Latest news with #ODSP
Hamilton Spectator
01-08-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
August Ontario and Canada government benefits breakdown: Key dates for CPP, child benefit, OTB, OAS, ODSP and more
Several provincial and federal government benefits are paid in August. The Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB), Canada Disability Benefit , Canada Child Benefit (CCB), Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and the Veteran Disability Pension come out this month for eligible Canadians. The new Canada Disability Benefit payments started in July for those whose applications were received and approved by June 30. Those who qualify will be paid the month after their application is approved. Payments are sent on the third Thursday of each month. How much you receive is based on your adjusted family net income. OTB is the first to be paid out in the month, scheduled for Aug. 8. Your 2025 OTB payments are based on your 2024 income tax and benefit return. The Canada Child Benefit will be issued Aug. 20. This benefit payment is indexed to inflation and is recalculated every July based on your adjusted family net income from the previous year. The payment dates for both CPP and OAS are set for Aug. 27. There is a new OAS benefit estimator you can access online. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, those who receive OAS will see a one per cent increase in benefits for the July-September 2025 quarter, reflecting a 2.3 per cent annual increase from July 2024 to July 2025, based on the consumer price index. The OAS pension is reviewed in January, April, July and October to reflect cost of living increases. If the cost of living goes down, your payment won't decrease. The Veteran Disability Pension payment date is Aug. 28 and the ODSP payment date is Aug. 29. Those receiving ODSP saw an inflation-based increase of 2.8 per cent — effective July 1. It's the fourth rate increase since ODSP rates were tied to inflation in September 2022. The province says rates have increased by 20 per cent since then. If you're are a single person, your payment could be up to $1,408 for basic needs and shelter — but the exact amount you receive will vary by situation. The OTB is a combined three-in-one payment made up of the Ontario energy and property tax credit, the northern Ontario energy credit and the Ontario sales tax credit, based on your tax return from the previous year. You must meet eligibility criteria and be entitled to receive a payment for at least one of the following credits to get the OTB: the Ontario energy and property tax credit , the northern Ontario energy credit , and the Ontario sales tax credit . Follow the links to each individual benefit to access their individual requirements. To be eligible for the OTB, you must have paid property tax or rent for your principal residence in Ontario in the prior tax year, paid living expenses for a nursing home, paid energy costs while living on an Ontario reserve, or have lived in a designated post-secondary school residence in the prior year. You need to apply for OTB every tax year, with eligibility based on your family's net income from the previous tax year, which may change due to differences in your family net income, your place of residence, your age or your family status. Each year, you must apply for the OTB by filing your personal income tax and benefit return and completing and enclosing the ON-BEN application form included in your tax return package. You can use the child and family benefits calculator to find out what child and family benefits you may be able to access and how much your payments may be. To be eligible for CPP, you must be at least 60 and have made at least one contribution to the plan. Contributions must have been made from work conducted in Canada, or as a result of credits from a former spouse or former common-law partner. The amount of your CPP retirement pension depends on different factors, such as: For 2025, the maximum monthly amount you could receive if you start your pension at age 65 is $1,364.60. The average monthly amount paid for a new retirement pension (at age 65) in July 2024 was $815. Your situation will determine how much you'll receive up to the maximum. You can get an estimate of your monthly CPP retirement pension payments by signing in to your My Service Canada account . The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment meant to help eligible families with the costs of raising children under 18. Among other things, it's based on the number of children, marital status and income. Calculate what you will receive by using the government's child and family benefits calculator . The Old Age Security pension is a monthly payment you can get if you are 65 and older. In most cases, Service Canada will be able to automatically enrol you for the OAS pension if sufficient information is available. Service Canada will inform you if you have been automatically enrolled. The Ontario Disability Support Program provides money to help you and your eligible family members with living expenses, including food, rent, health benefits, including prescription drugs and vision care and employment support to help you find and keep a job, or advance your career. If you are eligible for ODSP, the amount of money you get will depend on your specific situation. Payments are on the last business day of each month. December payments may be available earlier in the month. A disability benefit through Veterans Affairs Canada is a tax-free, financial payment intended to support your well-being. The amount you receive depends on the degree to which your condition is related to your service (entitlement) and the severity of your condition, including its impact on your quality of life (assessment). Haven't received your payment? Wait 10 working days from the payment date to contact the Canada Revenue Agency . For information about ODSP, visit the province's information page . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
25-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Increased July 2025 ODSP payments are coming out soon
Anyone receiving Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) payments should see money arrive in their bank account soon. The official payment date for July is Thursday, July 31. Those receiving ODSP money will see an inflation-based increase of 2.8 per cent — effective July 1. ODSP is intended to help with living expenses, including food, and rent — as well as with health benefits such as prescription drugs, vision care and more. This is the fourth rate increase since ODSP rates were tied to inflation in September 2022. The province says rates have increased by 20 per cent since then. If you're are a single person, your payment could be up to $1,408 for basic needs and shelter — but the exact amount you could receive will vary by situation. That amount is up from the $1,368 a month a single person could've received in June for basic needs and shelter. To be eligible for ODSP, you must meet the definition of disability under the Ontario Disability Support Program Act. The province has set out specific eligibility criteria on its website. You can apply for Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program through an application. A caseworker from an ODSP office will review your application and will call you within 15 business days to schedule an appointment, the province says. If you are applying for ODSP, or are receiving income support through the program, your ODSP caseworker may ask you to submit one or more of the forms found on the Central Forms Repository , such as the Application for Employment Supports, Business Income and Expenses Report, Rights and Responsibilities Ontario Disability Support Program and more. For more information about ODSP see the full program description and eligibility requirements online. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Filipino Times
