For the fifth year in a row, Ontario Works (OW) incomes remain stagnant and well below the official poverty line for every family type. The provincial government did not make any increases to OW benefit rates.
The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefit rates have increased by 6.5% based on the cost of living formula determined by the Ontario Government, which will guide future annual ODSP increases based on inflation. Despite this inflation-related increase, ODSP incomes are still far too low to adequately cover food, housing, transportation, medication, costs related to disability, and other necessities of life.
Families with children will also see an inflation-related increase in their monthly Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) amounts – of around $8 per month (approximately $98 per year) per child. The 6.5% increase applies to some but not to all rates, supplements, and benefits.
The rates sheet is updated annually (or when otherwise warranted) and includes Basic Needs and Maximum Shelter rates for different family types, as well as the previous year’s rates. The rates sheet also shows the Ontario Child Benefit amounts for people who have children.
In addition, the rates sheet gives some notes about how some rates and benefits work, and important information about other benefits available inside OW and ODSP.
The 2023 rates sheet is available to download in English (click here for PDF and click here for Word). La version français en format PDF est ici, et la version français en format Word est ici.
You can find previous years’ rates sheets in the Publications section of our website by going to the search box and choosing “Social Assistance Rates” from the drop-down menu called “All Categories”.
You can find more info about other benefits at the following links:
Ontario Trillium Benefit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-trillium-benefit
Canada Child Benefit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html
Ontario Child Benefit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-child-benefit
Canada Dental Benefit for Children: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/dental-benefit.html
GST/HST Credit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/goods-services-tax-harmonized-sales-tax-gst-hst-credit.html
If you are a social assistance recipient and you have questions about your benefits, your local community legal clinic may be able to provide support. Find your local community legal clinic at this link: https://www.legalaid.on.ca/legal-clinics/.