Ontario’s Accident Benefits Are Changing on July 1, 2026: How to Know Which Coverage Matters
April 28, 2026
Most people don’t review their Auto Insurance coverage the way they read a recipe or a contract. It’s often set, renewed, and filed away without much thought. But coverage details tend to matter the most when circumstances suddenly change.
Starting July 1, 2026, some Accident Benefits that were previously automatically included in Ontario Auto Insurance policies will become optional. The benefits will still be available, but drivers will have more flexibility and control to choose the coverages that best fit their needs.
Think of this shift less like losing coverage and more like being handed a checklist and asked: what protection actually fits my life? This guide is designed to help you understand which Accident Benefits are mandatory, which are optional, and how to decide what coverage makes sense for your situation.
RELATED: Accident Benefits
First, a quick refresher: what are Statutory Accident Benefits?
Statutory Accident Benefits (SABs) provide financial support if you are injured in a car accident, regardless of who caused the accident. These benefits are part of every standard Ontario Auto Insurance policy and are intended to help you access care and maintain financial stability after an accident. Some benefits are mandatory, and some are optional.
Which Accident Benefits are mandatory?
Even after July 1, 2026, standard Medical, Rehabilitation and Attendant Care coverage will remain included in every policy. These benefits help cover the cost of treatment, therapy, and care support needed after an accident.
Drivers also have the option to purchase higher limits or additional coverage beyond the standard amounts. To learn more, visit our Accident Benefits Centre.
Which Accident Benefits are optional?
Starting July 1, 2026, several Accident Benefits that were previously included automatically will now be optional. These benefits remain available, but must be added if you wish to include them in your policy.
Optional benefits include:
- Income Replacement
- Non-Earner
- Caregiver
- Lost Educational Expenses
- Expenses of Visitors
- Housekeeping and Home Maintenance
- Damage to Personal Items
- Death
- Funeral
- Dependant Care
- Indexation
- Supplementary Medical, Rehabilitation and Attendant Care
For a full breakdown of what’s included, you can visit our Accident Benefits Centre. Keep in mind: once these changes take effect on July 1, 2026, your policy will renew as-is with your existing coverage unless changes are confirmed in writing to your insurer, so be sure to add or remove benefits before then.
How do you know which ones you need? Keep reading below for our self-assessment to help you decide which options may be relevant to your situation.
Self-Assessment: Which optional Accident Benefits make sense for you?
The challenge isn’t necessarily understanding each benefit individually. It’s understanding which ones matter for your personal situation, lifestyle, and financial situation. The questions below are designed to help you evaluate where financial risks could arise if an accident caused injury.
PROTip:
If you have workplace benefits, Disability Insurance, or extended health coverage, you may already have some protection in place. A quick review helps spot overlaps, cut unnecessary costs, and catch any gaps.
Starting July 1, 2026, Auto Insurance will generally act as the first payor for medical and rehabilitation expenses following an accident (excluding medication expenses), helping protect your workplace benefits from being used up too quickly.
1. Income Replacement
What’s Covered: Provides financial support if injuries from an accident prevent you from working and earning your regular income during recovery.
Ask yourself:
- Do you rely on your income to cover living expenses?
- Do others depend on your income financially?
- Would you have limited or no access to disability coverage through work or private insurance?
2. Non-Earner
What’s Covered: Provides financial support if injuries prevent you from continuing normal daily activities, even if you were not earning income at the time of the accident.
Ask yourself:
- Are you currently a student, unemployed, or retired?
- Would an injury make it difficult to maintain your normal daily routine or independence?
3. Caregiver
What’s Covered: Helps cover the cost of alternative care if injuries prevent you from supporting dependents who rely on you for daily care.
Ask yourself:
- Do you care for children, aging parents, or family members who depend on you?
- Are you a primary caregiver in your household?
- Would someone need to step in if you were injured?
