Can I get ODSP if I own property or other things?
Long delays for appeal hearings
If you're appealing a decision made by OW or ODSP in 2020, your appeal hearing may not happen for a long time. People report that they're getting hearing dates from the that are between 9 and 16 months in the future. We'll update this information as things change.
Things that you own are called . The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) has rules about what you can have in and assets and still qualify financially for .
Your assets can't be worth more than a certain amount of money. That amount depends on the number of people in your household.
And when ODSP adds up how much your assets are worth, they include assets owned by everyone in your household.
| Who's in your household | How much ODSP lets you have in assets |
|---|---|
| you | $40,000 |
| you and a spouse | $50,000 |
| you and a child or dependent adult | $40,000 for you, plus $500 for each child or dependent adult |
| you and a spouse and a child or dependent adult | $50,000 for you and your spouse, plus $500 for each child or dependent adult |
Assets that ODSP does not count
There are some types of assets that ODSP does not count. These are called “exempt” assets. See Steps 1 and 2 for examples.
You still have to give ODSP information about all of your income and assets, even if some of them are exempt.
Money ODSP owes you
There's a special rule about income support that ODSP pays you because they owe you for a period of time in the past.
For example, ODSP might have to pay you after you win an appeal to the Social Benefits Tribunal. And they might owe you several months of income support.
After they pay you, you might have more money than the ODSP asset rules say you can have. The special rule that applies is that ODSP will not count this money as an asset for 6 months.
Step 4 talks about ways to spend this money so that ODSP does not reduce or cut off your benefits.
Getting advice
The ODSP rules about assets are complicated.
And, ODSP can refuse to give you income support, reduce it, or cut it off if:
- you give away assets
- you sell assets for less than what they're worth
There is more information about the rules in steps 1, 2, 3, and 4. You may need to get legal advice about your situation.
