Engineers Canada insurance plans
Disability Income Protection
A monthly income if illness or injury stops you from working in your occupation, so the bills keep getting paid while you recover.
Underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife).
- Up to $15,000
- a month, based on your earned incomea month
- 7 to 365 days
- waiting period, your choice
- Benefits to 70
- or for life after an accident
Underwritten by Manulife
Key features
What the plan gives you
Replaces part of your income, paid monthly, while a disability keeps you from working. It’s your own coverage, separate from any plan at work. Manulife calls it the Disability Income Replacement Plan.
Based on your own occupation
You’re considered totally disabled when you can’t do the important duties of your own occupation and aren’t working in another job.
Partial and residual benefits
Back at work but earning at least 20% less? A share of your benefit makes up the difference, for disabilities that begin before 60.
Cost-of-living increases
After 12 monthly payments, your benefit rises each year with inflation, by up to 5%, compounded.
Waiver of premium
Once you’ve been totally disabled for three months, or your waiting period if longer, premiums stop. Those paid during the waiting period are refunded.
Future increase option
Built into every certificate. Until 55, raise your coverage by up to 15% a year without medical evidence, if your income supports it. Use it at least once every three years to keep it.
Compassionate care benefit
A lump sum of three times your monthly benefit if your spouse or child is given a terminal diagnosis, once coverage has been in force for 12 months.
Also included
- Catastrophic loss125% of your benefit for the most severe disabilities.
- Death benefitThree times your monthly benefit if you die before 70 while receiving benefits.
- Coverage between jobsDisabled within 12 months of your last job? Your benefit uses your last 12 months of earnings.
- Guaranteed re-entryInsured for two years and leaving for an employer plan? Rejoin later with no medical evidence.
- Benefit reinstatementIncome dips for a while? Reduce your benefit, then restore it later without medical evidence.
- Cost-of-living buy backAfter a claim, keep the higher benefit your cost-of-living increases built up.
Already have disability coverage at work?
Workplace plans often replace less of your income than people expect, and end when you leave the job. This plan can top up the gap between what your employer’s plan pays and what your earnings qualify for. We can work out that gap with you.
Talk to us about this plan
Our advice on the Engineers Canada plans comes at no additional cost.
Book a callOr call 1-800-661-3300
How a claim pays
From the first doctor’s visit to recovery
- First doctor’s visitYour waiting period counts from here. Nothing is paid during it.
- Benefits beginAfter the waiting period you chose, 7 to 365 days. First payment within 31 days of an approved claim.
- Premiums waivedAfter 3 months of total disability, or your waiting period if longer. Waiting-period premiums are refunded.
- Cost-of-living increasesStart after 12 monthly payments, up to 5% a year.
- Age 70Benefits for an illness end. A total disability from an accident can pay for life.
- Waiting days add up Days off for the same cause within 12 months count toward your waiting period.
- Tell Manulife early Give notice within 30 days and send the claim form within 3 months. We can help.
- Other benefits count CPP, workers’ compensation and other income are combined, up to 100% of your earnings.
Types of disability
Six ways the plan pays
| When it applies | What it pays | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | You can’t do the important duties of your own occupation, you’re not working in any other job, and you’re under a doctor’s care. | Your full monthly benefit, to 70 for an illness or for life for an accident. |
| Residual | You’re working, in your own job or another, but earning at least 20% less. The disability must begin before 60. | A share of your benefit that matches your lost earnings, to 70. |
| Partial | After a total disability that began between 60 and 70, you’re back at work but can’t do all your duties or hours. | 50% of your benefit for up to six months. |
| Presumptive | Permanent loss of use of both hands, both feet, or a hand and a foot, or loss of sight, hearing or speech. | Your full benefit as a total disability, even if you go back to work. |
| Recurring | The same disability returns within six months of going back to work. | Benefits resume with no new waiting period. |
| Catastrophic loss | You can’t do two daily activities within self care, mobility or cognitive ability, or you’re terminally ill, and you aren’t working. | 125% of your monthly benefit. |
Who can apply
Eligibility
Who
Canadian residents who are members of an engineering or geoscience regulator (including members in training), a participating technologist or architect association, or an accredited engineering student.
Ages and requirements
Under 65, working at least 20 hours a week, and earning an income to insure. Coverage renews to 70, and ends sooner if you retire or stop working in your occupation.
The application asks health questions, and Manulife may ask for medical or financial information.
See full eligibility
You can apply if you’re a Canadian resident and:
- A member of the engineering regulators that license the country’s 300,000 members of the profession (including members in training), or an engineering student in a program accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board
- A member of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers or Genium360
- A member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario, Geoscientists Nova Scotia or the Ordre des géologues du Québec
- A member of one of the participating provincial associations of professional technicians and technologists
- A member of the Manitoba Association of Architects, the Architects’ Association of New Brunswick, the Nova Scotia Association of Architects or the Architects Association of Prince Edward Island
- A full-time employee of Engineers Canada, one of the engineering regulators or participating organizations, or Youth Science Canada
- A limited licensee or a provincial licensee
- Members of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec aren’t eligible for this plan.
Rates
How your premium is worked out
Monthly premium for each $100 of monthly benefit. Rates last checked October 2026. Source: Manulife. Premiums can change.
