca (renewal closed; next renewal); Renew your Canadian Dental Care Plan coverage — Canada.ca (renewal deadline); Canadian Dental Care Plan renewal season opens April 15 — ESDC news release, April 1, 2026 (renewal window); Canadian Dental Care Plan renewal season opens April 15 — ESDC news release, April 1, 2026 (new enrolment date); Canadian Dental Care Plan expands to include millions of new eligible Canadians — Health Canada news release, March 22, 2025 (end of the age-based rollout); After you apply — Canadian Dental Care Plan — Canada.ca (coverage start date); Information for oral health professionals — CDCP — Canada.ca (coordination with provincial and territorial programs); Coordination of benefits between the CDCP and Ontario's provincial dental programs — Canada.ca (payer order); Coordination of benefits between the CDCP and Ontario's provincial dental programs — Canada.ca (Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program). In effect from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027; checked September 29, 2026.

Two details in that table are easy to miss:

• The percentages are of the CDCP fee, not the dentist’s bill. Canada.ca notes that CDCP fees may not match what providers charge. The difference is an “additional charge” that the member may have to pay, even at the 0% co-payment level.
• The tier comes from the previous year’s tax returns. It is based on assessed income for you and your spouse, not on this year’s pay, and Canada.ca notes that the co-payment level may change when you renew.

What a visit costs at each co-payment level

CDCP established fees differ by service and are set out in the plan’s provider fee documents, which this guide does not reproduce, so the example below uses round hypothetical numbers to show how the three pieces add up. Say a checkup with x-rays and a cleaning has a CDCP established fee of $150 and the office’s regular price is $180.

Swipe to see all columns →

The lesson is in the last column. The co-payment tier matters, but so does the office’s pricing: the same family can pay nothing at one clinic and a small amount at another. Canada.ca’s own advice is to ask the provider, before treatment, what will not be covered.

Who is eligible for the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

A person is eligible for the CDCP when they meet all 4 requirements on the Canada.ca “Do you qualify” page. Age is not one of them.

What counts as “access” to private dental coverage?

This is the requirement that trips up most applicants. Canada.ca says a person is treated as having access, and is not eligible, even when the coverage:

• has never been used, or the person decided not to enrol;
• requires a premium;
• does not cover the full cost of dental care;
• is pension dental coverage the person opted out of after December 11, 2023, whether or not they could opt back in.

The only exception is a retiree who opted out of dental coverage through their pension plan before December 11, 2023 and cannot opt back in.

Check your tax slip before you attest. If you work, look at box 45 of your T4; if you receive a pension, look at box 015 of your T4A. A code 1 means the employer or pension plan reported no access to dental coverage. Codes 2, 3, 4 or 5 mean some dental coverage was offered to you or your family. Check your spouse’s slips too. If you believe a code is wrong, Canada.ca asks you to contact the employer or pension administrator to confirm or correct it before you apply. When a slip shows access, Service Canada may ask for proof that you no longer have access; if the proof shows you do, you are removed from the plan and may have to reimburse the Government of Canada for services the plan paid.

Government programs are different. Dental coverage through a provincial, territorial or federal government social program does not disqualify you. If you qualify for both, the plans may coordinate so nothing is paid twice.

How is adjusted family net income calculated?

Adjusted family net income uses lines from the previous year’s tax returns of the applicant and any spouse or common-law partner:

1. Start with family net income (line 23600 on each return, added together).
2. Subtract any universal child care benefit (UCCB) and registered disability savings plan (RDSP) income received (lines 11700 and 12500).
3. Add back any UCCB and RDSP amounts repaid (lines 21300 and 23200).

The RDSP adjustment can move a family into a lower tier. Take a couple with line 23600 incomes of $52,000 and $31,000, where one partner received $4,000 of RDSP income:

• Family net income: $83,000, which on its own would sit in the 60% co-payment tier.
• Adjusted family net income: $79,000, which is in the 40% tier.

How RDSP payments are reported is covered in the guide to RDSP grants, bonds and withdrawals. For a rough idea of where net income lands before filing, the income tax calculator works from gross income by province.

Who can apply for the CDCP now?

Everyone who meets the 4 requirements can apply for the 2026-2027 benefit period today. The plan opened by age group: seniors, children under 18 and adults with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate came first, and all remaining eligible adults aged 18 to 64 could apply from May 2025. That rollout is over.

Seniors are a large share of members, but the plan is not a seniors program. For retirees, OAS, CPP, workplace pension and RRIF income all count in net income (line 23600), and the test uses the couple’s combined income, not each spouse’s own. The current OAS and GIS amounts are on the OAS payment amounts page. Adults with a Disability Tax Credit certificate were among the first eligible groups; the rules for that certificate are in the Disability Tax Credit guide.

Newcomers and the CDCP

The CDCP has no citizenship requirement, which matters for permanent residents and other newcomers who are residents for tax purposes. The catch is requirement 2: the plan assesses the previous year’s family income from a return filed in Canada. A newcomer who has not yet filed a Canadian return has no income on file to assess, so filing comes first. The steps are in the guide to filing a first Canadian tax return as a newcomer. OHIP does not cover dental care in a dentist’s office, so for a new arrival in Ontario without a workplace plan the CDCP can fill that gap; the OHIP health card guide for Ontario lists what the provincial plan does and does not pay for.

