Learn the rules about income from a trust
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Question & Answer
Can I get ODSP if I get an inheritance?The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) has rules that say payments you get from a trust are gifts.
Rules about gifts
You can receive gifts that are worth up to $10,000 in any 12-month period without ODSP reducing the amount of you get.
Spending money you get from a trust
Even if your gifts are worth more than $10,000, money you get from a trust does not always count as . For example, ODSP will not count money you use to pay for items or services related to your disability. This may include the cost of education or training.
Before you buy an item or service, try to find out if ODSP agrees that it’s related to your disability. Check with ODSP or get legal advice.
ODSP will also not count payments you get from a trust if you use the money:
- as first and last month’s rent because you need a place to live
- to help buy a home for you to live in
- to help buy a car that’s an exempt asset
Reporting to ODSP
You or your trustee must give ODSP a report every year showing all of the payments to and from a trust. If you do this, ODSP will not count payments from the trust as income.
To find out more about when ODSP does not count payments from a trust as income, get legal advice.
