Ontario Works eligibility calculator
Enter your household, rent and any employment income to see an estimate built from the published directive rates.
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Rent or mortgage, plus heating and utilities.
How much does Ontario Works pay?
A single person with no dependants can receive up to $343 a month for basic needs plus a shelter allowance of up to $390, for a maximum of $733. Shelter is paid at your actual cost up to that maximum. Employment income reduces assistance after the first $200 is exempted, plus half of the remainder.
Two amounts, added together
Ontario Works assistance is built from a basic needs amount and a shelter allowance, and they behave differently.
Basic needs is a fixed figure set by household composition — it covers food, clothing, transportation and personal items, and you receive the whole amount regardless of what you actually spend. Shelter is paid at your actual housing cost, but only up to a maximum that rises with household size.
That means a single person paying $300 rent receives $300 of shelter, not the $390 maximum. Anyone paying above the maximum absorbs the difference out of their basic needs money, which is why the shelter cap matters more than the headline figure.
How the calculation works
Add the two components, then subtract chargeable income.
basic needs = fixed amount for your household compositionshelter = the lower of your actual shelter cost and the maximum1 person $390 4 people $7562 people $642 5 people $8153 people $697 6 or more $844earnings exemption = first $200, plus 50% of the remainderassistance = basic needs + shelter − (income − exemption)
The earnings exemption is why part-time work does not simply cancel out assistance. On $800 of monthly employment income, $200 is exempt outright and half of the remaining $600 is exempt too, so $500 is exempt in total and only $300 reduces your cheque.
Shelter costs include rent, mortgage payments, property taxes, home insurance, heating and utilities. The directive gives a worked example totalling those into a single monthly shelter figure.
Worked example: a single person paying $700 rent
You live alone, pay $700 a month in rent including utilities, and earn $400 a month part time.
- Basic needs, single, no dependants$343.00
- Shelter, capped at the 1-person maximum$390.00
- Maximum before income$733.00
- Earnings exemption: $200 + 50% of $200$300.00
- Chargeable income$100.00
About $633 a month in assistance, plus your $400 in earnings.
The $700 rent exceeds the $390 shelter maximum by $310, and that gap is not covered — it comes out of the basic needs amount meant for food and transport. This is the single biggest gap between the published rates and what recipients experience.
What this estimate does not check
- Asset limits, which apply separately and can disqualify an application outright
- Residency and immigration status requirements
- Participation requirements, including the participation agreement
- Whether other income sources such as EI or CPP must be pursued first
- Board and lodging situations, which use a different rate structure
- Additional benefits such as drug, dental and employment-related expenses
Ontario Works and ODSP are different programmes
Ontario Works is for people in financial need who are available for work. The Ontario Disability Support Program is for people with a substantial disability that is expected to last a year or more.
ODSP pays considerably more — $825 basic needs and up to $611 shelter for a single person, against $343 and $390 on Ontario Works. It also has a far more generous earnings exemption, at $1,000 a month plus 25% of the remainder.
People often start on Ontario Works while an ODSP application is assessed, then transfer if approved.
What has changed, and when
Rates on this page have not always been what they are today. If you are working on an earlier period, use the figure that applied at the time rather than the current one.
- From 1 July 2026 Rates rose under the annual inflation adjustment. The shelter directive was last updated 14 April 2026.
- Ongoing Ontario Works rates are reviewed annually. Figures published earlier in a year are usually superseded by the July adjustment.
Common questions
How much does Ontario Works pay a single person?
Up to $733 a month, made up of $343 for basic needs and a shelter allowance of up to $390. Shelter is paid at your actual cost, so someone with lower housing costs receives less than the maximum.
Does working reduce my Ontario Works payment?
Partly. The first $200 of monthly net employment income is fully exempt, and half of anything above that is exempt too. Only the remainder is deducted, so working always leaves you better off than not working.
What if my rent is more than the shelter maximum?
The excess is not covered. Ontario Works pays shelter up to the maximum for your household size, and anything above that has to come out of your basic needs amount. For a single person paying more than $390, that gap is immediate.
What is the difference between Ontario Works and ODSP?
Ontario Works supports people in financial need who are available for work. ODSP supports people with a substantial disability expected to last a year or more, and pays significantly more — $825 basic needs and up to $611 shelter for a single person, with a $1,000 monthly earnings exemption.
Are there asset limits for Ontario Works?
Yes, and they are assessed separately from income. This calculator estimates a payment amount from the rate tables only and does not test assets. Your local Ontario Works office applies the full eligibility rules.
Where these numbers come from
- Ontario Works policy directives — 6.2 Basic needs The basic needs rate table by household composition.
- Ontario Works policy directives — 6.3 Shelter Maximum monthly shelter by benefit unit size. Updated 14 April 2026.
- Ontario Works policy directives — 6.1 Calculating assistance How the components are combined and income is applied.
- Government of Ontario — Financial assistance through Ontario Works Programme overview and how to apply.
Last verified 2026-08-01 Rates on this page are checked against the sources above at least once a year, and whenever the governing authority announces a change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
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