Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)
About the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)
The Canadian Dental Care Plan helps cover a portion of dental care costs for eligible Canadians who do not have access to any dental insurance. This program is administered by Service Canada, and Sun Life provides dental claims processing services.
The CDCP is an attestation-based program in which it is crucial to ensure that you fulfill all eligibility requirements before applying. When you apply or renew, you attest that you and your dependants (if applicable) do not have access to private dental insurance or coverage. Even after you are enrolled in the CDCP, your eligibility may be reviewed. For example, the information in your application may be compared with information reported on your or your spouse’s or common-law partner’s (if applicable) T4 or T4A slips.
The CDCP provides coverage over a single benefit period ending each year on June 30.
Because the program’s eligibility involves income and insurance information which may change year to year, you must also renew your application annually to avoid gaps in coverage. If you miss the renewal period, you can submit a new application, but there will be a gap in your coverage until the new application is approved. Any dental care received during this gap period will not be covered nor reimbursed retroactively.
More information about the CDCP is available here.
How can our office assist you with CDCP matters?
Our offices is able to assist you by communicating with Service Canada on your behalf to receive status updates and additional information regarding your CDCP application and your eligibility review.
Please note that our office works at arm’s length from Service Canada and Sun Life, and therefore, we are not able to intervene in Service Canada or Sun Life’s decisions and processes, this includes CDCP membership eligibility review decisions and dental coverage decisions.
If you would like our office’s assistance with a CDCP matter, please email us your request at [email protected], and include your postal code.
Eligibility
You may be eligible for the CDCP if you meet the following requirements:
- You do not have access to private dental insurance or coverage, including health spending accounts which cover dental costs, through any of the following:
- Your work or pension plan
- A family member’s work or pension plan
- A professional or student organization
- Insurance or coverage purchased by yourself or a family member for dental costs, including any purchased enhancements, supplementary or top-up insurance that provides dental care coverage
- You and your spouse/common-law partner have filed your income tax returns in Canada
- Your adjusted family net income is less than $90,000
- You and your spouse/common-law partner are Canadian residents for tax purposes
Please note that you are not eligible for the CDCP if you have any kind of dental insurance or coverage, even if:
- You have never used it
- You decided not to enrol in it
- You have to pay a premium for it
- You opted out of your pension dental insurance or coverage after December 11, 2023 (whether or not you can opt back in)
- It does not cover the full cost of your dental care
In these cases, you are considered to have access to dental insurance or coverage.
For more information about CDCP eligibility, please review the full requirements.
Coverage
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) will help pay a portion of the cost for a wide range of oral health care services. Some services are covered without preauthorization, and others require preauthorization.
The CDCP will reimburse a portion of the cost of your treatment, but it may not pay the full amount. You may have to pay additional charges directly to the oral health provider, if:
- Your adjusted family net income is between $70,000 and $89,999
- The cost of your oral health care services is more than what the CDCP will reimburse for these services, or
- You and your oral health provider agree to services that the CDCP doesn’t cover
Please note that only oral health providers get reimbursed for services covered under the CDCP.
For more information on what services may be covered under the CDCP, please review online and consult with your oral health provider.
If you do not have an oral healthcare provider or you are seeking an oral healthcare provider who is participating in the CDCP, you may wish to consult Sun Life’s provider search tool.
Useful Links