Find your earned income
Income from your work after business expenses, before tax. If it varies, use the higher of last year’s monthly average or the average of the past 24 months.
Find your maximum benefit
Match your income to the most you can apply for, up to $15,000 a month. You can choose less, from $500 in $100 steps.
Find your rate
Pick your age and waiting period, then multiply the rate by your benefit in hundreds.
Example. You earn $10,000 a month, you’re 42 and you choose a 90-day waiting period. Your maximum benefit is $5,900. The rate is $2.53 per $100, so the premium is 59 × $2.53 = $149.27 a month, or $1,658.56 a year if you pay annually.
Paying once a year: divide the monthly premium by 0.09. That works out to about 7% less than twelve monthly payments.
Maximum benefit by income
| Monthly earned income | Maximum monthly benefit |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | $3,500 |
| $6,000 | $4,000 |
| $7,000 | $4,600 |
| $8,000 | $5,100 |
| $9,000 | $5,500 |
| $10,000 | $5,900 |
| $12,000 | $6,800 |
| $13,000 | $7,200 |
| $15,000 | $7,900 |
| $18,000 | $8,900 |
| $20,000 | $9,600 |
| $21,000 | $10,000 |
| $25,000 | $11,300 |
| $30,000 | $12,600 |
| $35,000 | $14,000 |
| $38,917 and up | $15,000 |
- Benefits are rounded up to the nearest $100. The minimum benefit is $500 a month.
Monthly premium per $100 of benefit
| Age | 7 days | 14 days | 30 days | 90 days | 119 days | 180 days | 365 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30 | $2.14 | $1.35 | $1.06 | $0.97 | $0.92 | $0.84 | $0.73 |
| 30 to 34 | $2.82 | $1.97 | $1.63 | $1.18 | $1.12 | $1.03 | $0.91 |
| 35 to 39 | $3.20 | $2.47 | $2.13 | $1.74 | $1.65 | $1.55 | $1.38 |
| 40 to 44 | $3.65 | $3.08 | $2.73 | $2.53 | $2.42 | $2.25 | $2.00 |
| 45 to 49 | $4.23 | $3.67 | $3.33 | $3.03 | $2.91 | $2.72 | $2.40 |
| 50 to 54 | $4.98 | $4.50 | $4.13 | $3.42 | $3.33 | $3.11 | $2.73 |
| 55 to 69 | $5.34 | $4.90 | $4.52 | $3.64 | $3.47 | $3.21 | $2.75 |
- Premiums rise as you enter each age band. Ages 65 to 69 are renewal rates only.
- With the 7-day option, Manulife’s published rates note no waiting period if you’re hospitalized or disabled by an injury.
- Provincial sales tax is added to premiums in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
Not sure how much you need, or how it fits with coverage at work? We’ll work it out with you.
Exclusions and limitations
What isn’t covered
- Intentional self-inflicted injury, unless medical evidence shows it’s related to a mental illness
- Pregnancy, childbirth or miscarriage, except complications
- War or any act of war
- Active full-time service in the armed forces of any country or international organization
- Committing or attempting to commit an assault or criminal offence
Other benefits count
Your benefit is combined with CPP or QPP disability benefits, workers’ compensation, other government disability income and any earnings. If the total would be more than 100% of your average monthly earnings before the disability, this plan’s benefit is reduced to bring it to 100%.
Claims
Give Manulife written notice within 30 days of the injury or the start of the illness, and send the claim form within 3 months. Benefits are paid only while you’re under a doctor’s regular care.
If the program ends
If the group policy ends and isn’t replaced, Manulife will offer you an individual policy whatever your health. Your first-year premium would be no more than 150% of your current premium, guaranteed for 2 years, and coverage would continue to 65 (to 70, with up to 12 monthly payments, if you’re already 65).
Common questions
Disability Income Protection FAQ
Do I need this if I have disability coverage at work?
It depends on how much your workplace plan replaces. Workplace plans often replace less of your income than people expect, and they usually end when you leave the job. This plan can top up the gap between what your employer’s plan pays and what your earnings qualify for, and it stays with you if you change jobs. We can work out the gap with you.
When will disability benefits end?
For a total disability caused by an illness, benefits can be paid to age 70. For a total disability caused by an accident, they can continue for life. Residual disability benefits are paid to 70 at most, whatever the cause.
When will disability benefits be paid?
Once your waiting period ends. You choose it when you apply: 7, 14, 30, 90, 119, 180 or 365 days. Benefits are paid monthly, at the end of each month, and the first payment is made within 31 days of an approved claim.
What is the waiting period?
It’s the number of days you must be disabled before benefits start. You choose it when you apply, from 7 to 365 days, and a longer waiting period means a lower premium. It counts from your first doctor’s visit for the disability, and days off for the same cause within 12 months add up toward it.
What is “earned income”?
From your employment or profession, after business expenses but before income taxes. If you have fluctuating income, your average monthly earnings before disability is the greater of:
- your average monthly earnings during your last taxation year, or
- the average of the previous 24 months
Are Engineers Canada disability benefits taxable?
Generally not, when you pay the premiums yourself. If a business pays or deducts the premiums, the benefits are taxable.
Related plans
Often considered together
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