The average annual maximum for stand-alone mental-health counselling benefits increased 3.7 per cent to $2,679 in 2026, up from $2,583 in 2025 and $1,743 in 2024, according to the 2026 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey.

The survey, which polled 1,000 Canadian benefits plan members and 504 plan sponsors, found a quarter (26 per cent) of plan sponsors provided mental-health counselling as a separate benefit with its own coverage maximum. Nearly half (46 per cent) provided coverage through an employee assistance program, while 38 per cent included it within paramedical benefits and 28 per cent provided coverage through a health-care spending account.

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