Disability Trusts and Registered Disability Savings Plans

If you have a disability (or if you have a child with a disability), you can keep the money you get from some sources without affecting your eligibility for EIA benefits. This money has to be saved in an EIA disability trust or a Canada Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).

You can save money in an EIA disability trust or RDSP from any source except job wages or money to replace or supplement income (ex: Canada Pension Plan Disability payments, Employment Insurance, Workers’ Compensation for loss of income). Examples of eligible income sources include:

  • inheritances
  • life insurance policies
  • gifts from family or friends
  • money from the sale of a secondary house, land or car

You can deposit up to $200,000 in an EIA disability trust or RDSP in your lifetime. If you have both an EIA disability trust and an RDSP, the combined amount of the deposit cannot be more than $200,000.

There is no limit to how much interest, investment growth or contributions from the federal government can be earned on the money in an EIA disability trust or RDSP. So the account may have more than $200,000, but you can only deposit $200,000. Interest, investment growth and federal contributions will not affect your eligibility for EIA benefits.

Opening an EIA Disability Trust Opening an RDSP
• An EIA disability trust bank account
must be separate from your regular
bank accounts and it must be in your
name.
• The account can be a joint account
with someone you trust. But you are
the only person who is allowed to use
money from this account.
• You must provide EIA with documents
from your bank verifying the date the
account was started and the amount
and source of the money in the account.		 • An RDSP is a long term savings plan
that helps Canadians with disabilities
and their families save for the future.
You must be under age 60 and eligible
for the federal Disability Tax Credit. To
help you save, the federal government
may match part of your contributions.
• For details about the rules and how to
apply, talk to someone at your bank or
go to the RDSP website at
www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/
rdsp-reei/menu-eng.html.
• You must provide EIA with documents
from your bank verifying the date the
RDSP was created and the amount
Spending EIA Disability Trust Money Spending RDSP Money
• You can use the EIA disability trust
money for anything related to your
disability that is not already paid for by
the provincial or federal governments.
A list of items and services will be
provided to you when you set up your
EIA disability trust. If you aren’t sure
about an item, contact EIA.
• You can also use your EIA disability
trust money to buy things not related
to your disability, up to your liquid
asset exemption level. The liquid asset
exemption is the amount of money
EIA participants are allowed to keep
each year ($4,000 per person up to
a maximum of $16,000 for a family)
without EIA benefits being affected.
• You can also use money in an
EIA disability trust to pay costs of
administering or paying taxes on the
account.		 There are no restrictions on what you
buy with money saved in an RDSP.
However, there may be some financial
penalties if you withdraw money from
your account. Talk to your bank for
details.
Reporting on your EIA Disability Trust Reporting on your RDSP
In January each year, EIA will mail you a
report form that you must fill out with
information about the disability trust
account. This form is due to EIA staff at
the end of February each year.		 EIA will ask you to submit an annual
summary of your RDSP account
activity. This summary is due to EIA
staff at the end of February each year.