1. Understand the rules about living with a spouse
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.
Question & Answer
Someone is moving in with me. Can this affect my OW?Your spouse can be someone of the same or opposite sex.
If you're living with someone, Ontario Works (OW) will decide you're spouses if any of the following are true:
- you tell them that you are
- you're married to each other
- the law says that the other person must support you or your child
Living together for at least 3 months
OW will also decide you're spouses if all of the following are true:
- You've been living together for at least 3 months. See Step 3.
- One of you supports the other or the two of you are “financially interdependent”. See Step 4.
- You're “living together as a couple”, not as two single people. This means that your relationship is like a marriage. See Step 5.
OW can decide that the person you're living with is your spouse, even if one of you is married to or separated from someone else.
