Your optional accident benefit coverage is listed on your policy declaration page. Since July 1, 2026 income replacement, non-earner and caregiver benefits are optional in Ontario, so the declaration page is what determines whether they are available to you.
Find the declaration page
It is the summary page the insurer sends when a policy starts or renews, usually one or two pages, listing coverages and limits. Most people have it in an email attachment and have never opened it.
If you cannot find it, your broker or insurer will send it. Ask for it in writing rather than over the phone.
What to look for
Look specifically for income replacement, non-earner and caregiver benefits, and whether each is listed as purchased. Since July 2026 their absence is meaningful in a way it never used to be.
Also note the limits. Optional coverage can be bought at different levels, and the level matters as much as whether it exists.
Do this before you need it
After a collision the answer is fixed. The only period in which you can change what your policy contains is the period in which you do not need it.
If you are the only earner in a household, income replacement is the coverage worth understanding first.
Questions we get every week
It is issued at policy start and at each renewal, usually by email. Your broker or insurer can resend it on request.
No. Coverage is assessed as at the date of the collision.
That is a decision about risk rather than law. What changed in 2026 is that the cheapest policy now leaves out benefits that used to be included by default.
Where this applies
Accident Benefits
Accident benefits are paid by your own auto insurer regardless of who caused the collision.
Read moreCar Accidents
After a car accident in Ontario you usually have two separate claims running at the same time: accident benefits from your own insurer regardless of who caused the crash, and a claim against the driver at fault.
Read moreInsurance Disputes
Ontario insurers owe policyholders a duty of good faith in how they handle a claim.
Read more