While more Canadians will now have access to dental care with the new Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), navigating the eligibility requirements can be challenging. The Government of Canada recently published additional information regarding the next phase of the CDCP. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the CDCP?
The CDCP is a federal government program that provides dental coverage for those meeting specific eligibility criteria. Since not everyone will qualify for this new plan, we are here to help you understand what has been released about the plan so far.
Am I eligible for the CDCP?
The following are some important considerations:
- Although the enrolment process has started for those meeting eligibility criteria, the earliest that coverage begins is May 2024. If eligible, your coverage start date may be later as it depends on your age, when your application is received and when your enrolment is completed.
- You may still have out-of-pocket costs if you qualify for the program—continue reading for more details.
To qualify for the CDCP, you must meet all the following eligibility criteria:
- Be a Canadian resident for tax purposes.
- Have an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000.
- Have filed your tax return in the previous year.
- Not have access to dental insurance. Not having access to dental coverage is defined as no dental insurance
- through an individual’s employer benefits or that of a family member, including health and wellness accounts;
- through an individual’s pension (through their previous employer) or a family member’s pension benefits; or
- purchased by an individual or a family member, or through a group plan, from an insurance or benefits company.
Eligibility requirements must be met every year for continued coverage through the CDCP.
Canadian residents who have access to dental coverage through a social program offered by a province or territory and/or the federal government can still quality for the CDCP if they meet all the eligibility criteria.
Please note the following:
- Any level of dental coverage offered by an employer, including health spending accounts, is considered access to dental coverage, even if the employee opts out of dental coverage.
- A privately purchased benefits plan is specifically defined as privately purchased dental insurance, meaning those with private insurance for other benefits such as drug, health or travel coverage can still qualify.
How can I apply for the CDCP?
Eligible children under the age of 12 may qualify for the current interim solution administered by the Canada Revenue Agency. This interim benefit became effective December 1, 2022 and has an end date of June 30, 2024. Learn more about the Canada Dental Benefit.
Application for the CDCP for other eligible individuals opens in phases. Invitation letters will be sent out to those with an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000 in phases according to the below schedule. The letters include a personalized application code and instructions on how to apply.
| Age group | Start date |
| Seniors aged 87 and older | December 2023 |
| Seniors aged 77 to 86 | January 2024 |
| Seniors aged 72 to 76 | February 2024 |
| Seniors aged 70 to 71 | March 2024 |
| Seniors aged 65 to 69 | May 2024 |
| Adults with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate | June 2024 |
| Children under the age of 18 | June 2024 |
| All remaining eligible Canadian residents | Starting 2025 |
Those who apply and are successfully enrolled in the CDCP will receive a member card, coverage start date and information regarding the program.
Please note: although the enrolment process has started, the earliest that coverage under the CDCP begins is May 2024. Your start date depends on your age, when your application is received and when your enrolment is completed.
What dental services are covered under the CDCP?
Details on services covered can be found on the CDCP website. More specific information regarding the coverage amounts available for specific services can be found in the CDCP Dental Benefits Guide.
It should be noted that the CDCP has a defined list of dental services that will be covered; some of these services will only become available in October or November of 2024 and will require preauthorization for coverage.
How much does the CDCP cover?
The CDCP will cover a percentage of eligible expenses based on adjusted net family income.
| Adjusted family net income | How much will the CDCP cover at CDCP-established fees | How much you will cover* |
| Lower than $70,000 | 100 per cent | 0 per cent |
| Between $70,000 and $79,999 | 60 per cent | 40 per cent |
| Between $80,000 and $89,999 | 40 per cent | 60 per cent |
*Please note that even with coverage under the CDCP, individuals may still experience out-of-pocket costs for the following reasons:
- Those with adjusted family incomes between $70,000 to $89,999 will have co-payments between 40 to 60 per cent.
- The CDCP will only pay based on their established CDCP fees, which are not the same as the provincial and territorial fee guides.
- Oral health providers are encouraged to follow the CDCP fees, but individuals will be required to cover the balance for expenses higher than those fees. This means that someone covered for 100 per cent of eligible oral health care service costs under the CDCP may still face additional costs. Oral health care providers may charge higher than the CDCP fees, and certain services may not be covered under the CDCP.
- According to the CDCP website, individuals should always ask their dental provider about any costs that won’t be covered by the CDCP plan before receiving oral health care.
