Raised toilet seat vs safety frame vs comfort-height toilet

Quick answer

A raised toilet seat sits on the toilet you have and lifts the seat by a few inches, so you don’t lower yourself as far. A toilet safety frame adds two arms to hold and push down on, without changing the height. A comfort-height toilet replaces the whole toilet with a taller one. Some people choose a raised seat when getting down low is the hard part, a frame when they need something to hold, and a raised seat with arms when they need both. A taller toilet is a plumbing job, so it’s the permanent option.

The differences at a glance

Where to buy raised toilet seats and safety frames

Pharmacies, home health and medical supply stores, and hardware stores sell raised seats and safety frames in Canada and the US. You can also shop online. The tables list products whose makers publish their specs. The figures come from the makers’ pages and instructions, linked in the sources. We haven’t tested the products ourselves.

More options at Amazon: raised toilet seats (opens in a new tab), toilet safety frames (opens in a new tab), 3-in-1 commodes (opens in a new tab) and chair-height toilets (opens in a new tab).

Before you buy: measure and compare

From simpleaging.com. This checklist is general information, not medical advice.

Take these measurements with a tape and compare them with the specs in the tables.

Measure first

• Floor to the top of the toilet seat. This is the height you sit at now.
• Floor to the top of the bowl, with the seat and lid lifted. A raised seat sits on the bowl, so its height is added to this measurement [22].
• The person’s lower leg: floor to the crease behind the knee, sitting with feet flat.
• Bowl shape. Measure from the middle of the two seat bolts to the front of the bowl. About 16½ in means a round bowl, and about 18½ in means elongated [12].
• The space between the toilet and the wall on each side, if you’re thinking about arms [22].
• The person’s width at the hips, sitting, to compare with the space between the arms.
• For a new toilet: the rough-in, from the wall (not the baseboard) to the bolts that hold the toilet to the floor. Kohler says 12 in is the most common, and some are 10 in or 14 in [1].

Features to compare

• Height. Drive Medical’s sizing guide adds 2 in to the lower leg measurement, then subtracts the height of the bowl. The answer is the height of raised seat to look for [22]. An occupational therapist or physiotherapist can check it for you.
• Weight limit. The maker’s limit is above the person’s weight, with room to spare.
• Fit. Made for round bowls, elongated bowls or both.
• How it holds on. The same guide ranks raised seats from least to most secure fit: non-locking, locking with a knob, locking with clamps, and a riser bolted to the bowl [22]. A frame bolts on under the toilet seat, stands on the floor, or both.
• Arms. Fixed, adjustable or removable, and how far apart.
• Cleaning. Lifts off or hinges up so you can clean the toilet.
• Others in the home. A type that’s easy to remove, if others share the bathroom [22].
• Returns. You know whether the store takes back toilet products.

How each option helps

With age, more bathroom injuries happen at the toilet. A CDC study of bathroom injuries treated in US emergency rooms found that the share that happened while getting on, off or using the toilet rose with age. It was about 19% at ages 65 to 74, 27% at ages 75 to 84, and 37% at 85 and older [13].

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s home safety guide says raised toilet seats “can make getting on and off the toilet easier.” It describes them as raising the seat by 10 to 15 cm (about 4 to 6 in). Some are adjustable, some portable and some have hand rails [14].

A raised toilet seat

A raised seat makes the toilet taller, so you sit down to and stand up from a higher point. Some simply sit on the rim of the bowl. Others lock on with a knob or clamps. A riser bolts to the bowl under your own seat and lid, and a hinged riser lifts up for cleaning [2] [22]. Some raised seats have arms built in.

A toilet safety frame

A frame gives you two arms to hold as you sit down and to push down on as you stand. Some bolt on under the toilet seat, and some of those also have legs that reach the floor. Others stand on their own and set up without tools [10]. A 3-in-1 commode can do the same job. Carex says its folding commode can be used as a stand-alone commode, a raised toilet seat or a toilet safety frame [11].

Makers say the arms are for help with balance, not for your whole weight [22] [23]. A grab bar anchored in the wall is the fixed option. Our grab bar height guide shows where they go.

A comfort-height toilet

Kohler measures toilet height from the floor to the top of the seat. It says most toilets fall between 15 and 19 in, with standard toilets under 17 in. It calls toilets of 17 in or more chair-height, about 2 in higher than standard [1]. A taller toilet goes by more than one name. Kohler’s name for chair-height seating is Comfort Height [24].

Accessible washrooms in public buildings use set heights, which make a useful reference. The 2010 ADA Standards put the top of the seat 17 to 19 in (430 to 485 mm) above the floor [15]. Canada’s National Building Code puts it 430 to 460 mm (about 17 to 18 in) above the floor [16]. Homes don’t have to follow these rules.

A new toilet stays with the house and changes the height for everyone who uses it.

