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Can I work and still get financial assistance from Ontario Works?

Question
Can I work and still get financial assistance from Ontario Works?

Next steps

1. Find out who OW includes in your household
2. Learn about when earnings exemptions start
3. Figure out how earning money can affect the amount you get from OW
4. Learn about claiming child-care expenses
5. Tell OW about money you make and any changes in your life

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Can I work and still get financial assistance from Ontario Works?
This question has an answer and 5 steps
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Reviewed: 
June 14, 2018
Answer

Ontario Works (OW) rules say that you can work and still get financial assistance as long as you:

  • tell OW about any money you make
  • don’t make too much money

OW looks at how much money you or someone else in your household makes from:

  • a job
  • a training allowance
  • being self-employed

OW rules about how money you earn affects your assistance

Earnings exemptions are the rules that let you earn some money without OW reducing your assistance by the full amount that you earn.

The general rule is that you can make $200 in net earnings in a month before it affects the amount OW gives you.

If you make more than $200 in net earnings in a month, OW gives you less assistance. They reduce your assistance by an amount that equals half of the net earnings you make that are more than $200.  

For example, if you make $300 in net earnings in a month, OW takes $50 from the amount they usually give you. This is because $300 in net earnings minus $200 equals $100. And $100 divided by 2 equals $50. See below for how this works:

$300 (net monthly earnings)
- $200
= $100
÷ 2
= $50 (amount OW subtracts from the amount they usually give you)

If you have to pay for child care so you can go to work, you might get to keep more of your assistance.

Step 3 has more about how earnings exemptions affect the amount you get from OW.

Step 4 has more about claiming child‑care expenses.

If you live in a First Nations community

OW will not reduce your financial assistance because you’re getting money for being in an employment training program that lasts up to 12 months.

This includes the training allowance and money to pay for child care and travel.

NEXT STEP - 1. Find out who OW includes in your household SEE NEXT STEPS
Question
Can I work and still get financial assistance from Ontario Works?

Next steps

1. Find out who OW includes in your household
2. Learn about when earnings exemptions start
3. Figure out how earning money can affect the amount you get from OW
4. Learn about claiming child-care expenses
5. Tell OW about money you make and any changes in your life

1. Find out who OW includes in your household

Ontario Works (OW) has rules about who they include as part of your household. OW calls this your "benefit unit".  

They include the income and assets of people in your household when they decide if you qualify financially for OW. 

And if others in your household earn money, their income can affect how much financial assistance you get.

The people OW may include are:

Children under 18

If a child under 18 lives with you, OW rules say that they’re usually included in your household if you or your spouse is the child’s parent. But their earnings are not included as income and don’t affect how much you get from OW.

Children 18 and older

There are rules about when OW includes a child who is 18 or older in your household.

If an adult child in your household is a full-time student in high school or a post-secondary program:

  • OW does not include their earnings as income
  • their earnings don’t affect how much you get from OW
You May Also Need
Questionnaire (for Applicants or Recipients who are living with another adult)
Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services
Reviewed: 
June 2018

2. Learn about when earnings exemptions start

The Ontario Works (OW) rules about earnings exemptions apply only after you’ve been getting financial assistance for 3 months in a row.

During your first 3 months getting financial assistance from OW, they reduce the amount they give you by the entire net earnings you make at your job each month. This is called the “3-month rule”.

This 3-month rule applies if:

  • you go on OW while you’re working, or
  • you get a job during the first 3 months that you’re on OW.

So, during the first 3 months, if you have net earnings of $100, OW reduces the amount they give you by $100.

After the first 3 months, earnings exemptions apply and you can earn some money without OW reducing what they give you by the full amount that you earn.

If you’ve been on social assistance in the past

Earnings exemptions might apply right away if you’ve been on OW or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) in the past.

But this happens only if all 3 of the following apply to you:

  • You were on OW or ODSP for at least 3 months in a row before going off.
  • You were making money from a job or training program when you went off OW or ODSP.
  • You apply to go back on OW within 6 months from the date you went off.

The 3 months can include time that you’re in an institution, like a shelter, if you get financial assistance from OW during that time.

You May Also Need
Working while you are on social assistance
CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario / Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario)
Reviewed: 
June 2018

3. Figure out how earning money can affect the amount you get from OW

When earnings exemptions apply, you can have $200 in net earnings in a month before Ontario Works (OW) reduces your monthly financial assistance.

The general rule is that if you make more than $200 in net earnings in a month, OW gives you less assistance. And they take off an amount that equals half of the net earnings you make that are above $200.

