Can I get child support and money from OW?
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Long delays for 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.
There’s a rule that says payments don’t affect the amount of you get from Ontario Works (OW).
So, if you get child support, you get that money and your financial assistance.
This is a new rule that applies starting February 1, 2017. But it only applies to child support payments that are owed for periods of time that begin on February 1, 2017, or after that date.
And it has to be child support that the law says a person must pay. For example, someone might have to pay child support because of a court order or an agreement.
Trying to get child support
OW will not say that you must try to get child support when you apply for assistance or while you’re getting assistance.
But the rule is different for spousal support.
Reporting child support payments
Even when child support payments don’t affect the amount of financial assistance you get, you still have to tell OW about them. See Step 2.
Applying to OW
OW does not count child support payments when they decide if you qualify for financial assistance.
This is important because to qualify for OW, your can’t be more than a certain amount. That amount depends on the number of people in your household and the cost of your housing.
