Section B is the accident benefits part of every Alberta auto insurance policy, and it pays no matter who caused the crash. It covers up to $50,000 per person for medical and rehabilitation costs incurred within 2 years, a weekly disability benefit of up to $600 (or 80% of gross earnings, if less) for up to 104 weeks, and death and funeral benefits. Tell the insurer within 30 days.
Last reviewed September 16, 2026. General legal information for Alberta, not legal advice.
What Section B benefits are
Every auto insurance policy sold in Alberta includes a set of accident benefits known as Section B. The details are written into provincial law, in Schedule A of the Automobile Accident Insurance Benefits Regulation, so the core benefits are the same whichever insurer you have.
Section B is no-fault. You do not have to prove anyone else caused the crash, and you can receive it even if the crash was your fault. That makes it the first money most injured Albertans see, often long before any claim against an at-fault driver is resolved.
Section B is not the same thing as a lawsuit. For a crash that happens before Care-First starts, you can receive Section B benefits and still bring a separate claim against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering, lost income and future care. Section B only pays what the regulation lists, up to its limits.
Who is covered
Section B follows the insured vehicle and the people on the policy. Under the regulation, insured persons include:
- Occupants of the insured vehicle, drivers and passengers alike, including a temporary substitute vehicle.
- The named insured and their household in some situations while riding in other vehicles.
- Pedestrians: anyone not in a vehicle who is struck in Canada by the insured vehicle.
If you were a pedestrian or cyclist hit by a car, the Section B claim is usually made to the insurer of the vehicle that struck you. If you are unsure whose policy applies, ask, and put your notice in writing.
Medical and rehabilitation benefits
Section B pays all reasonable expenses incurred within 2 years from the date of the accident for necessary care, to the limit of $50,000 per person. The regulation lists:
- medical, surgical, dental and hospital services
- chiropractic, physical therapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy and acupuncture
- psychological services and professional nursing
- ambulance services
- other services and supplies, including medically necessary equipment, home modifications or vehicle modifications, when your attending physician and the insurer’s medical advisor agree they are essential
Some therapies carry their own lower limits, and treatment for sprain, strain and whiplash injuries follows the separate Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols Regulation. Keep every receipt, referral and treatment plan. The 2-year window is measured from the crash, not from when you started treatment.
The weekly disability income benefit
If your injuries stop you working, Section B pays a weekly benefit. The rules are specific:
| Rule | What the regulation says |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | You were employed on the date of the accident, and within 60 days the injury prevents you from doing every duty of your job. |
| Waiting period | Nothing is paid for the first 7 days of the disability. |
| Amount | The lesser of $600 per week or 80% of your average gross weekly earnings, less other income-loss payments available to you. |
| How long | Up to 104 weeks. |
| Not employed | An adult who is not working for wages and is completely unable to perform any household duties receives $200 per week, for up to 104 weeks, while incapacitated. |
For anyone who earned more than about $750 a week, the $600 ceiling means Section B replaces only part of the lost paycheque. The rest is part of a claim against the at-fault driver, where one exists.
Death, funeral and grief counselling benefits
When a crash is fatal, Section B pays a principal sum set by a table in the regulation, based on the age of the person who died and their place in the household. The table ranges from $1,000 to $10,000, with additional amounts for surviving dependants. In addition it pays:
- funeral expenses up to $6,150
- grief counselling up to $500 per family
These amounts are modest. A family’s larger claim usually lies under the Fatal Accidents Act against the person responsible, which has its own limitation rule.
The deadlines that matter
- Tell your insurer within 30 days. The regulation requires a completed claim form to reach the insurer in Alberta within 30 days of the accident, or as soon as practicable if 30 days was not reasonable. Late notice is not automatically fatal, but do not rely on that.
- Report the crash to police when required. Alberta requires a police report if anyone is injured, or if the vehicles have $5,000 or more in combined damage.
- Use the treatment window. Medical and rehabilitation expenses must be incurred within 2 years of the crash.
- Sue the insurer within 2 years if it refuses to pay. An action to recover Section B benefits must start no later than 2 years after the cause of action against the insurer arose.
Section B accident benefits in Edmonton and Calgary
Section B is identical in Edmonton, Calgary and everywhere else in the province. What differs is the paperwork around it.
In Edmonton, a collision with no injuries and $5,000 or more in combined damage is reported in person at one of the Edmonton Police Service Collision Reporting Centres, at 15750 116 Ave NW or 5805 87A St NW. Injury collisions are reported to police directly.
In Calgary, there is no separate reporting centre. Calgary Police Service takes reports for driveable, non-injury collisions at its district offices, and eligible collisions can be reported online through the province’s Report My Collision tool. Call 911 or 403-266-1234 when someone is hurt or a vehicle cannot be driven.
The police report number is often the first thing an adjuster asks for, so keep it with your Section B claim form.
Section B and Care-First
Crashes before and after Care-First
The Government of Alberta says its Care-First auto insurance system starts January 1, 2027. The new Automobile Insurance Act takes effect by proclamation, so always confirm the start date that applies to your crash.
Crash before Care-First starts: the current rules keep applying to it, including the right to sue the at-fault driver, the minor injury cap and Section B benefits (Automobile Insurance Act, s 103).
Crash after Care-First starts: injured people receive benefits from insurance, and the right to sue narrows to specific cases, such as a driver found guilty of a prescribed criminal or traffic offence, certain third parties like a vehicle manufacturer, a parts supplier or the municipality responsible for the road, and some losses above the benefit limits. Benefit disputes go to the Alberta Automobile Care-first Tribunal. Section B, as described on this page, is the benefit that applies to crashes before that date.
Sources
- Automobile Accident Insurance Benefits Regulation, Alta Reg 352/1972, Schedule A (Section B)
- Insurance Act, RSA 2000 c I-3, s 556 (automobile statutory conditions)
- Government of Alberta, Automobile collisions and insurance
- Edmonton Police Service, Report a collision
- Calgary Police Service, Traffic collision reporting
- Automobile Insurance Act, SA 2025 c A-47 (Care-First)
- Government of Alberta, Care-First auto insurance