Your DTC application was denied. Here is what you can actually do.
A denial is not the end of it. There are two separate routes, they work differently, and they do not have the same time limit. Most people do not realise they are different, and that misunderstanding is the thing most likely to cost you.
The one thing to take away: a formal objection has a 90 day limit. Requesting a review and sending new medical information does not have a deadline stated on the CRA's decision page.
If you have read elsewhere that you have "12 months" to send more information, we could not find that anywhere in the CRA's own guidance, so we are not repeating it. Check any figure, including ours, against the CRA's page.
First, find out why
The CRA states that if your application is denied, your notice of determination will explain why. It also tells you how to work out what went wrong: compare your copy of Form T2201 against the reasons listed in the notice, and against the eligibility requirements.
Do that before choosing a route. The reason matters, because a denial that turned on missing detail is a different problem from one where the CRA disagreed with what the practitioner assessed.
In practice, applications are often refused not because of the impairment but because of how its effect was described. The CRA assesses function: how long things take, how often, how much help is needed, and whether that is the case substantially all of the time. A form recording a diagnosis and little else gives the CRA very little to approve.
Route one: request a review and send new documentation
You can ask the CRA to review your application and send medical information you have not already provided. The CRA gives two examples of what to send:
- new or updated medical reports
- a letter from a medical practitioner who is familiar with your situation
The CRA is specific about what that information should do: it should describe how the impairment affects you. Not what it is called. What it does to your day.
This route is by mail. The CRA states you must mail your review request and documents to the tax centre that processed your application, and it recommends keeping a copy of everything you send.
The three tax centres are below. If you are not sure which one processed your application, that is worth a phone call before posting anything.
| Tax centre | Address |
|---|---|
| Jonquière Tax Centre | 2251 René-Lévesque Blvd Jonquière QC G7S 5J2 |
| Sudbury Tax Centre | Post Office Box 20000, Station A Sudbury ON P3A 5C1 |
| Winnipeg Tax Centre | Post Office Box 14000, Station Main Winnipeg MB R3C 3M2 |
On timing: the CRA's decision page does not state a deadline for this route. We checked the page directly, and the words "deadline" and "12 months" do not appear on it at all. That is not the same as the CRA promising no limit exists anywhere, so do not sit on it. But equally, do not let anyone rush you with a date they cannot show you.
Route two: file a formal objection. 90 days.
This one has a hard limit, and it is the CRA's own wording:
"You have the right to file an income tax objection within 90 days from the date of the notice of determination."
Canada Revenue Agency, CRA's decision, Disability tax credit. Read 2 August 2026.
Note what the 90 days runs from: the date on the notice of determination. Not the day you opened it, and not the day you decided to do something about it. If the notice sat unopened for a month, you have already used a month.
An objection is the formal disagreement route, and it is the one that preserves your ability to go further later. If you are anywhere near the limit, this is the route to protect first, because unlike a review it can actually expire.
Route three: call and ask
The CRA lists calling to discuss your application as an option in its own right. If you do not understand the notice, this is a reasonable first move and it costs nothing. The number is 1-800-959-8281, which is the general individual tax enquiries line.
If you are genuinely not eligible
The CRA states that if you are not eligible for the DTC, other tax deductions and credits may still be available to you. A refusal on this one credit does not mean nothing is available. The CRA's page on disability deductions and credits is the place to start, and it is free.
What a stronger resubmission actually contains
Whether you do this yourself, use a free service, or pay someone, the substance is the same. A resubmission more likely to succeed is one that answers the CRA's actual question.
- It responds to the stated reason. Read the notice, then address that specific point rather than resending the same case louder.
- It describes effect, not diagnosis. Time taken, frequency, assistance required, and what happens on a bad day.
- It reflects how you actually live, with your usual medication, therapy and devices in place, because that is how the CRA assesses it.
- It is concrete. "Forty minutes to dress, and my partner does the buttons" carries more than "dressing is difficult".
- It accounts for cumulative effect where several activities are each significantly affected without any one of them being severe on its own.
Part B remains your practitioner's. Only a medical practitioner can complete it, and the CRA will not process an application where the applicant completed it themselves. Nothing here is intended to lead a practitioner to a conclusion. If they disagree with what you have written, they should say so.
Where to start
The self-check walks through the CRA's categories and gives you back an organized summary in your own words, which is the raw material for either route. It is free, it runs in your browser, and it sends us nothing unless you choose to send it.
Free help exists and is genuinely good, particularly the options listed here, one of which covers denials and appeals at no cost. If you would rather we prepared the documentation, it is a flat CAD 299 and this is what that includes. We do not determine eligibility, provide medical opinion, or guarantee approval, and nothing on this page is legal, medical, or tax advice.