Eligibility for a disability pension

To be declared disabled by the Régie, you must:   

• have a severe and permanent disability recognized by the Régie's medical advisors
• have contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan 
• be under age 65
• not be receiving an unreduced income replacement indemnity from the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) granted after 31 December 1985

Criteria used to determine whether a person has contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan

You have contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan if you have:

• contributed for at least 2 of the last 3 years in your contributory period 
• contributed for at least 5 of the last 10 years in your contributory period 
• contributed for at least half of the years in your contributory period, but not less than 2 years

As of 1 January 2013, if you are 60 to 65 years of age, you will be entitled to a disability pension, provided you contributed to the Plan for at least 4 of the last 6 years in your contributory period and the Régie has deemed you to be disabled because you are unable to do your usual work.

Check your Statement of Participation to see whether you have contributed sufficiently.

If you have contributed to the Canada Pension Plan, the Régie takes those contributions into account when determining entitlement to benefits and calculating the amount of your pension.

If you have contributed to the pension plan of a country with which Québec has a social security agreement, those years can be added to your participation in the Québec Pension Plan, possibly making you eligible for a disability pension.

Criteria used by the Régie's medical advisors to determine whether a disability can be deemed to be severe and permanent

What is a severe disability?

You are considered to have a severe disability if, because of your state of health, you are unable to do work that, in 2012, pays you more than 14 225,00 $ a year. 

A disability is not considered to be severe if you can do work that takes into account your limitations and pays you more than that amount.

Is the severe disability permanent?

Your severe disability is permanent if it is likely to be of indefinite duration, without any possibility of improvement.

The fact that an insurance company or other agency or government department considers you to be disabled does not automatically mean that you will be entitled to a disability pension under the Québec Pension Plan since the eligibility requirements may be different.

Factors such as language, education, work experience or job availability are not taken into consideration in the medical assessment of your ability to work. The Régie takes into account only your state of health.

Eligibility rules after age 60

• If you are between the ages of 60 and 65, you could be eligible for a disability pension if you had to stop your usual work because of your state of health and you can no longer do that work on a regular basis.  
• If you are age 65 or over, you cannot receive a disability pension. However, you can receive a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan and your Canada Old Age Security pension. File an Application for a Retirement Pension without delay.
• If you are receiving a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan and your state of health worsens during the first 6 months of your retirement, you could be eligible for a disability pension. However, certain conditions apply. Contact the Régie for more information.