Can I get OW if I live with another adult?
Beware of scams
People have been getting phone calls with a pre-recorded message telling them their Ontario Works account has been deleted.
This is a scam to trick you into sharing your personal information. If you get a call like that, hang up the phone. You can report these calls to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
If Ontario Works (OW) thinks you live with someone who is your spouse, neither one of you will be able to get as a single person or as a .
Instead, OW looks at the and that both of you have to decide if you can get assistance as a couple.
The amount of assistance you get as a couple is less than what you would get as two single people.
How much you get from OW depends on a number of things.
OW rules about couples
OW has rules that they use to decide whether 2 adults who live together are spouses.
If OW decides that the person you're living with is your spouse, you can apply for assistance only as a couple.
If OW decides that the person you're living with is your spouse, and you disagree, you may be able to appeal the decision.
If you apply for assistance as a couple, both of you have to sign all of the forms that are part of the application.
If you need help to decide whether to apply for financial assistance as a couple, contact a community legal clinic.
