This guide will help you configure the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) settings in Rise. This setup is mandatory for tax reporting, as it populates Box 45 on your employees’ T4 slips.

Note that even if you don’t offer dental benefits, you are required to configure these settings to indicate “Code 1 - No Access.”

Why is this required?

The Canadian government requires all employers to report whether dental coverage was offered to an employee, their spouse, or their dependents on their T4 slip (Box 45).

For more official information, visit the Government of Canada Dental Care Plan page.

Important: Box 45 reflects the coverage your organization offers, not what the employee enrolled in. For example, if an employee opted out of your dental plan but was eligible for family coverage, you must still report Code 3 (Access for payee, spouse, and dependents). It records eligibility, not participation.

Part 1: Understanding the Codes

When selecting a code, remember that “Payee” refers to the employee.

Part 2: Setting organization-wide defaults

The easiest way to set this up is to create a default setting for your entire company. This saves you from having to update every employee manually.

1. Go to Payroll > [Organization Name] (top right) > View organization settings

2. Select the “New Employee Default Settings” tab

3. Scroll to “Canada Dental Care Plan” > Select Code > Save

Note: If you have multiple payroll organizations (e.g., Hourly vs Salaried), repeat these steps for each one.

Part 3: Updating Individual Employees (Overrides)

Sometimes, specific employees have coverage different from the company default. You can override the default setting on a per-employee basis.

1. Go to Payroll > Employees > Select Employee > Edit

2. Select the “Tax” tab

3. Scroll to “Canada Dental Care Plan” > Select specific Code (e.g., Code 1 - No Access) > Save

Part 4: Bulk Updating via CSV (Year-End)

If you need to make changes to many employees at once (for example, updating all terminated employees to “Code 1 - No Access”), you do not need to do this one by one.

You can export your draft tax forms into a CSV file, make bulk edits in Excel, and import them back into Rise. Click here to read the guide on How to edit your T4s/T4As via CSV import.

Part 5: Frequently Asked Questions

1. My employee declined the coverage we offered. What code do I use?

Do not use “Code 1 - No Access.” You must use the code that represents what was offered to them (e.g., Code 3). Box 45 tracks the availability of coverage, not whether the employee chose to enroll.

2. What code do I use for employees who were terminated this year?

The T4 slip must reflect the status effective December 31st of the tax year. Since a terminated employee does not have access to benefits on December 31st, you must manually update their profile (or use the Bulk Update CSV method) to Code 1 - No Access.

3. We only offer a Health Spending Account (HSA). Does that count?

1. If your organization offers an HSA that can be used to pay for dental services, it counts as dental coverage. Select Codes 2–5 based on the level of coverage provided.
2. If your HSA cannot be used to pay for dental services, it does not qualify as a dental group health plan for this reporting requirement. Select Code 1 — No Access.

4. We started our dental plan in October. What code do I use for the year?

You should use the code for the current plan. The requirement is based on the coverage status as of December 31st of the tax year.