Does insurance cover therapy in Ontario? How to use your benefits

OHIP generally does not cover private psychotherapy, but many extended health benefit plans do. Most plans reimburse sessions with specific regulated professionals, such as Registered Psychotherapists, Registered Social Workers and psychologists, up to a yearly maximum. Before you book, check which designations your plan lists, how much it pays per session and per year, and whether it needs a referral.

Does OHIP cover therapy in Ontario?

For most people, no: OHIP does not pay for psychotherapy with a Registered Psychotherapist, Registered Social Worker or psychologist in private practice.

The Ontario government’s What OHIP covers page (updated April 2026) lists health services delivered outside of hospital by providers who are not physicians, or prescribed practitioners under Ontario legislation, among the services OHIP does not cover. OHIP does pay for medically necessary services from doctors, which is why care from a psychiatrist, who is a medical doctor, is covered.

That leaves private therapy to be paid by you, by your extended health benefits, or by a mix of both.

Which therapists do extended health plans usually cover?

Most extended health plans cover therapy with regulated mental health professionals, but each plan names the exact designations it will pay for.

The designations you are most likely to see in an Ontario benefits booklet are:

• Registered Psychotherapist (RP), regulated by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
• Registered Social Worker (RSW), regulated by the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW).
• Psychologist or psychological associate, regulated by the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario.

Why the designation on your receipt matters

Your insurer decides a claim based on who provided the service, so the designation and registration number on your receipt carry the most weight. If your plan lists only “psychologist”, a receipt from a Registered Psychotherapist may be declined, even though the session was psychotherapy.

This happens in practice. In a May 2025 letter to insurance providers, the OCSWSSW said it had received numerous reports of denied claims for psychotherapy provided by social workers, including denials because the registrant did not hold a Master of Social Work degree. The College noted that it places no supervisory restrictions on registrants who practise psychotherapy and asked insurers to reimburse these services.

One more designation to know: a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) is registered with CRPO and authorized to practise psychotherapy with clinical supervision while completing the remaining requirements for full RP status. If your therapist holds this designation, ask your plan whether it is covered.

What should I ask my insurer before booking therapy?

A five-minute call to your insurer, or a look at your benefits booklet or app, answers most coverage questions before your first session.

How do therapy insurance claims and receipts work?

In most cases you pay for the session, receive a receipt, and submit it to your insurer for reimbursement.

1. Pay at the session. At Thought & Feeling, we accept Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Debit Visa and Interac e-Transfer.
2. Get your receipt. CRPO’s fee standard expects receipts to show details such as the date and length of the session, the name of every participant, the cost, the payment method and the therapist’s registration number. We send one after every session.
3. Submit the claim. Most insurers accept claims through an app or member website.
4. Keep a copy. You may need your receipts at tax time, or for a second plan.

Can the clinic bill my insurance directly?

No. Thought & Feeling does not direct bill. You pay for each session and submit your receipt to your insurer for reimbursement. Your receipt includes all the information insurers require.

Can I combine my plan with my spouse’s plan?

Yes. If you are covered under two group plans, you can usually claim under both through coordination of benefits, up to 100 percent of the eligible expense.

The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s guide to coordination of benefits explains the order:

• For yourself: claim first under the plan where you are covered as an employee, then send the balance to your spouse’s plan, where you are a dependant.
• For children: when parents share custody, the plan of the parent whose birthday comes earlier in the calendar year usually pays first.
• The limit: combined payments from all plans cannot be more than 100 percent of the eligible expense.

For example, if your plan pays 80 percent of a $180 session ($144), you can submit the remaining $36 to your spouse’s plan, which may pay some or all of it under its own rules.

Can I use a health spending account for therapy?

Often, yes. A health spending account is an amount your employer sets aside each year for eligible health expenses, and therapy with a regulated professional is usually one of them.

The Canada Revenue Agency treats health care spending accounts as part of a private health services plan, and those plans are built around expenses that qualify for the medical expense tax credit. In Ontario, that list includes psychotherapists, social workers and psychologists (more on this below). Your plan administrator has the final word, so confirm before you rely on it. Many people use a spending account to cover the share left after their main plan pays.

Can I claim therapy on my taxes in Canada?

Yes. What you pay for therapy with an authorized practitioner, and are not reimbursed for, can count toward the medical expense tax credit.

The CRA’s list of authorized medical practitioners (updated January 2026) shows that in Ontario, a registered psychotherapist, a psychologist, a psychological associate and a social worker are all authorized for the medical expense tax credit. The CRA’s eligible medical expenses page sets out the main rules for the 2025 tax year:

• You can claim expenses paid in any 12 month period ending in 2025 that you did not claim in 2024.
• The amount you can claim is your total eligible expenses minus the lesser of 3 percent of your net income or $2,834.
• You can only claim the part that you were not, and will not be, reimbursed for by insurance.
• You can claim for yourself, your spouse or common law partner and your children under 18, and either partner can make the claim.
• Keep your receipts in case the CRA asks to see them.

Premiums you pay yourself to a private health services plan are also listed as eligible. This is general information, not tax advice, so check with the CRA or your accountant for your situation.

Do I pay GST or HST on therapy in Ontario?

No. Since June 20, 2024, psychotherapy from a Registered Psychotherapist in good standing with CRPO is exempt from GST/HST.

The CRA’s GST/HST Memorandum 25-3 (April 2026) says psychotherapy services made on or after June 20, 2024 are exempt when the conditions are met, and that in Ontario the practitioner needs to be registered with CRPO. Social work services have their own exemption, which the CRA notes may also apply to psychotherapy provided by a social worker. At Thought & Feeling, no tax is charged, so the rate you see is the rate you pay.

How many therapy sessions will my benefits cover?

It depends on your annual maximum and how your plan pays out, so a quick calculation is worth doing at the start of your benefit year.

The plans below are hypothetical, built to show the math using our individual fees of $170 to $190 for a 50-minute session. Your plan will have its own numbers.

A spouse’s plan or a health spending account can stretch these numbers further. For a fuller picture of what therapy adds up to over a few months, see our guide to how much therapy costs in Toronto.

What if my plan does not list psychotherapists?

You still have options, starting with a closer look at the exact wording of your plan.

• Check every designation listed. A plan that leaves out psychotherapists may still cover social workers or psychologists. Our team includes both Registered Psychotherapists and Registered Social Workers, so tell us what your plan lists and we can suggest therapists whose designation matches.
• Ask your HR or benefits contact. Your employer chooses what the group plan includes, and it is reasonable to ask whether Registered Psychotherapists can be added.
• Use a health spending account if you have one.
• Check your spouse’s plan, which may list different designations.
• Keep your receipts for the medical expense tax credit.

How Thought & Feeling helps you use your benefits

We try to make the paperwork the easy part. You receive a receipt after every session showing your therapist’s designation and registration number, and no tax is charged. You pay for each session and submit the receipt to your insurance plan for reimbursement. Our full rates are on the fees and insurance page.

If you are not sure which therapist suits your plan, tell us what it covers when you reach out. We reply within 24 hours and suggest therapists who may fit your needs, and each offers a free 15-minute phone consult. Our guide on how to choose the right therapist has questions to ask on that call, or you can browse our therapists and contact us to begin individual therapy, in person on Lake Shore Boulevard West or by video across Ontario.