How to apply for Ontario Works in Ontario: who qualifies, the online, phone, and in-person routes, and what happens after you apply.
Applies in: Ontario
Ontario Works is Ontario's program for people who do not have enough money for food and housing — and applying takes 20 to 30 minutes online. You apply through the province, not your municipality: online through the Ontario.ca social assistance page, by phone at 1-888-999-1142, or in person at your local Ontario Works office. The two conditions the province states are financial need and willingness to work towards finding employment, with employment services through Employment Ontario as part of the deal.
Ontario Works provides two kinds of assistance. Financial assistance helps pay for living expenses — basic needs and shelter. Employment assistance helps you prepare for and find work: job search assistance, resume development, interview preparation, and skills training through Employment Ontario, provided at no cost. The program also opens the door to related benefits, including prescription drug coverage, some dental care, and some medical expenses. The amount you receive depends on your household composition, income, assets, living arrangements, and eligible shelter costs — there is no single published amount, because the calculation is individual.
The Ontario.ca social assistance page states the test in one sentence: to be eligible for Ontario Works, you need to be in financial need and be willing to work towards finding employment. Under the participation requirements, you will take part in employment services through Employment Ontario, and you will be referred and contacted for an appointment. Every person has the right to make an application — eligibility is determined by your individual financial circumstances (income and assets) and employment circumstances (training, layoff, and similar). Municipal offices describe the same test: you must live in Ontario and be financially eligible. There is no age threshold published on the Ontario.ca page, so none is stated here.
Online. Apply through the Ontario.ca social assistance page, which links to the province's online application. It is available 24 hours a day, takes 20 to 30 minutes, and you submit one application for you and your immediate family members who live with you. After you submit, you get a confirmation page and an email with an application number — keep it, because you need it to check the status of your application online.
By phone. Call the Social Assistance Contact Centre at 1-888-999-1142 (TTY 1-800-387-5559), Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. The telephone application takes about an hour. If you do not have a social insurance number, email address, and phone number, the phone or in-person route is the one to use.
In person. Visit your local Ontario Works office — find it through the ministry's office locator by postal code. You will be asked to attend a meeting with an Income Support Worker, who verifies your information, determines your eligibility, and explains what the program can do for you.
You will be asked for information about each family member in your household: identification, social insurance numbers, birth certificates, immigration papers, tax returns, bank statements, and proof of housing costs. Gather these before you start — an incomplete application is the usual cause of delay.
A worker from your local Ontario Works office contacts you to verify your information and complete the required forms. You will be referred to Employment Ontario and contacted for an appointment. If your application is approved, your local office issues your payment. Once you are receiving assistance, use MyBenefits — the province's online service for Ontario Works and ODSP cases — to continue an application, report changes, or get information about your case. Report changes to your income, household, or address promptly: the ministry uses the information you provide to administer the program, and your eligibility and amount depend on it staying current.
Do not wait for the regular application if you are in crisis. Ontario's emergency assistance program provides temporary financial support for people in an emergency who live in Ontario and do not have enough money for food and housing — for example after a fire, a flood, loss of a home, or leaving an unsafe situation. You are not eligible for emergency assistance if you are already getting assistance from Ontario Works or ODSP. If you have a Canadian social insurance number, email address, and phone number, you can apply online; otherwise contact your local Ontario Works office. A worker will contact you within four business days of submitting your application. If approved, your local office issues a payment right away — within two business days to your bank account if you provided your bank information. The province states that a single person needing help paying for food and shelter may receive approximately $733 for a month, and more if you have children.
The two programs are related but different. Ontario Works is for people in financial need who can work, with employment services attached. ODSP is for people with a substantial disability that is expected to last a year or more, and its application runs in two stages — financial eligibility first, then disability determination — which can take a few months. Because ODSP takes time, people who may qualify for ODSP often apply for Ontario Works first to receive support while the ODSP application is decided, and you can apply for both at the same time online. If you are already receiving Ontario Works and are found to meet the ODSP disability definition, your ODSP income support must be granted within 15 business days of the date the ODSP office is notified by the Disability Adjudication Unit.
Two figures commonly quoted about Ontario Works were not confirmed on the Ontario.ca pages, so they are not stated as facts above. First, the Ontario Works payment amounts for a single person or a family are not stated on the social assistance page — confirm the current rates on the Ontario.ca Ontario Works pages before you budget. Second, the Ontario Works asset limits are not stated on those pages, so no asset figure appears here. The approximately $733 emergency assistance figure is stated on the Ontario.ca emergency assistance page and is included above with that attribution.
Ontario Works is Ontario's social assistance program for people in financial need. It provides financial assistance for basic needs and shelter, plus employment assistance to help you prepare for and find work. It is one of two social assistance programs in Ontario — the other is the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).
You must live in Ontario, be in financial need, and be willing to work towards finding employment. Under the participation requirements you take part in employment services through Employment Ontario. Everyone has the right to make an application — eligibility is determined by your individual financial and employment circumstances.
Three ways. Online through the Ontario.ca social assistance page — the application is available 24 hours a day, takes 20 to 30 minutes, and you submit one application for you and your immediate family members who live with you. By phone at 1-888-999-1142 (TTY 1-800-387-5559), Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Or in person at your local Ontario Works office, found through the ministry's office locator.
You will be asked for information about each family member in your household, including identification, social insurance numbers, birth certificates, immigration papers, income and bank statements, and proof of housing costs. Your caseworker verifies all of it before determining eligibility, so gather the documents before you start the application.
A worker from your local Ontario Works office contacts you to verify your information and complete the required forms. You will be referred to Employment Ontario and contacted for an appointment for job search assistance, resume development, interview preparation, and skills training. You can check the status of an online application with your application number, or by calling 1-888-999-1142 if you applied in person or by phone.
If you are in an emergency and you live in Ontario, you may be eligible for emergency assistance, which provides temporary financial support. You can apply online if you have a Canadian social insurance number, an email address, and a phone number; otherwise contact your local Ontario Works office. A worker will contact you within four business days, and if approved, your local office issues a payment right away — within two business days to your bank account if you provided your bank information.