Open TurboTax

Why sign in to the Community?

  • Submit a question
  • Check your notifications
or and start working on your taxes
Close icon
Do you have a TurboTax Online account?

We'll help you get started or pick up where you left off.

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Can you be disabled but not have a form T2201?

I have this problem every year with TurboTax when I fill out a return for my son. The form asks if you have a severe mental or physical impairment: Yes. And yes, it will last his lifetime. Then it asks if I have a certified form T2201. If I answer no, then there is an error. Why can I not answer no? His doctor which he has seen only a couple of times in his life refuses to sign anything, and my son refuses to go. He makes no income, and has no expenses. I am not trying to claim any amount, so do I have to lie and say he does not have a disability? That is not true, and could be held against him someday. Please advise! Otherwise TurboTax is useless for him. I have asked others on the street what they do, and they use only paper returns...

1 Best answer

Accepted Solutions

Can you be disabled but not have a form T2201?

The question regarding disability relates directly to your ability to acquire a disability tax certificate with CRA.  It is a substantial credit that can be transferred to you if your son does not require any or all of it for his return.  The idea behind it is to relieve the person who is disabled or the care giver of some  of the tax to allow more money to be spent supporting the disabled person.  It is a very good deduction and well worth looking into.

If your doctor refuses to sign anything, you need to find another doctor who is more accommodating.  Signing needed medical forms is part of his job and he perhaps needs a reminder.  There may be a specialist who has seen your son that will provide the needed signature.

Another great benefit that the disability tax certificate provides is the ability to provide the documentation to satisfactorily prove that the person is disabled.  He or she is then eligible for the Registered Disability Savings Plan.  The federal government contributes a substantial portion of the deposits to this account, which will provide enough money to care for his needs when you may not be there to do so.

To refuse to look into this further would be doing yourself and your son a disservice, but if you prefer to not deal with this issue, you will have to answer no to the disability.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2201/t2201-fill-12e.pdf


View solution in original post

3 Replies

Can you be disabled but not have a form T2201?

The question regarding disability relates directly to your ability to acquire a disability tax certificate with CRA.  It is a substantial credit that can be transferred to you if your son does not require any or all of it for his return.  The idea behind it is to relieve the person who is disabled or the care giver of some  of the tax to allow more money to be spent supporting the disabled person.  It is a very good deduction and well worth looking into.

If your doctor refuses to sign anything, you need to find another doctor who is more accommodating.  Signing needed medical forms is part of his job and he perhaps needs a reminder.  There may be a specialist who has seen your son that will provide the needed signature.

Another great benefit that the disability tax certificate provides is the ability to provide the documentation to satisfactorily prove that the person is disabled.  He or she is then eligible for the Registered Disability Savings Plan.  The federal government contributes a substantial portion of the deposits to this account, which will provide enough money to care for his needs when you may not be there to do so.

To refuse to look into this further would be doing yourself and your son a disservice, but if you prefer to not deal with this issue, you will have to answer no to the disability.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2201/t2201-fill-12e.pdf


Can you be disabled but not have a form T2201?

I fully understand how the system works. I have another son who has a T2201 (and a disability allowance and a RDSP) Because of the T2201 and our low income, my wife and I are not taxable. So this is not about paying taxes. It is about signing a tax-form and claiming that I have answered everything truthfully, when in fact TurboTax made me lie. I have done this for several years now, but this year have decided I will not lie, and therefore, I cannot use TurboTax for this return. Just wondering if a small change can be made to TurboTax that allows the user to say yes to the disability and no, I do not have a T2201. Seems so simple.

Can you be disabled but not have a form T2201?

I see your point. There is no purpose to even answering the question about disability if there is no benefit to either yourselves or the the young man.  Is it possible to leave it blank as irrelevant?