Home adaptation program in Quebec: PAD and tax credit

An access ramp, a curbless shower or wider doors often make it possible to stay at home despite a disability. In Québec, two official programs can lower the bill: the Home Adaptation Program (Programme d’adaptation de domicile, PAD) of the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ), for people with disabilities, and the federal Home Accessibility Tax Credit, which also covers people aged 65 and over. This guide summarizes the Québec.ca About the PAD page (updated August 12, 2026), the Option 1 and Option 2 pages (updated August 14, 2026), the Ville de Montréal page (updated August 18, 2026) and the Canada Revenue Agency line 31285 page (modified July 24, 2026). The Québec.ca and Montréal pages are in French. Program amounts and conditions change: checked on October 30, 2026. Re-read the official pages before you apply.

1. The PAD: who it is for

According to Québec.ca, the PAD helps people with disabilities by making their home more accessible, so they can keep living at home. The money is paid to owners for adaptation work in a dwelling occupied by a person with a disability. The person must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• provide proof that their incapacity is significant and persistent.

A person is not eligible if they already received PAD or AccèsLogis Québec assistance to adapt a home and the last payment was made within the past 5 years. Other conditions may apply (the program's normative framework). Registration has been open since August 12, 2026. A consent form, attached to the registration form, lets Revenu Québec confirm eligibility for the disability tax credit.

2. Option 1: professional support

• How: the SHQ delegates the program to municipalities and regional county municipalities (MRCs). An occupational therapist assesses the needs (you may choose a private-sector one), then an SHQ-accredited inspector working for the municipality or MRC prepares plans and specifications from those recommendations.
• Maximum assistance: $50,000 for the first eligible person in a household and $10,000 for each additional eligible person in the same household. If eligible costs exceed the grant, the owner pays the difference.
• Work: permanent and fixed to the building; simple, functional, safe and economical. Québec.ca's examples: access ramp, widening or replacing the entrance door, widening interior doors, grab bars, curbless shower, ceiling track lift; specialized equipment (platform lift, power door opener, stairlift) under conditions.
• Don't: start work before the municipality or MRC authorizes it. Work started or done before authorization is not eligible. Renovation work (as opposed to adaptation) is not funded, and a home under construction is not eligible for Option 1.
• Timelines: according to Québec.ca, they vary by region and can take several months, including the wait before the assessment.

3. Option 2: self-determined needs and work

• How: the person picks the work from a list set by the SHQ. There is no needs assessment and no plans and specifications.
• Maximum assistance: $12,000 for exterior access and $12,000 for work inside the dwelling. Some items have limits (for example, at most 2 fold-down grab bars by the toilet and at most 3 straight or L-shaped grab bars at the tub or shower). Up to $500 of a private occupational therapist's fees can be reimbursed out of the assistance, only for a stairlift that therapist recommends.
• Examples of work: access ramp (1:12 slope), raising a porch deck to install a ramp, widening or lowering an exterior door, handrails, a curbless shower of about 60 x 40 in., clearing the space under the kitchen or bathroom sink, lowering thresholds, widening door frames, a straight-run stairlift meeting CSA B355-19 (curved-run models are not eligible).
• Timelines: usually a few weeks according to the SHQ; when many requests come in, work not yet done is processed first.
• Home under construction: this is the option to look at; only some work is then eligible, such as an access ramp, grab bars and a curbless shower.

4. How to register

Registration is online on the SHQ platform: create an account, fill in the request, attach the required documents and submit; an email confirms receipt and you follow the file online. There are guides for applicants and for owners. Without a computer or internet access, ask the SHQ for a paper form at the toll-free number given on the Option 2 page. If you rent, the assistance is paid to the owner: talk to your landlord before registering and read the owners' guide.

5. Adapting a home in Montréal, Laval or Longueuil: who to contact

The Ville de Montréal says its own home adaptation program is no longer available, following the Québec government's decision not to renew its agreement with the City, and that it has not accepted new requests since April 1, 2025. Any new adaptation or repair request for a dwelling in Montréal goes to the SHQ's PAD. For files already open, the City sets out three cases (page updated August 18, 2026):

• file already accepted by the City: it continues under the PAD Montréal standards, and a City representative contacts you;
• eligibility confirmed before November 22, 2024: the file moves to the SHQ's PAD;
• eligibility confirmed between November 22, 2024 and March 31, 2025, or not yet confirmed: the file goes on the SHQ waiting list, by the date the City received it and subject to the program's budget.

Equipment repair requests no longer go through the City either: they go to the SHQ. Elsewhere in Greater Montréal, in Laval, Longueuil or the suburbs, the SHQ entrusts Option 1 to municipalities and MRCs, according to Québec.ca: ask your city who runs it where you live. Think about the permit too: in Montréal, work that affects the walls or changes the division of rooms needs one from the borough (City page on interior work), which can include widening an interior door; in Laval, adding a bathroom needs a permit (page Rénovation résidentielle intérieure, in French). To find companies, see renovation contractors in Montréal, companies in Laval or those in Longueuil.

6. The federal Home Accessibility Tax Credit

• Who: a "qualifying individual" is someone eligible for the disability tax credit at any time in the year, or aged 65 or older at the end of the year. Their spouse or common-law partner, certain relatives, or the person claiming the disability amount for them can also claim.
• How much: up to $20,000 of eligible expenses per year per qualifying individual (and no more than $20,000 per dwelling if there are several qualifying individuals). It is a non-refundable credit, calculated with federal worksheet 5000-D1, on line 31285 of the return.
• The dwelling: in Canada, owned and ordinarily lived in by the qualifying individual (or owned by an eligible relative who lives there with them); only one eligible dwelling at a time.
• Eligible expenses: renovations of an enduring nature that give access, mobility or function within the home, or reduce the risk of harm. Paid professional work (electricians, plumbers, carpenters, architects) counts; if you do the work yourself, only materials, fixtures, equipment rentals, plans and permits count, not your labour or tools. Work by a family member counts only if they are registered for GST/HST.
• Not eligible: routine or annual repairs and maintenance, household appliances, home-entertainment devices, housekeeping, security monitoring, gardening or outdoor maintenance services, financing costs, renovations mainly meant to increase or maintain the home's value, and generally items that do not become a permanent part of the dwelling.
• With the PAD: according to the CRA, expenses are not reduced by grants, forgivable loans or tax credits from another level of government. An expense that is also a medical expense can be claimed on both lines.
• Receipts: don't send them with your return, but keep them. The CRA asks for invoices showing the business's name, address and GST/HST number if applicable, a description of the work, the address where it was done, the dates, the amount and proof of full payment.

For other programs (energy efficiency, heat pumps), see our guide to home renovation subsidies. For tax questions specific to your situation, contact the CRA or a tax professional.

7. Hiring the contractor

• In Québec, a contractor doing construction work must hold a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ): check the RBQ licence before signing, and see which subclass covers the work (electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc.; see general or specialty contractor).
• Ask for a detailed written quote that follows the PAD list or plans, and compare several (see comparing quotes).
• Insist on a complete invoice: it is the document the CRA asks for to support the tax credit.
• Be wary of "subsidized" offers at the door (see door-to-door sales). The PAD is requested from the SHQ or your municipality, not from a salesperson.
• An adapted bathroom is often a chance to do other work: see bathroom renovation, keeping in mind that the PAD funds adaptation only.

Our directory lists only companies whose RBQ licence is active, with their subclasses; we do not recommend or rate any contractor, and we do not handle any application for financial assistance. Once the program has authorized the work, you can describe the planned adaptation work to get quotes.