Provincial program · Ontario
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
Ontario’s income support for disabled people — and the one province that has said plainly the Canada Disability Benefit will not touch it.
What it is
Monthly money for living costs like food and rent, plus health benefits including prescription drugs and vision care. It is separate from Ontario Works, which is the general social assistance program — you can apply to both at once and be paid Ontario Works while ODSP assesses you, which matters because that assessment takes months.
Who it is for
Ontario has its own definition and its own assessment. A substantial physical or mental impairment expected to last a year or more, which substantially restricts your ability to work, care for yourself, or take part in community life. Approval for the federal Disability Tax Credit does not approve you here, and it is not asked for.
What it pays
- $1,436 a month
- is the most a single person can get for basic needs and shelter, after the 1.9% rise that took effect in July 2026.
- A single person’s maximum for basic needs and shelter, not what everyone receives. A spouse or children raise it, and benefits such as transportation to medical appointments are paid on top.
More than that for a spouse or children, and other benefits are paid on top — money towards transport to medical appointments, for example.
- Government of Ontario, published 2026 · from July 2026 (opens in a new tab) Checked August 4, 2026
How to apply
Online, by phone on 1-888-999-1142, or in person. The form takes 20 to 30 minutes. Money is decided first: a caseworker calls within 15 business days to book a verification appointment, and financial eligibility is usually settled within 15 business days after it. Only then are you sent the Disability Determination Package for a doctor, nurse practitioner or psychologist to fill in — and the decision on that can take up to 90 business days.
What it does with the federal money
Exempt — it does not reduce your provincial payment
Ontario states it plainly: the Canada Disability Benefit is exempt as income for social assistance. It changes neither your eligibility for ODSP nor the amount you are paid. If somebody tells you otherwise, the province’s own page is the thing to show them.
What catches people out
The Disability Determination Package is not the T2201. Two governments, two definitions, two appointments — and your doctor may charge for each. Ask whether they will do both in one visit. And if you have had ODSP before and need it again, ask about rapid reinstatement: it can restart your support without a second disability assessment, and almost nobody is told it exists.
Being on this program does not give you the Disability Tax Credit. It is a separate federal approval with its own test — and it is the one that unlocks the Canada Disability Benefit and the Registered Disability Savings Plan. A great many people receiving provincial support never apply, because they assume they are already covered.
The official page
Always the final word on rules, amounts and forms:
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) (opens in a new tab)
See what you may qualify for.
About four minutes. Nothing is shared with the government.