Statutory Accident Benefits

What Are Statutory Accident Benefits?

If you are seriously injured in an auto accident in Ontario, Statutory Accident Benefits pay for expenses not covered by healthcare, to treat you, replace your income, and more.

The Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, or SABS, for short, is a mandatory no-fault auto insurance coverage in Ontario, and is included with all basic auto insurance policies.

Administered by the Automobile Accident Benefits Service of Ontario, accident benefits are paid through the auto insurer covering your vehicle (or the vehicle in which you were a passenger). If you suffer injuries when hit by a vehicle as a pedestrian or bicyclist, you will have to file a claim with the insurance company of the vehicle that hit you.

What’s Covered by Statutory Accident Benefits?

Statutory Accident Benefits include:

1. Income Replacement, Non-Earner and Caregiver Benefits
2. Medical, Rehabilitation, and Attendant Care Benefits
3. Death and Funeral Benefits
4. Other Expenses
5. Recent Changes to Ontario Statutory Accident Benefits
6. Download complete Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule

1. Income Replacement, Non-Earner and Caregiver Benefits

• Income Replacement Benefits: If you can’t work as the result of an auto accident, you may be eligible for Weekly income replacement benefits of 70% of your gross income up to $400/week.
  • Optional increases of up to $1000/week
• Caregiver Benefit: If you can no longer provide full-time care to a dependant (child or other) as a result of a catastrophic injury, you may be eligible for caregiver benefits to reimburse you for expenses to hire someone to take over for you.
  • Optional coverage is available to extend to all injuries
• Non-Earner Benefits: If your injuries prevent you from carrying on a normal life, and you don’t qualify for income replacement benefits or were a full-time student at the time of the accident, you may be eligible for non-earner benefits of $185/week.

2. Medical, Rehabilitation, and Attendant Care Benefits

• Medical and Rehabilitation Benefit: Covers costs such as physiotherapy, prescriptions, chiropractic care, counseling, and transportation to medical appointments not covered by OHIP or your group insurance plan, but which are listed in the Statutory Accident benefits schedule.
• Attendant Care Benefit: Should you require an attendant to care for you, either at home or in a healthcare facility, if you’ve been seriously injured in an auto accident.

The combined mandatory minimum coverage for Medical, Rehabilitation and Attendant Care Benefits is $65,000 for non-catastrophic injuries (fractures, sprains, etc), and $1M for catastrophic injuries (loss of limb, quadra/paraplegia).

• Optional Coverage:
  1. You can increase benefits to $130,000 for non-catastrophic Injuries, or
  2. Increase $1,000,000 for all injuries, for a total of $2,000,000 for Catastrophic Injuries, and
  3. Increase combined all injury benefit to $1,000,000 and Increase Catastrophic Injuries to $2,000,000

3. Death and Funeral Benefits

If you die as a result of an auto accident, benefits include payments of:

• $25,000 to your spouse
• $10,000 to each of your dependants
• A maximum of $6,000 for funeral expenses

Optional Coverage

Benefits may be increased to:

• $50,000 to your spouse
• $20,000 to each of your dependants
• $8,000 for funeral expenses

4. Other Expenses

• Lost Educational Expenses: For those who can’t continue studies in an elementary, secondary, post-secondary or continuing education program as a result of injuries from an auto accident. Covers expenses incurred before the accident, such as for tuition, books, equipment, and lodging, for a maximum benefit of $15,000.
• Expenses of Visitors: Reasonable and necessary expenses incurred by some of those closest to you when they visit you during your treatment or recovery. This includes your spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings, certain other dependants and guardians, and those living with you at the time of the accident. Expenses can be claimed for a maximum of 104 weeks after the accident, unless injuries are catastrophic.
• Housekeeping and Home Maintenance Expenses: If you experience catastrophic injuries in an auto accident and need to hire someone to carry out your housekeeping or home maintenance responsibilities. Up to $100/week. Optional coverage: Benefits may be extended to include all injuries.

Recent Changes to Statutory Accident Benefits

In Ontario, the statutory accident benefits available to us changed on June 1, 2016, in order to help lower our auto insurance premiums.

The two main areas where changes were made:

1. Accident benefits for Non-Catastrophic Injuries: These benefits pay for reasonable medical, rehab and attendant care expenses not covered by OHIP. The coverage was $50,000 for medical and rehab plus $36,000 for attendant care. As of June 1, 2016, the coverage is now $65,000 in total combined.
2. Accident benefits for Catastrophic Injuries: This category is the same as above but offers increased coverage due to catastrophic injuries such as brain damage, loss of limb(s), and/or paralysis of the lower half of the body. The coverage was $1 million for medical and rehab plus $1 million for attendant care. As of June 1, 2016, the coverage is now $1 million in total combined.

Download the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule

Read or download the complete statutory accident benefits schedule from the Government of Ontario website.

Questions About Your Statutory Accident Benefits Coverage?

Give our insurance experts a call to determine what amount of coverage is best for you and your family at 1-800- 731-2228 or get a quick auto insurance quote online. We’d be happy to help you any type of insurance.