For example, if you make $300 in net earnings in a month, OW takes $50 from the amount they usually give you. This is because $300 in net earnings minus $200 equals $100. And $100 divided by 2 equals $50. See below for how this works:

$300 (net monthly earnings)
- $200
= $100
÷ 2
= $50 (amount OW subtracts from the amount they usually give you)

If you have to pay for child care so you can go to work, you might get to keep more of your monthly financial assistance. See Step 4.

If you live in a First Nations community

OW will not reduce your financial assistance because you’re getting money for being in an employment training program that lasts up to 12 months.

This includes the training allowance and money to pay for child care and travel.

Getting money from OW to help pay for costs of working

OW has benefits that can help you:

  • buy tools, equipment, and clothes for work
  • pay travel costs related to preparing for or starting a new job
  • pay fees for a licence or membership in an association

Full-Time Employment Benefit

If you need help to pay for things you need to start a full-time job or training program, you might be able to get the Full-Time Employment Benefit.

To qualify, you need to show OW all of the following:

  1. You’ve been on social assistance for 3 months in a row.
  2. You’re starting to work at least 30 hours a week in one or more jobs.
  3. You need help with the costs of going to work.

If you qualify, you may be able to get up to $500 in any 12-month period. For example, if you start with the month of April, you could get up to $500 between April 1 and March 31.

Other Employment and Employment Assistance Activities Benefit

If you don’t qualify for the Full-time Employment Benefit, you might still qualify for the Other Employment and Employment Assistance Activities Benefit.

To qualify, you need to show that you’re:

  • starting a new job
  • starting a new training program where you have to do different things

If you qualify, you may be able to get up to $253 in any 12-month period. For example, if you start in the month of April, you could get up to $253 between April 1 and March 31.

You May Also Need
OW Directive 7.4 Employment and Participation Benefits
Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services
Reviewed: 
June 2018

4. Learn about claiming child-care expenses

If you have to pay for child care so you can go to work, you might be able to claim child-care expenses. You do this when you report your earnings to Ontario Works (OW). This could mean that you get to keep more of your monthly financial assistance.

OW has rules about claiming expenses for child care and how much you can claim.

When you can’t claim

You can’t claim child-care expenses if:

  • A family member who is part of your household provides child care.
  • Someone who has a legal duty to support the child, such as a parent, provides child care.
  • You get money from another source to pay for your child care, for example, money from your local government, which is called a “fee subsidy”. But if you get less than what you pay for child care, you can claim the difference.

If you live with your child’s other parent

If you live with your child’s other parent, the general rule is that you can’t claim child-care expenses if only one of you is working.

But you can claim them if your child’s other parent can’t look after their child because they’re doing activities OW wants them to do to get a job.

How much you can claim

The amount you can claim depends on who you get child care from.

If your child-care provider is: You can claim:
  • licensed, for example, a daycare centre, nursery school, or daycare agency
  • the full amount you pay
  • an Extended Day Program, which is provided by school boards for kindergarten children before and after school
  • the full amount you pay
  • not licensed, for example, friends, neighbours, or others who provide child care in their homes, after‑school programs, parks and recreation programs, or camps
  • the amount you pay, up to $600 a month for each child

Getting money right away to pay for child care

If you have to pay for child care when you’re starting a job or training program, you might be able to get money from OW. This is called an “Advance (Up Front) Child Care Payment”.

The most you can get as an Advance (Up Front) Child Care Payment is the amount of child-care expenses you can claim in one year. That amount depends on the type of child-care provider you use. The rules about that are in the table above.

If OW gives you an Advance (Up Front) Child Care Payment, you can’t claim child-care expenses that you pay for with that money.

You May Also Need
OW Directive 5.4 Child Care Deductions
Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services
Reviewed: 
June 2018

5. Tell OW about money you make and any changes in your life

When you get financial assistance, you must tell Ontario Works (OW) about:

  • any money you make from a job or training program, or from being self-employed
  • any other money you get, such as Employment Insurance benefits
  • changes in your life, for example, if you start a job, or if family members move in or out of your household

How and when to report income and changes

Your OW office should tell you how and when to report your income and any changes in your life. OW may:

  • send you blank forms in the mail each month
  • tell you where to find the forms online

Some OW offices have their own forms. Or, you may be able to use these forms.

Your OW office will tell you when to complete and return the forms. It’s important to follow their instructions. If you don’t, you might not get financial assistance for the next month. 

Keep your documents

OW can ask you for documents to prove:

  • that you qualify for financial assistance
  • how much financial assistance you should get

So keep any documents that show OW:

  • how much money you made, for example, pay stubs
  • what your expenses were, for example, child-care costs

 

You May Also Need
Statement of Income and Changes Report forms
Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services
Reviewed: 
June 2018

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