Accident Benefits in Ontario: Your Complete Guide to SABS Coverage

Every Ontario auto insurance policy includes accident benefits. These are the benefits that pay for your medical care, rehabilitation, lost income, and support services after a car accident, regardless of who was at fault. You do not need to prove the other driver caused the accident to access them.

Accident benefits are formally called the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS), and they are one of the most important — and most misunderstood — parts of your auto insurance. Most Ontario drivers have no idea what they are entitled to until they are in an accident and need it.

Here is what your accident benefits actually cover, how to claim them, and what is changing when the province's biggest auto insurance reform in a decade takes effect on July 1, 2026.

How Accident Benefits Work

Ontario operates a no-fault insurance system. "No-fault" does not mean nobody is at fault — it means your own insurance company pays your accident benefits regardless of who caused the collision. You deal with your own insurer, not the other driver's.

This applies whether you are the driver, a passenger, a pedestrian hit by a car, or a cyclist struck by a vehicle. As long as a motor vehicle was involved in the accident, accident benefits are available.

Medical, Rehabilitation, and Attendant Care Benefits

This is the core of accident benefits and the only category that will remain mandatory after the July 2026 reforms.

Non-catastrophic injuries: The standard combined limit for medical treatment, rehabilitation services, and attendant care is $65,000. This covers expenses like physiotherapy, chiropractic care, psychological counselling, occupational therapy, medical devices, and personal support workers.

Within the $65,000 limit, injuries that fall under the Minor Injury Guideline (MIG) — predominantly soft tissue injuries like sprains and strains — are capped at $3,500 plus any assessment costs. The MIG is one of the most contested areas of Ontario auto insurance. If your treating health professional determines your injuries are more complex than the MIG allows, they can submit documentation to have you moved out of the guideline and into the full $65,000 limit.

Catastrophic injuries — such as paraplegia, quadriplegia, severe traumatic brain injury, loss of limb, or total blindness — have a combined medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care limit of $1,000,000.

Optional buy-up: You can purchase additional coverage to increase the non-catastrophic limit to $130,000 and the catastrophic limit to $2,000,000. Given the cost of long-term rehabilitation, these increases are worth considering.

Income Replacement Benefits

If you are employed or self-employed and cannot work because of injuries from a car accident, income replacement benefits pay 70% of your gross weekly income, up to $400 per week. Benefits begin after a one-week waiting period and can continue for as long as you remain unable to work due to the accident.

You can purchase an optional increase to raise the weekly maximum to $600, $800, or $1,000 per week for a relatively modest premium increase. If your household depends on your income, the standard $400 cap may not be enough.

Important: Income replacement is currently mandatory but will become optional after July 1, 2026 (more on this below).

Non-Earner Benefits

If you were not employed at the time of the accident — a student, homemaker, retiree, or someone between jobs — you may qualify for non-earner benefits of $185 per week, beginning 26 weeks after the accident. This benefit compensates for the inability to carry on a normal life (not specifically lost wages).

Non-earner benefits will also become optional after July 2026.

Caregiver Benefits

If you were the primary caregiver for a dependent (a child, elderly parent, or disabled family member) and the accident prevents you from providing that care, caregiver benefits pay for a replacement caregiver. The benefit is $250 per week for the first dependent and $50 per week for each additional dependent.

This benefit will become optional after July 2026.

Housekeeping and Home Maintenance

If your injuries prevent you from performing routine household tasks, you can claim up to $100 per week for housekeeping and home maintenance services. This covers things like cleaning, laundry, yard work, and snow removal that you can no longer do yourself.

This benefit will become optional after July 2026.

Death and Funeral Benefits

If a person dies as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident, their surviving spouse receives a lump-sum death benefit of $25,000. Each surviving dependent receives $10,000. If there is no surviving spouse, each dependent receives $25,000.

Funeral expenses are covered up to $6,000.

These benefits will become optional after July 2026.

Other Benefits

• Visitor expenses: Up to $50 per visit for family members who incur costs visiting you during treatment, up to $250 per week
• Lost educational expenses: Reimbursement for tuition, books, and fees if your injuries force you to withdraw from an educational program
• Damage to clothing and personal effects: Up to $1,000 for items damaged in the accident

How to Apply for Accident Benefits

Step 1: Notify your insurer within 7 days. Call your insurance company (or your broker) as soon as possible after the accident. The legal deadline is 7 days from the date of the accident.

Step 2: Complete the OCF-1 application. Your insurer will send you the OCF-1 (Application for Accident Benefits). You have 30 days from the accident to return it. Missing this deadline can delay or jeopardize your benefits.

Step 3: Get treatment. See your doctor or go to a hospital. Your treating practitioner will complete an OCF-18 (Treatment Plan) detailing the treatment you need and the associated costs. The insurer has 10 business days to approve or deny the plan.

Step 4: Submit ongoing treatment plans. As your treatment evolves, your healthcare providers will submit additional OCF-18 forms for insurer approval.

If your insurer denies a treatment plan or benefit, you have the right to dispute the decision through the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT).

What Is Changing on July 1, 2026

Ontario is implementing the most significant change to accident benefits since the current SABS framework was introduced. Starting July 1, 2026:

Remains mandatory:

• Medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care benefits ($65,000 non-catastrophic / $1,000,000 catastrophic)

Becomes optional (must be purchased separately):

• Income replacement benefits
• Non-earner benefits
• Caregiver benefits
• Housekeeping and home maintenance
• Death and funeral benefits
• Visitor expenses
• Lost educational expenses

What this means for existing policyholders: If your policy renews on or after July 1, 2026, your current benefits are deemed to continue at the same levels unless you agree in writing to remove or reduce them. You will not lose coverage automatically.

What this means for new policies: Policies issued after July 1, 2026 will default to mandatory minimums only. Optional benefits must be actively selected and paid for.

Our recommendation: Do not opt out of income replacement or caregiver benefits to save a few dollars on your premium. These benefits exist because car accidents can prevent you from working for months or years. The premium cost for maintaining these benefits is modest compared to the financial devastation of losing your income after a serious accident with no coverage.

Why This Matters

Accident benefits are not an abstract policy feature. They are the difference between receiving treatment and rehabilitation after a car accident, or paying for it yourself. They are the difference between having income while you recover, or draining your savings.

If you are unsure what your current accident benefits include, or you want to understand how the July 2026 changes will affect your policy, contact our team. We will review your coverage and make sure you are protected before the changes take effect.