Employment earnings and disability benefits under the Québec Pension Plan

All employment earnings of $20 746 or more earned in 2024 have an impact on your disability benefits. Payment of your disability pension could be terminated if:

• you are no longer disabled;
• the total of your gross income (before taxes) is $20 746 or more per year.

If you believe that your employment earnings could exceed that amount, contact us. Therefore, you will avoid having to repay amounts to which you were not entitled. If your earnings no longer allow us to deem you to be disabled, the disability pension will end in the month during which the amount of $20 746 has been reached.

Each year, Revenu Québec sends us the information regarding your employment earnings. If they exceed $20 746, you might have to repay part of the benefits you received.

Can you continue receiving your benefits?

Retraite Québec does not automatically stop paying you benefits when you are receiving employment earnings. It will first determine whether you can continue receiving benefits. A verification could be made with your employer.

The following are considered to be employment earnings:

• your gross salary (before taxes);
• your net income (after taxes) from a business if you are a self-employed worker;
• net payment (after taxes) for your activities as an intermediate or family-type resource (after deducting expenses for assistance or replacement services);
• taxable benefits (e.g., lodging and automobile allowances, salary and group insurance premiums, etc.);
• vacation pay and bonuses;
• income received as an office holder (e.g., member of a municipal council);
• rental income, if it requires work from your part.

We could no longer deem you to be disabled because you are returning to work or your employment earnings have increased. 

Inability to work after returning to work

If you are no longer able to work for health reasons after payment of your benefits has stopped, your application could be processed faster.

Less than 24 months after payment of your pension ended, you can complete the simplified form of your New Application for Disability Benefits. We will process your application as a priority so that you can receive payments quickly.

More than 24 months after payment of your pension ended, you have to file an Application for Disability Benefits again.

Receiving benefits for the same disability again

We could deem you to be disabled again for the same reason within five years after payment of your pension ended. In that case, you will receive your disability pension without waiting.