The Canada Disability Savings Bond is specifically designed for people who cannot afford to contribute to a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), yet thousands of eligible Canadians are leaving money on the table because they haven’t opened an account. For each year that a beneficiary is 49 years of age or under and has a net adjusted family income below $38,237 (in 2026), the government will deposit $1,000 into the RDSP with a lifetime maximum of $20,000 without requiring a single cent of personal contributions.
The carry forward rule
The carry forward rule allows the RDSP recipient to “catch up” 10 years in the past, beginning in the year the beneficiary was first approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), even if the account wasn’t opened in that year.
Example – Suppose there is a recipient of the DTC which has been back dated to 2016. They have just opened their RDSP for the first time in 2026. Their adjusted net family income is below the $38,237 threshold, which means they qualify for the maximum bond amount of $1,000 annually. Because of the carry forward rule, the government back dates the previous 10 years from 2016 to 2025 and grants $1,000 for every single one of those years into the account, plus $1,000 for the current year (2026). The federal government will the deposit $11,000 total into the RDSP without the beneficiary or account holder having to personally contribute any money.
Check out the RDSP Simple Grant & Bonds Estimator
If a disabled Canadian has been approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), it would be wise for them open an RDSP as soon as possible. The bond is only backdated 10 years in the past, which means that for every year they delay opening the account, they may lose a year of bond entitlements from the carry forward window.
Note – The government determines eligibility for retroactive bonds based on the beneficiary’s Adjusted Family Net Income (AFNI) from two years prior. So the beneficiary must have filed their personal income tax returns to verify income eligibility.
Check out essential guide on the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)
Check out the Registered Disability Savings Plan Calculator