As an employer, what are my obligations?
The CDCP is limited to those who do not have access to dental coverage through their employer or a privately purchased benefits plan. It is important to understand what is considered access. Any level of dental coverage offered by an employer, including health spending accounts, is considered access to dental coverage, even if the employee opts out of dental coverage.
Effective the 2023 taxation year, employers will be required to indicate on their employees’ T4 or T4A whether each employee or any of their family members were eligible, on December 31 of each year, to access any dental care insurance.
Please refer to the following Canada Revenue Agency sites for details:
Questions
We’ll share information about this new plan as the details become available.
If you have any questions about eligibility requirements for the CDCP, please visit Canadian Dental Care Plan – Canada.ca
If you require assistance navigating your Alberta Blue Cross plan options, please Contact Us
So…………… as a VERY low income senior who has a significant chunk of cash deducted from my private pension payment for FAR FROM ADEQUATE dental services plan, I am apparently prohibited from participating in a federal program funded directly with taxpayer dollars. This is highly discriminatory to those who have worked and paid taxes in this country for 50 years and more. I was planning to cancel the private coverage anyways as it is pretty much worthless, and takes money I can ill afford to spend. ……….It covers virtually nothing compared to the proposed CDCP. Still, the government sees fit to penalize me for having paid all those years into a dental coverage plan that provides little benefit…………. sad to say, I’m not surprised……….
Lee. I am disgusted by the fact that you found out the new plan will not let you join if you cancel your present, apparently not effective, plan. I too would benefit more from cancelling Blue Cross and going with the new Canada plan.
We were just discussing this same situation we are seniors and the price for Blue Cross dental and prescription drugs is $300.00/ month not sure why seniors are completely on their own since IMO if you make 90K a year pretty sure you can afford a dental plan . IMO this is really badly thought out idea with no regard for people left with the huge bills to make sure they have dental coverage which BTW IMO should have always been covered with our medical plans in every Province . We have a dental plan because we do not have the money to pay out of pocket when something needs to done
I am in the same position. Thank you for your voice on the matter.
I have been wondering about how all this will work. So am I correct in my understanding that if I have Blue Cross coverage for Seniors and have been paying extra for Level B Blue Cross Assured I am not eligible for the Federal Plan?
Hi Carol, We’ll share information about this new plan as the details become available.
If you have any questions about eligibility requirements for the CDCP, you can visit this link: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan.html
So, I was reading that if yo have dental coverage through a provincial, territorial or federal government social program, you can still qualify for the CDCP. If you meet all the eligibility criteria, your cover will be coordinated between the plans to ensure there are no duplication or gaps in coverage. So I’m assuming that us seniors that have Blue Cross in Alberta will probably be covered under the CDCP as well. That’s the way I understand it. Am I right??
Hi Bjorka. You are correct, you can still qualify for the CDCP. Even if you have the provincially funded Seniors dental coverage, you can still qualify for the CDCP and the two plans will be coordinated.
That’s not how I’m reading it on the CANADA website. Regarding retirees with a Prov gov’t sponsored plan, it seems to say we CAN’T apply for CDCP unles we cancelled it before Dec 23. Is that not what I’m seeing here?
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not have access to dental insurance
What does not having access to dental insurance mean?
This means you do not have access to any type of dental insurance or coverage through:
your employment benefits or a family member’s employment benefits, including health and wellness accounts
a professional or student organization
Note: If you’re eligible for dental coverage through your employment benefits or through a professional or student organization, you’re not eligible for CDCP. This is true even if:
you decide not to take it
you have to pay a premium for it
you don’t use it
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
your pension benefits or a family member’s pension benefits
this includes federal, provincial and territorial government employer pension plans
Exception: You may be eligible for the CDCP if you’re retired and:
you opted out of pension benefits before December 11, 2023, and
you can’t opt back in under the pension rules
coverage purchased by you or a family member or through a group plan from an insurance or benefits company
if you purchased your current dental insurance policy privately (and not as part of any of the coverage described above), you’re not eligible for the CDCP while that coverage is in effect.
Hi Monty! For more info about the CDCP you can contact the government of Canada using this link: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan/contact.html
All the Seniors who make less than 70,000 or meet the eligibility criteria should be fully covered without any strings attached by CDCP, as they worked hard
and paid their taxes during all their time when they had to. It should help Seniors first and the rest.
