Eligibility

Age requirement

You can file an application for disability pension if you are under the age of 65 years old. The amounts that you can receive will depend on your age.

If you are under age 60, the disability pension that you will receive each month will be made up of:

• A fixed amount of $583.29
• A variable amount depending on your employment earnings.

If you are between ages 60 and 65, each month you will receive:

• a disability pension. For 2024, the amount is $583.29.
• a retirement pension under the QPP. Amounts are calculated based on employment earnings you have had since you turned 18 and varies based on the age at which you begin receiving your retirement pension.

Financial requirements

To be eligible for QPP disability benefits, you must have contributed to the QPP during your contributory period. The contributory period begins the month after your 18th birthday. The contributory benefits ends at the end of the month that you become disabled.

If you are under the age of 60, you are eligible to receive a disability pension if either:

• You contributed for at least two of the last three years in your contributory period,
• You contributed for at least five of the last 10 years in your contributory period, OR
• You contributed for half of the years in your contributory period and for at least two years.

If you are between ages 60 and 65, you could receive a disability pension if you contributed at least three of the last six years in your contributory period.

While receiving disability benefits under the QPP, you can have a gross annual employment income that is not greater than $20,746. If you employment income is greater than the amount, you must contact Retraite Quebec by telephone or in writing.

Ability to work

You can file an application for a disability pension if you stop working or your employment earnings decrease considerably because of disability.

To receive a disability pension, Retraite Québec's medical advisors need to deem you as having a severe and permanent medical condition. A severe and permanent medical condition is one that is considered to have an indefinite duration with no possibility of improvement and is one that prevents you from doing any type of work on a full-time basis. A disability is not considered severe if you can do work adapted to your limitations.

It is not expected that you work while receiving disability benefits under the QPP. If you do return to work or there is a change in your earnings, it could impact your eligibility to receive the disability benefits.

Returning to work while receiving disability benefits under the QPP

If you return to work while you are receiving disability benefits under the QPP, a number of factors will be assessed including your:

• Gross pay (before taxes)
• Net income from a business (if you are self-employed)
• Taxable benefits (example: housing, automobile, salary and group insurance premiums, etc.)
• Net remuneration generated as an intermediate resource or family-type resource (after deducting expenses for assistance or replacement services)
• Vacation pay and bonuses
• Income derived from public office (for example: a city councillor)
• Rental income for which you are required to do work

If it is decided that you are no longer eligible for disability benefits under the QPP, you will receive disability benefits for three months following the month during which you returned to work and then the payments will stop.

Reapplying for disability benefits under the QPP

If you return to work and then must stop due to your disability within 24 months, you can reapply for disability benefits using the abridged application for disability benefits under the QPP. This will allow for your application to be processed on a priority basis.

If it has been longer than 24 months, you will need to fill out a new application.