Employment Earnings While on Ontario Works

This resource explains how earnings from your employment will impact the assistance you receive from Ontario Works.

The short answer is: $200 + 50%. Let’s explain:

If you are employed and you are eligible for assistance, you can qualify for the following deductions after 3 consecutive months on OW:

• No deductions against​ the first $200 that you earn from your employer, every month
• In addition to this, only half of the balance is subject to deductions from your OW payment (in other words, we ignore half of your earnings from employment after the first $200 has been exempted)

HERE’S AN EXAMPLE:

Let’s say you receive $500 from OW and you receive $500 from your employer.

The first $200 from your employment earnings is exempt. That leaves you with a claimable income of $300. Half of your claimable income, or $150 in this case, is deducted from your OW payment, leaving you with $350.

You get $500 from your employer PLUS $350 from OW ($500-$150=$350) for a total of $850 this month ($500+$350=$850).

You can see how this works in the table below:

If you have any questions about your particular situation, do not hesitate to reach out to us.