16-07-2025
- General
- Filipino Times
OWWA opens online scholarship application for OFW dependents
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has opened the online application period for its scholarship programs, offering financial assistance to qualified dependents of OFWs for the academic year 2025–2026. From July 16 to 31, 2025, students may apply for the Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP) Category 2 and the OFW Dependent Scholarship Program (ODSP) Categories 1 and 2. These programs offer assistance ranging from Php 20,000 to Php 60,000 per school year to eligible students enrolled in Philippine-based colleges and universities. EDSP Category 2 provides up to Php 60,000 per school year to dependents currently enrolled from 2nd to 5th year college. Eligible applicants must be single, under 30 years old, have a general weighted average (GWA) of at least 85%, and no failing grades. Requirements: Proof of identity for OFW (copy of valid passport bio or info page) and dependent (valid school ID or any valid ID, plus birth or baptismal certificate) Proof of grades from the previous school year 2×2 ID photo of applicant with white background, name tag, and signature Meanwhile, the ODSP Category 1 grants P20,000 per year to dependents entering 1st year college. Applicants must be single, 21 years old and below, with passing grades, and the OFW must have a monthly income not exceeding USD 1,000. Meanwhile, Category 2 also provides P20,000 per year to dependents enrolled in 2nd to 5th year college with the same qualifications. Requirements: Proof of identity for OFW (copy of valid passport bio or info page) and dependent (valid school ID or any valid ID, plus birth or baptismal certificate) Proof of OFW income (e.g., OEC, payslip, employment certificate) 2×2 ID photo of applicant with white background, name tag, and signature
CBC
17-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Despite housing crisis, Ontario's social assistance rates favour people living alone
While moving in with a romantic partner seems like a go-to next step for some long-term couples, the decision is not so straightforward when one or both people are on social assistance, a recent study shows. Government programs meant to financially support people, such as Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), tend to benefit single people more than couples, according to research from a former government benefit designer. "Usually if two people move in together, they save money because they save their shelter costs, whereas for people who are on assistance, the opposite happens and they're actually worse off when they lived together," said John Stapleton, who worked for the Ontario government for more than 20 years and is now a consultant at Open Policy. "What recipients often find is that it's economically better for them to stay apart," he said. "The programs are designed to produce a sort of legislative loneliness." Stapleton's study, which is based on real-life conversations he had with Ontario couples considering moving together, found that in some situations, partners would make about 20 per cent less than they did living alone. In one example, two residents receiving OW each got $733 a month, which totalled $1,466. However, if they lived together as a couple, Stapleton said, their earnings would go down to a total of $1,136. Even with a reduced rent split among the two of them, the couple would have less money available than when they lived separately, the study showed. In London, there are 10,800 people receiving Ontario Works, according to City of London data collected at the end of 2024. More than 7,000 of them are single and another nearly 2,500 are single with dependents. About 1,200 of them are couples or couples with dependents. "Obviously a lot of them are single people who are single, but then there's going to be people who are in couple relationships who have made the decision not to live together," Stapleton said. CBC News reached out to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services for comment and will update the story with the response. Balancing the budget Londoner Diane Devine has been living alone for three years now, using money from ODSP and the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) to pay her rent. She said she knows of others who could not make ends meet living together. She lived with a partner for six years, and while the decision to live alone was not based on cost, she did say in her case, the amount of savings that one might expect from living with a partner is not much different from what she pays now as a single person. "Just because you're living with somebody doesn't mean your cost of living goes down," she said. "Each individual still has the same amount of living expenses." Changes to cost of living Nicole Davis, a community advocate at LifeSpin in London, said the topic comes up in her line of work. "The system is essentially penalizing people for being in relationships," she said. "It kind of forces individuals to choose between financial stability and pursuing a supportive relationship, so it almost [discourages] cohabitation with each other." Stapleton said he understands why welfare programs were originally designed so that people living together would not receive as much financial assistance, but times have changed. "Now we're in a housing crisis and we've got a bunch of fairly poor people who are staying in their own apartments because they're better off to do that than actually move in together," he said. "People are occupying deeply affordable housing on their own when they'd really rather be together, and of course the landlord or the rooming house operator would love to have that unit freed up so they could run it to another person." Davis agreed, adding that it is already a challenge for many Londoners to find available units. "Right now, I feel like programs operate on outdated assumptions that don't really reflect the realities of poverty, disabilities and the high cost of living especially in a city like London," Davis said. Stapleton said with new realities comes a need for new policies. These include raising social assistance rates for couples, allowing them to pool any earning exemptions and letting new couples continue with the rules relating to singles during their first year living together. Until then, Stapleton said, couples are not incentivised to become a unit.
