Closed: Renew your Canadian Dental Care Plan coverage

Status: The renewal period for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) closed on June 1, 2026.

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The 2025-2026 benefit year ends June 30, 2026. You can submit a new application for the 2026-2027 benefit year, however you will experience a gap in coverage.

When to renew

Renewals for the 2027-2028 benefit year will open in spring 2027.

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) provides coverage over a single benefit period ending each year on June 30. As a CDCP member, you must renew your coverage every year to confirm that you still meet the eligibility requirements.

If you miss the renewal period, you can submit a new application, but there will be a gap in your coverage until it is approved again. Any dental care received during this gap will not be covered nor reimbursed retroactively.

Who can renew

To renew your CDCP coverage, you must meet all four requirements.

You do not have access to private dental insurance or coverage through any of the following:
- your employer benefits or a family member’s employer benefits, including health and wellness accounts
- your pension plan or a family member’s pension plan, including federal, provincial and territorial government employer pension plans
- a professional or student organization; or
- insurance purchased by you, a family member or through a group plan from an insurance or benefits company
This applies even if you decide not to take it, have to pay a premium for it, or do not use it.
How employers and pension plan administrators report access to dental insurance

If you receive a pension, look at box 015 on your T4A tax slip.
- 1 in this box means you do not have access to dental insurance through your pension
- 2, 3, 4, or 5 means you do have access to dental insurance
You are considered to have access even if you have to pay for it, don’t use it, or previously opted out but can opt back in

If you are working, employers use the same codes (1-5) in box 45 of the T4 tax slip.

Before you attest in your application or renewal that you do not have access to dental insurance, you should always check the code shown on your tax forms.

If you apply for the plan and your T4 or T4A slip shows that you had access to dental insurance, you may be asked to provide proof that you are no longer covered. This may be required even if your situation has changed or if the information on your tax slip was incorrect.

If your attestation is not accurate and it is determined that you have access to dental insurance, you will be removed from the plan and will have to repay any amounts claimed for services provided to you under the plan during the time you were not eligible.
Exception: You may be eligible for the CDCP if you're retired and:
- you opted out of your dental insurance or coverage through your pension plan before December 11, 2023, and
- you can not opt back in under the pension rules
You and your spouse or common-law-partner (if applicable) must have filed your tax returns in Canada so that your family income can be assessed for the previous year
Your adjusted family net income is less than $90,000

What is an adjusted family net income?

Your family net income (line 23600 of your tax return plus line 23600 of your spouse's or common-law partner's tax return)

Minus any universal child care benefit (UCCB) and registered disability savings plan (RDSP) income received (line 11700 and line 12500 of your or your spouse's or common-law partner's tax return)

Plus any UCCB and RDSP amounts repaid (line 21300 and line 23200 of your or your spouse's or common-law partner's tax return)

equals adjusted family net income
You are a Canadian resident for tax purposes

If you have dental coverage through government social programs

If you have dental coverage through a provincial, territorial or federal government social program, you could still qualify for the CDCP. If you qualify, your coverage will be coordinated between the plans to make sure there are no duplication or gaps in coverage.

Eligibility review

To be eligible for coverage under the CDCP, applicants must attest when they renew that they do not have access to dental insurance.

If you provide false information on your application, you and your family may be removed from the plan. If you are found to be ineligible for the CDCP, you will be required to repay any amounts claimed for services provided to you under the plan.

The CDCP member eligibility review process allows us to verify the accuracy of these attestations by reviewing documentation, such as tax records (T4/T4A) submitted by employers or pension plan administrators, to demonstrate that CDCP members do not have access to dental coverage.

What you need to renew

You'll need to confirm or update the following information for each applicant, and your spouse or common-law partner (if applicable):

Social Insurance Number (SIN) (if available for children)
CDCP member ID
date of birth
full name
home and mailing address
list of dental coverage through government social programs (if applicable)
you and your spouse or common-law partner (if applicable) must have filed your tax return in Canada for the previous year and have received your notice of assessment

Beware of scams

The CDCP will never ask you to pay to apply or renew your coverage. Be careful of scams sent by mail, phone calls, text messages, or emails that ask for your personal, banking or credit card information. Watch out for ads and pop-ups that are not from official Government of Canada websites.

If you are concerned about the legitimacy of any CDCP communication, please contact us.

Learn more about how to protect yourself against scams and to recognize Government of Canada websites.

After you renew

In this section:

Check the status of your renewal
View and update your CDCP information
Before getting care
Find an oral health provider

Check the status of your renewal

You can check the status of your renewal for yourself and your dependants in two ways:

by using the online status checker
by phone: contact us

Note: If your child does not have a Social Insurance Number, you cannot use the automated phone service to check their status. You must speak with a representative or use the online tool

Information you need to check your status

You need the following information for each person you are checking:

application code or client number (member ID), which is:
- the number you received after applying online or by phone; or
- the number in the right-hand corner of the CDCP letter you received from Service Canada by mail or in MSCA; or
- the number on the front of your CDCP membership card
Social Insurance Number (SIN):
- if a child doesn't have a SIN, you must provide their full name and date of birth

View and update your CDCP information

Make sure your information stays accurate.

Through My Service Canada Account

Once you register and sign in to My Service Canada Account (MSCA), these options are available in the "Canadian Dental Care Plan" section on your MSCA dashboard:
- renew your CDCP coverage (Closed)
- view your CDCP letters
- about your personal information:
  - view your information
  - update your access to other dental benefits
  - update your contact information
  - update your communication preferences. Get all your important updates online, in one place. Choose the “digital” option to receive notices by email, faster than by mail.
By telephone

You can contact us by phone to update your personal information.
Through Sun Life

You can review CDCP plan details, view your claims history and download a printable member card using the my Sun Life online account.

Before getting care

Before you seek and get care from an oral health care provider, make sure you understand your CDCP coverage.

Always check that your CDCP coverage is active before each appointment
When booking an appointment or discussing services, always:
- confirm your provider accepts CDCP clients and will bill Sun Life directly for services covered under the plan
- ensure your coverage is active and know your co-payment level
- ask your provider if there are other costs you must pay in addition to your co-payment (not covered by the plan). You may still have to pay a portion of the cost even if the plan pays 100% of the CDCP established fees (or you do not have a co-payment)

Your co-payment level may change when you renew. Treatment costs will be paid at your co-payment level and according to plan rules and fees in effect at the time you receive the service. The amount covered may differ from what was shown on the estimate or preauthorization. Only oral health providers get reimbursed for services covered under the plan. You should only pay for services that are not covered under the plan. If you pay the full cost yourself, you will not get reimbursed by Sun Life
- Oral health care services you receive during a gap in your coverage will not be covered nor reimbursed

Find an oral health provider

If you don't already have a provider, you can talk with one in your community or consult Sun Life's CDCP Provider Search.

You can also call the Sun Life CDCP Contact Centre at 1-888-888-8110 for help.

Depending on the type of oral health care you need, you may wish to seek treatment from an independent dental hygienist, a denturist, a dentist and/or a dental specialist, including those in dental school clinics.

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2026-06-02

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