How do you apply for the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

There is no fee to apply, so anyone asking for payment to help with a CDCP application is not an official channel.

1. Confirm all 4 requirements, including the T4 box 45 and T4A box 015 codes for you and your spouse.
2. Gather details for each applicant (you and any dependants) and for your spouse or common-law partner: Social Insurance Number (if available for children), date of birth, full name, home and mailing address, and any dental coverage through government social programs.
3. Apply online through My Service Canada Account (MSCA). Sign in, open the “Canadian Dental Care Plan” section on the dashboard, choose “Apply for Canadian Dental Care Plan coverage” and follow the steps. If you cannot use MSCA, use the Canada.ca online application.
4. Or apply by phone at 1-833-537-4342 (TTY 1-833-677-6262).
5. Have your spouse or common-law partner apply separately if they want coverage. Being named on your application does not enrol them.
6. Wait for your enrolment letter (by mail or email, and in MSCA). It shows your member ID, benefit coverage start date and co-payment level. A welcome package from Sun Life follows, but care can start on the coverage start date without waiting for it.
7. Do not book care before your coverage start date. Treatment before that date is not covered.

Someone you trust (a relative, caregiver, friend, translator or interpreter) can help you apply if you give clear consent. A legal delegate, such as someone with power of attorney, first has to send proof of authority to Service Canada.

What services does the CDCP cover?

The CDCP covers a wide range of preventive, basic and major dental services when an oral health provider recommends them. Some need preauthorization, meaning the plan must approve them before treatment. Orthodontics is not available.

Services beyond the plan’s frequency limits also need preauthorization, and not every request is approved. A member can still go ahead with a service the plan refuses and pay the provider directly. The full detail is in the CDCP Dental Benefits Guide and benefit grids linked from the Canada.ca coverage page.

How does the CDCP work with provincial dental programs?

Provincial and territorial dental programs coordinate with the CDCP under a fact sheet for each province. In Ontario, Canada.ca’s fact sheet says the CDCP pays first, ahead of Healthy Smiles Ontario, the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works. The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program does not coordinate with the CDCP at this time, so a senior who qualifies for both chooses which one to use for a service. People on ODSP can check the monthly schedule on the ODSP and Ontario Works payment dates page.

What happens after you apply?

After you apply, Service Canada confirms eligibility and sends an enrolment letter. The coverage start date depends on when the application is received and when enrolment is completed. Once covered:

• Check the provider takes CDCP clients and will bill Sun Life directly. Sun Life runs a CDCP provider search.
• Confirm your coverage is active and your co-payment level before each appointment.
• Ask about additional charges before treatment. Even at a 0% co-payment, a member can owe the difference between the office’s price and the CDCP fee.
• Never pay the full bill expecting a refund. Only providers are reimbursed; the plan will not pay members back.

Plan details, claims history and a printable member card are available in the member’s Sun Life online account.

What if your application is refused, delayed or wrong?

Start with the status checker on Canada.ca or call Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342; both need your application code or member ID and your SIN (or, for a child without a SIN, their full name and date of birth). Common problems and the official fix:

• Your T4 or T4A shows access to dental coverage you do not have. Ask the employer or pension administrator to correct the code, then send the proof Service Canada asks for.
• You are selected for an eligibility review. Service Canada writes by mail with the next steps and how to confirm eligibility.
• Your income tier looks wrong. The tier comes from the previous year’s assessed returns for you and your spouse. If a return is missing or not yet assessed, the plan cannot calculate the tier; file or correct the return with the CRA first. The tax deadline guide lists the filing dates.
• A letter or call asks for payment or banking details to “activate” coverage. There is no fee to apply or renew, and Canada.ca warns about scams that ask for personal, banking or credit card details.

What changes next for the CDCP?

The current benefit period ends on June 30, 2027. Canada.ca says renewals for the 2027-2028 benefit period will open in spring 2027 but has not published an exact date. For 2026-2027 the renewal window ran from April 15 to June 1, 2026, and new applications opened on June 2, 2026, so a similar spring window is likely but not confirmed. Renewing requires an assessed tax return for the previous year for you and your spouse, and the co-payment level can change at renewal, so filing the 2026 return on time in spring 2027 matters. This page is checked against the Canada.ca CDCP pages on a schedule and updated when the 2027-2028 dates are announced.

Common CDCP mistakes

• Assuming it is only for seniors. Children, adults 18 to 64 and seniors can all apply if they meet the 4 requirements.
• Ignoring a workplace plan you never use. Unused, declined or premium-paying coverage still disqualifies you, and so does coverage through a spouse’s job.
• Forgetting the spouse’s application. Naming a spouse on your application does not cover them.
• Paying the full bill and waiting for a cheque. Members are never reimbursed.
• Reading 0% co-payment as “free”. Additional charges apply when the office charges more than the CDCP fee.
• Missing the renewal window. Coverage lapses on June 30, and care during a gap is not covered, even after a new application is approved.
• Expecting braces to be covered. Orthodontic services are currently not available.
• Not filing a tax return. Without an assessed return for you and your spouse, the plan cannot check income.