4. Lost Educational Expenses
What’s Covered: Helps reimburse certain education-related expenses if injuries prevent you from continuing a course or program.
Ask yourself:
- Are you currently enrolled in school, college, university, or professional training?
- Would an injury interrupt your studies or delay program completion?
5. Visitor Expenses
What’s Covered: Helps cover reasonable expenses for immediate family members visiting you while you recover from accident-related injuries..
Ask yourself:
- Do close family members live far away?
- Would loved ones need to travel to support you during recovery from serious injuries?
6. Housekeeping and Home Maintenance
What’s Covered: Helps cover the cost of household services if injuries prevent you from managing regular home responsibilities.
Ask yourself:
- Would an injury make it difficult to manage cleaning, laundry, yard work, or home upkeep?
- Would you need to hire help to maintain your home during recovery?
7. Damage to Personal Items
What’s Covered: Helps cover the repair or replacement of personal belongings damaged in the accident, such as eyewear, hearing aids, clothing, or assistive devices.
Ask yourself:
- Do you rely on items such as prescription glasses, hearing aids, or mobility devices?
- Would replacing these items unexpectedly create financial strain?
8. Death
What’s Covered: Provides financial support to certain family members to help ease financial pressure after the loss of a loved one due to an accident.
Ask yourself:
- Would your family rely on financial support if something unexpected happened to you?
- Do you have limited life insurance or other financial protection in place?
9. Funeral
What’s Covered: Helps cover some of the costs associated with funeral arrangements, reducing financial stress during a difficult time.
Ask yourself:
- Would funeral or burial expenses create financial difficulty for your family
10. Supplementary Medical, Rehabilitation and Attendant Care
What’s Covered: Provides additional coverage beyond standard limits for medical treatment, rehabilitation, and care support following an accident.
Ask yourself:
- Would standard medical or rehabilitation coverage be enough if recovery took longer than expected?
- Do you have ongoing health concerns or limited access to extended health benefits?
11. Dependant Care
What’s Covered: Helps cover additional costs associated with caring for dependents if injuries prevent you from managing these responsibilities on your own.
Ask yourself:
- Do you have children or dependents who rely on you daily?
- Would an injury affect your ability to both work and provide care?
12. Indexation Benefit
What’s Covered: Adjusts certain benefit amounts annually to reflect changes in the cost of living.
Ask yourself:
- Are you concerned about inflation affecting the value of benefits over time?
Why this self-assessment matters
Insurance decisions often feel abstract until they intersect with real life.
A person living alone may evaluate coverage differently from someone supporting children. A student may prioritize different protections than someone with employer disability benefits. A household with one income source may view income protection differently than one with multiple earners.
There’s no single checklist that fits everyone perfectly—every situation is different. If you’re unsure which benefits make sense for your needs, your insurance provider or broker can help walk you through the options and answer any questions.
Are there any other important changes to be aware of?
Yes. In addition to some Accident Benefits becoming optional, several other updates take effect July 1, 2026, that may affect how coverage applies, including:
- Who’s eligible for optional benefits
- Who pays first for medical and rehabilitation expenses, and
- Changes to standard impairment coverage.
For a full breakdown of the changes, visit our Accident Benefits Centre.
Coverage decisions often happen quietly, long before they are ever needed.
The changes on July 1, 2026, introduce more decision points around Accident Benefits, which makes understanding your needs more important than simply renewing automatically. Taking time to review your situation today may help reduce uncertainty later.
Insurance brokers like PROLINK can help you better understand how these changes may affect your coverage and walk you through the options available based on your needs. As a broker, our role is to help simplify complex insurance updates and support you in making informed decisions that align with your situation.
If you have questions about how these changes may affect your coverage, connect with us today!
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PROLINK’s blog posts are general in nature. They do not take into account your personal objectives or financial situation and are not a substitute for professional advice. The specific terms of your policy will always apply. We bear no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or timeliness of any external content.