Register a disability savings plan - How to apply for registration

5. How to apply for registration

Fill out an RDSP application form

To ensure that there is no delay in registering a disability savings plan, the financial institution administering the RDSP should check that:

• the names, dates of birth and social insurance numbers for all persons named on the RDSP application form match the information that is in the Social Insurance Registry. The person opening the RDSP can contact the Registry at 1-866-274-6627 to confirm that the names and dates of birth on the RDSP application form match those in the Registry
• the correct date convention is used for the birth date information. In many cases the day and month are accidentally inverted
• if the RDSP beneficiary is a child, the primary caregiver who is named on the application form is receiving the Canada Child Benefit at the time the RDSP is opened. If the beneficiary is in the care of an agency then the primary caregiver named on the application form should be the institution receiving the Children's Special Allowance at the time the RDSP is opened
• the person opening the RDSP confirms that the CRA has approved Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate for the beneficiary. It is also important that the person opening the RDSP confirms that the disability tax credit was or will be claimed in the year the RDSP is opened

If the beneficiary is now an adult but was a child with no social insurance number at the time their parent or guardian filed Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate for them, the CRA may need to update the beneficiary’s personal information in our system. We need to make sure that the beneficiary has a CRA account and that it includes their disability tax credit information.

To update the beneficiary’s personal information, the beneficiary, or their authorized representative should call 1-800-959-8281 with their social insurance number and the social insurance number of the individual who first asked for the disability tax credit on their behalf. If the beneficiary does not have this information, they should give the CRA the social insurance number for the person now claiming the disability tax credit.

The CRA can only provide disability tax credit information to the beneficiary or their authorized representative. If the beneficiary is not capable of talking with a CRA agent about their tax affairs, someone must become an authorized representative for them. For information on becoming an authorized representative, go to How to authorize a representative.

Additional requirements for paperless RDSP application forms

If the financial institution administering the RDSP offers paperless applications they must give the person or organization using this type of application: 

• a copy of the declaration of trust approved by CRA
• a contract number and
• a confirmation of the date and time that the person or organization opened the RDSP

An RDSP is registered when the paperless RDSP application form is complete and the person or organization opening the RDSP gives their consent. The financial institution is responsible for determining what qualifies as consent (such as the electronic or digital signature, or telephone acceptance).

The financial institution's records must abide by the retention requirements found in IC78-10R, Books and Records Retention/Destruction, and IC05-1R, Electronic Record Keeping.

Notify the Government of Canada of the existence of an RDSP

The financial institution administering the RDSP must send the information they collect on the RDSP application form to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) as soon as possible. All information must be sent to ESDC electronically.

For information about electronic filing for the RDSP program, go to ESDC's Systems Documentation tab.

The CRA uses the information sent to ESDC to confirm that a beneficiary is eligible for the RDSP program (see Who can be a beneficiary for requirements).

If the financial institution discovers that they sent incorrect information to ESDC, they must send a corrected electronic registration package to ESDC. This will revise the information that was previously sent. Once ESDC receives the correct information the CRA will continue with the validation process.

If the information electronically sent to ESDC does not match the CRA’s records, we cannot confirm that the beneficiary is eligible for the program. ESDC will not pay grant or bond incentives into an RDSP until we confirm the plan’s registration. The CRA will nullify an RDSP’s registration if we cannot confirm that the beneficiary meets the requirements or if we do not receive the information in a timely manner.