Can I work and get Ontario Works?

Ontario Works (OW) has rules that say you can work and get money from OW if you:

• tell OW about any money you make
• do not make too much money

Tell OW about money you make

You must tell OW how much money you, your spouse, and your dependants make each month from:

• jobs
• training allowances
• being self-employed

Your spouse can be a person of any sex or gender. It does not matter if you’re married or not.

Dependants are people who live with you and who you take care of financially. For example, this could be your children or elderly parents.

Income that OW does not count

OW will not count money that a dependant earns if they:

• are a full-time student in high school, college, or university
• are younger than 18
• live in a First Nations community and get money from an employment training program that lasts up to 12 months

Working during the first 3 months on OW

If you earn any money from work during the first 3 months you’re on OW, OW reduces the amount of money they give you.

They reduce it by the same amount as your take-home pay.

Take-home pay means the money that’s left after your employer takes off things like taxes. It’s usually the amount that goes into your bank account from your paycheque.

Take-home pay is also called net earnings.

For example, you get $623 a month from OW and one month you earn $100 from work. OW will reduce the money they give you by $100. So you will get $523.

Earnings exemption of $200 after 3 months

After getting money from OW for at least 3 months, the rules about take-home pay change.

After 3 months, OW will not reduce the monthly amount they give you if your take-home pay is $200 or less that month.

This is called an earnings exemption.

Getting the earnings exemption right away

Instead of waiting 3 months, you can get the earnings exemption right away if all of the following are true:

• you got money in the past from OW or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) for at least 3 months in a row,
• you earned at least some money from work since you stopped getting money from OW or ODSP, and
• it’s been less than 6 months since you stopped getting money from OW or ODSP.

Money you make over $200

If your take-home pay is more than $200, OW reduces the amount they give you. They reduce it by half of what you earned over $200.

For example, if your take-home pay is $260 in a month, OW will not count the first $200. But they will reduce the amount of money they give you by half of the remaining $60.

Help with costs related to work

Employment Ontario and OW may be able to help you with costs related to work.

Talk to your Employment Ontario worker if you need help with costs related to a job, for example:

• tools, equipment, and clothing
• transportation
• certification and training fees
• emergency child care

Talk to your OW worker if you need money for things that will help you get ready to look for work, for example:

• mental health counselling
• getting identification documents (ID)
• internet access

Benefits after you stop getting OW

If you stop getting money from OW because of the amount of money you earn from work, you might be able to get the Extended Health Benefit (EHB).

The EHB may cover costs like:

• prescription drugs
• visits to a dentist
• eye exams and glasses

Get legal help

If you have questions about OW rules or do not agree with a decision OW makes, contact your local community legal clinic.

To find the clinic nearest you, visit Legal Aid Ontario’s website at legalaid.on.ca/legal-clinics or call them at 1-800-668-8258. For TTY, call 711.

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February 2026