Using two together

If you need both height and arms, some raised seats have arms built in, like two in the table above. Drive Medical’s guide says a toilet safety frame can be paired with a raised seat that has no arms. It also says its toilet safety rail can’t be used with a raised seat [22]. Before you combine two products, ask the seller whether they fit together.

Costs and funding for toilet aids

With a raised seat or a frame, what you pay is the price of the product. A new toilet costs the toilet plus the installation. Prices vary by product, store and region, so we don’t list them.

Canada

Medical expense tax credit

The Canada Revenue Agency lists “bathroom aids to help a person get in or out of a bathtub or shower or to get on or off a toilet” as an eligible medical expense, with a prescription [17]. Raised seats and frames fit that description. Keep the prescription and the receipt. Our medical expense tax credit guide explains how to claim. Our medical expense tax credit calculator adds up your medical costs, takes off up to 3% of net income, and estimates the federal credit [17].

Home Accessibility Tax Credit

This credit is for renovations that become a permanent part of the home. The CRA says an item that won’t become a permanent part of your dwelling is generally not eligible, so a raised seat or a frame generally doesn’t qualify [18].

A new toilet is installed for good. The CRA says a qualifying renovation must be lasting and part of the home. It must also help the person get into the home or be mobile or functional in it, or lower the risk of harm. Paid work by a professional, such as a plumber, generally counts. Routine repairs and maintenance aren’t eligible, and neither is work done mainly to raise or keep up the home’s value [18]. Ask the CRA if you’re not sure your project qualifies. Our tax credit calculator estimates what a renovation may be worth, and our Home Accessibility Tax Credit guide explains who qualifies.

Ontario Assistive Devices Program

Ontario’s program lists raised toilet seats, commodes and grab bars among the items it doesn’t cover [19]. Other provinces have their own programs. See Funding in Canada.

United States

Medical expense deduction

The IRS lists “installing railings, support bars, or other modifications to bathrooms” among the changes made for a disability that don’t usually raise a home’s value, so their full cost can count as a medical expense. You can deduct medical expenses only if you itemize, and only the amount above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income [20]. Ask a tax professional whether your project counts. Our IRS medical expense deduction calculator estimates what you might deduct and whether it would lower your tax.

Medicare

Medicare’s equipment list doesn’t cover raised toilet seats. It calls them a convenience item and hygienic equipment, not primarily medical. It covers commodes only if the person is confined to bed or to one room. The list adds that someone whose condition keeps them on one floor of the home, with no bathroom on that floor, can also qualify [21]. Our guide to home modification grants and programs in the US covers other help that may apply.

Questions to ask

An occupational therapist, physiotherapist or doctor

• Is the height the problem, pushing up the problem, or both?
• What seat height should we aim for?
• Would a frame, a wall grab bar or a 3-in-1 commode work better in this bathroom? Our 3-in-1 commode guide explains the bedside and over-the-toilet setups.
• Is a taller toilet worth it, or will a raised seat do for now?

A supplier or store

• What is the maker’s weight limit, and how much height does the seat add?
• Will it fit a round or an elongated bowl like mine?
• Can I return it if it doesn’t fit? Some sellers don’t take back toilet products. Carex, for one, says on its site that it doesn’t accept returns on toilet products, opened or unopened [5].
• How does it lock on, and how do I check that it’s secure?

A plumber

• What is the rough-in of my toilet, and will the new one fit it?
• What is the seat height of the new toilet, with the seat on?
• Will a round or an elongated bowl fit the room better?

Safety notes and when to talk to a professional

Check the fit, and sit centered. Drive Medical’s guide says to check routinely that a raised seat fits securely, and to center your weight on it [22]. Moen says not to use its elevated seat if it can rock from side to side, and to get on and off from the front [25].

Arms are for help, not for your whole weight. Drive Medical’s guide says not to put your full body weight on arm supports [22]. Carex’s guide for its stand-alone frame says to push straight down on the rails, not outward, and to use the frame on a dry floor, not on a bath mat. It says not to use the frame if you have a history of dizziness or balance problems, or need something to lean on heavily. It says to ask a health care provider whether the frame is right for you [23].

Check rails and frames that use the toilet’s bolts. Moen’s instructions for its toilet safety rail warn that a rail that isn’t installed correctly can become loose. They say to check that the rail is secure after installing it, and again from time to time [7].

Hold the right things. The Public Health Agency of Canada says towel racks and soap dishes “should never be used for support” [14]. A grab bar anchored in the wall is made to be held. In buildings covered by the ADA Standards, a grab bar and its mounting must hold a force of 250 pounds [15].

Mind the weight limit. The makers’ limits in the tables run from 250 to 400 lb. The limit should be above the person’s weight.

When to talk to a professional. If someone has fallen, feels unsteady or worries about falling, talk to a doctor. A doctor can look for causes and may suggest seeing a physiotherapist or occupational therapist. An occupational therapist can watch how a person gets on and off the toilet and say whether a raised seat, a frame, grab bars or a taller toilet suits them.