My husband, Grant, & I, Joyce have been Alberta BLUE CROSS members since May of 2017. We are very confused regarding eligibility for CDCP because of having this coverage. We understand the eligibility regarding the Income, but criteria regarding eligibility because of being BLUE CROSS MEMBERS IS NOT entirely clear. We have received the forms for CDCP, and plan to start the process . We do not wish to cancel our present BLUE CROSS COVERAGE.
Surely blue cross could help seniors with this issue. Can seniors apply for cdcp before they cancel their blue cross b coverage? Or must seniors cancel their blue cross coverage to get cdcp? Or is it the absurd case that if you have blue cross you can never get cdcp?
I was told i do qualify but application will be rejected unless i cancel my Blue cross plan
Hi Matthew, for information about the CDCP, please contact Canada.ca/dental or 1-833-537-4342
I am a senior and have the added advantage plan. Do I have to cancel the advantage part to qualify for the CDCP plan ?
I wish you had a chart Govt vs Blue Cross ….. I find this apple vs Apple confusing.
Hi Rose, for information about the CDCP, please contact Canada.ca/dental or 1-833-537-4342
I pay for the Blue Cross, ‘Blue Assured”; which provides some Health, Vision and Dental Coverage. I contacted Service Canada to ask whether the fact that I pay for that Blue Cross plan disqualifies me from applying for the new Canadian Dental Care Plan. I was told to call Blue Cross. I realize kBlue Cross has had a dental plan for low income seniors which is different from some of the paid plans. It seems a simple question; for those of us that pay a monthly premium for Blue Assured still quality and apply for the new Canadian Dental Care Plan? Thank you for any help you can provide.
New plan this, new plan that, but there’s insufficient info on the integration of the new plans with existing plans. I have the free seniors plan & ABC group C plan for which I pay the equivalent of my old non-group & AB BC plan. My present situation covers my 11 oral meds/d + 1 daily injectable + 1 weekly injectable including all co-payments. I need a new CPAP pump too & supplies. Also, I am working towards a total knee replacement after 8 years of what has been the most delightful pain some years. I have not been able start up my biz as I need 2 good legs to use the lifting aids. Electric hoist to be installed soon. Taxes have not been done since 2016 as I need to produce something to claim for machinery purchased using RRSPs, etc. The Govt of Canada allows non-compliant equipment into the country when it should be vetted by CBS
The free access to exercise programs has been reduced to the “Prescription to get active” which requires me to pay after the first 2-4 weeks depending on the location. After that I must negotiate a ‘deal’. The “Glad” program (a new discovery) for people with chronic diseases adds to this, but is often virtual. More virtual classes in the home or attendance at the PCN – a private network which is difficult to get to on public transport in my area of Edmonton with no car in the winter. Yes, we do have a choice of which one we go to, but the GP must fill out paperwork! It seems that they do not want us to stay healthy, just pay money for visits with people who are overworked, underpaid & who don’t understand the system either, never mind modern medicine! Major revisions are required at many levels! Let’s all phone the PM, the Premier, the Health Minister(s) & ask for cheat sheets to organize people.
It seems that each individual must work everything out themselves in Canada or ignore all of the laws & live off-grid! Municipal, provincial & federal govts should have meetings to hammer out these issues & produce cheat sheets for the public & the professionals. The alternative is that millions of people phone up a 1-800 number only to be greeted by, “All of our staff are currently busy. Please wait on the line & your call will be answered in the order it was received!” Why? AI not working intelligently yet? Just wait until it pushes the ‘Nuke’ button!
Please cancel my Blue Cross coverage
Hi Glenda, for information about your plan please give our customer service team a call at 1-800-661-6995. Thank you!
I’ve read the questions and the replies from Blue Cross regarding CDCP but still haven’t seen a clear answer from Blue Cross. If I have Blue Cross dental coverage, am I disqualified from the CDCP? Yes or no? Surely you have people who have studied the regulations and can give me a straight answer as it directly affects your business. If yes and I am disqualified, can I cancel my Blue Cross dental coverage and be eligible for CDCP (assuming I meet the other criteria)? Thank you.
Hi John, As per the guidelines of the CDCP, yes one of the qualifiers for the program is you not having access to dental coverage on a personal health and dental plan. To review your options or make changes to your plan, please call 1-800-394-1964