Federal form
Disability Tax Credit Certificate (T2201)
T2201 is the CRA form a medical practitioner completes so a patient can apply for the Disability Tax Credit. The tax credit is not a diagnosis form. It asks whether the patient is markedly restricted in a specific daily-living activity, or needs extensive life-sustaining therapy, for a continuous period of at least 12 months.
What T2201 is asking
Part A is the patient's application. Part B is yours. CRA is not asking you to certify that the person is 'disabled' in the social sense. They are asking whether the legal test in the Income Tax Act is met for vision, speaking, hearing, walking, eliminating, feeding, dressing, mental functions necessary for everyday life, or life-sustaining therapy.
The statutory bar is high. 'Takes longer than a typical person' is not enough. CRA looks for marked restriction: all or substantially all of the time, even with appropriate therapy, devices, and medication, the patient is unable or takes an inordinate amount of time to perform the activity. Cumulative effects across several activities can also qualify if the combined impact is equivalent to a marked restriction.
Download the current PDF from CRA. The form is revised. Do not reuse a 2019 scan sitting in a clinic shared drive. The official page is canada.ca, form T2201.
You are not the tax advisor
You certify clinical facts. The patient (or their tax preparer) files the claim. If CRA asks for more detail, they usually want functional examples, not a longer problem list. Fees for completing T2201 are billed to the patient, not to CRA, unless your clinic policy says otherwise.
Who may complete Part B
- Medical doctors and nurse practitioners can certify any category on the form.
- Optometrists: vision.
- Audiologists: hearing.
- Occupational therapists: walking, feeding, dressing, and the cumulative category, within their scope.
- Physiotherapists: walking.
- Psychologists: mental functions necessary for everyday life.
- Speech-language pathologists: speaking.
Stay inside the categories your profession is allowed to certify. If the main restriction is cognitive and you are the family physician, you can still complete the mental-functions section. If the file is thin, say so and attach a letter rather than guessing at occupational therapy-level detail you do not have.
How to complete the clinical sections
Start with the activity that actually drives the claim. Walking restrictions need gait, distance, rest, devices, and time. Mental functions need examples of adaptive functioning: memory, judgment, problem-solving, goal-setting, and regulating behaviour in everyday settings, not only a DSM label. A diagnosis of ADHD or depression, without functional examples, is a common reason CRA comes back.
- Name the condition and the year it began, as best you can from the chart.
- State whether the restriction has lasted, or is expected to last, 12 continuous months.
- Describe what the person cannot do, or how long it takes, even with treatment.
- Give two or three concrete daily examples. 'Needs 45 minutes and a second person to dress the lower body' is usable. 'Has mobility issues' is not.
- Life-sustaining therapy: dialysis, insulin therapy meeting CRA's time-and-frequency test, chest physiotherapy, and similar. Count the time CRA allows you to count. Do not inflate.
- Effects of treatment: if medication controls the restriction so it is no longer marked, the credit may not apply. Write the residual restriction, not the untreated worst day.
Duration dates matter for retroactive claims. If the restriction clearly started in 2019, say 2019. If you only took over care in 2024, write what you can support from records and do not certify years you cannot defend.
Worked example (fictional)
Mental functions — adult, family practice
Fictional 44-year-old. Do not copy into a real T2201. CRA wants the patient's own facts.
Category certified: mental functions necessary for everyday life Conditions: moderate–severe major depressive disorder, recurrent; generalized anxiety. Onset of current marked restriction: March 2023. Functional examples: - Cannot independently manage medications or appointments without daily caregiver prompts; missed three specialist visits in 6 months when supports were away. - Takes inordinate time (often >2 hours, frequently abandoned) to complete basic banking and bill payment; spouse has assumed finances. - Judgment in unfamiliar situations is impaired; has become lost on a previously familiar bus route twice this year. Devices/therapy: sertraline 150 mg daily, CBT, weekly case-management. Restriction remains marked on most days despite this. Expected duration: already >12 months; likely ongoing at this severity. I am the most responsible family physician and have followed this patient since 2021.
Why CRA sends the form back
- Diagnosis without function.
- Inconsistent dates between Part A and Part B.
- Checking several categories weakly instead of one category with evidence.
- Using 'sometimes' language that undercuts 'all or substantially all of the time.'
- Illegible handwriting or missing practitioner identifiers.
- Certifying a category your profession cannot sign.
Fill T2201 from the visit instead of re-typing the chart
In Scribeberry, open Forms, search for the Disability Tax Credit certificate, or upload CRA's current T2201 PDF. Generate from the encounter and your notes, then edit every field before the patient leaves with a signed copy. The clinician still certifies the content.
Frequently asked questions
Is T2201 the same as CPP Disability?
No. T2201 is a tax form for the Disability Tax Credit. CPP Disability is a separate income-replacement benefit with its own medical report. A patient can qualify for one, both, or neither. Complete the form in front of you; do not assume the tests are the same.
Can a nurse practitioner sign T2201?
Yes. CRA lists medical doctors and nurse practitioners as able to certify all categories. Other regulated professionals can certify only the categories named on the form.
Does Scribeberry file T2201 with CRA?
No. Scribeberry helps you complete the PDF from clinical context. The patient or their representative files with CRA. You keep a copy in the chart.
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