CDCP renewal: missed the 1 June deadline? What to do now

The renewal window for the Canadian Dental Care Plan closed on 1 June 2026. If you had coverage last year and did not renew, it ended on 30 June — but you can apply again now, as a new application for the 2026–2027 benefit year. There will be a gap: care you receive between your old coverage ending and your new start date is not covered, and it is not paid back afterwards.

I missed the renewal. What do I do now?

Apply again. Service Canada treats it as a new application, and there is no fee. You can apply:

• Online through My Service Canada Account, or with the application form on Canada.ca if you cannot use an account.
• By phone at 1-833-537-4342 (TTY 1-833-677-6262).
• In person at any Service Canada office, with your documents.

Have ready, for yourself, your spouse or common-law partner and any children: Social Insurance Numbers, dates of birth, full names, home and mailing addresses, and any dental coverage you get through a government social program.

When does my new coverage start?

Your start date depends on when Service Canada receives your application and when it finishes your enrolment — so the sooner you apply, the shorter the gap. Only care after that start date is covered. You will get a letter or email confirming you are enrolled, and Sun Life then mails you a welcome package with your member card.

In practice: apply before you book routine care, and keep your check-up until you know your start date. If something hurts, do not wait for the paperwork — call us, and we will tell you what a visit costs before anything starts.

How long does it take?

Service Canada does not publish a processing time for new applications. What it does say is that coverage cannot start before your application is received, and care is never covered retroactively. That is the reason to apply now rather than when you next need a dentist.

Does the CDCP renew automatically?

No. Nothing carries forward by default, and being approved once does not keep you approved. Each year the plan re-checks that you still meet the rules — income, tax filing, residency, and still having no access to private dental insurance.

Do I have to renew every year?

Yes. Each benefit period ends on 30 June, and you renew for the next one in the spring before it. The window for the 2027–2028 benefit year opens in spring 2027. Renewing on time is what avoids a gap; applying again after missing it is the fallback, not the same thing.

What do I need before I can renew or reapply?

• Your tax return filed — yours and your spouse or common-law partner’s, for the previous year. The plan reads your income from it.
• Adjusted family net income under $90,000.
• Still no access to private dental coverage — through work, a pension, a professional or student plan, or a policy you bought. Access counts even if you never claim on it.

The tax return is the one that catches people out. If you have not filed, you cannot be assessed, and filing late pushes your start date back.

How do I check where I stand?

Canada.ca has an online status checker for your application and your dependants’, or you can call 1-833-537-4342. To sign in to your file, use My Service Canada Account. You can also bring your card to the desk here and we will confirm your coverage with Sun Life before you book anything.

What we do at this end

We bill Sun Life directly for covered services, so you pay your share rather than the whole bill and wait. Before treatment starts you get a written estimate showing what the plan pays, your co-payment, and anything the plan will not cover. If your coverage has lapsed, we would rather find that out at the desk than after the appointment.

The full picture of who qualifies, what is covered, and how co-payments work is on our CDCP guide. If you are retired, the rules that catch retirees out are in the CDCP for seniors. Some treatments also need the plan’s approval before we can start — that is covered in what the CDCP has to approve first.

Sources: Government of Canada — Renew your coverage (modified 22 September 2026), Apply and After you apply, read 29 September 2026. Plan rules change; we check these pages against Service Canada each year.