Globe and Mail
13-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Ontario welfare system encourages living alone despite affordable-housing shortage, study finds
The structure of social assistance benefits in Ontario often encourages recipients to live alone, a perverse outcome that may be exacerbating shortages of affordable housing, new research finds. Both Ontario Works (OW), which assists low-income workers, and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which aids those living with disabilities, are designed so that income support shrinks when a beneficiary moves in with a romantic partner. The benefit drop is meant to reflect the savings that typically ensue when two people share rent and other household costs. But the reductions are so severe that they typically exceed the financial advantages of living under one roof, according to a recent study by John Stapleton, a consultant and retired social assistance benefits designer for the Ontario government. The result is a powerful incentive for welfare recipients to live on their own, a form of forced loneliness that can take a toll on mental health and may also be unnecessarily inflating the demand for affordable rentals, Mr. Stapleton argues. 'We have a housing crisis, and we have these people who are incentivized to live separately,' he said. In some cases, forming a two-person household can result in an income drop of more than 22 per cent compared with a scenario in which two partners live alone, the analysis shows. Carrick: To make housing more affordable, drop the tax hammer on real estate investors For example, two people who each receive the maximum OW aid of $733 a month, which adds up to $1,466 for both partners, would see their combined income shrink to $1,136, a decrease of 22.5 per cent, if they started living together. Similarly, OW recipients moving in with a partner who works full-time making minimum wage would see their support clawed back at such a rate that the couple's combined income would fall by nearly 23 per cent compared with a scenario in which they keep separate homes. For two ODSP beneficiaries, moving in together would come with an income reduction of nearly 16 per cent. When Mr. Stapleton applied the math to the real-life cases of three couples living on welfare in Scarborough, Ont., he found the income reductions outstripped the savings of forming a single household in every instance. Rebekah Smylie, manager of financial empowerment at West Neighbourhood House, a social services agency in Toronto, said it's common for welfare recipients to decide not to move in with a romantic partner because they wouldn't be able to make ends meet if they did so. And for those who live in affordable housing, moving in with a partner comes with an added financial risk, she said. 'If you've given up a housing spot, and you've moved in with a partner, and then you find out you're going to be penalized for it, there's no guarantee you can undo that. Right? That spot is very quickly filled,' she said, referring to the affordable rental unit left vacant. Opinion: When exactly did Canadian housing become so unaffordable – and who's to blame? Waitlists for affordable housing are often years-long in Toronto. At Maytree, an anti-poverty think tank, Alexi White, director of systems change, said welfare recipients in other jurisdictions likely face the same issues, since social assistance programs across the country are relatively similar. 'Generally speaking, everybody does what Ontario does,' he said. Making it easier for Canadians on welfare to move in with a partner would likely free up some subsidized housing and low-rent housing, according to Ricardo Tranjan, an economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The majority of OW and ODSP recipients in Ontario rent on the private market, where landlords often crank up rent when a new occupant moves in because rent control guidelines don't apply upon turnover of a tenancy, Dr. Tranjan said. But even with hefty rent increases, rental units left vacant by Canadians on welfare would likely still be some of the cheapest on the market and a good housing option for low-income workers. As for non-market housing, such as government-assisted rental housing and affordable units provided by non-profit organizations, 'freeing up one of those units can be – it's not an exaggeration to say that – a life-changing opportunity for the next person in line,' he said.
