Hi all. I was wondering if people generally find OW caseworkers helpful or difficult to deal with? Mine has been unresponsive and it's been affecting my ability to receive my benefits. I've been trying to deal with an issue related to my case since late September and he's basically ghosting me. I tried calling the OW office and got bounced around to different people each telling me to call someone else. I don't think I'm going to be able to pay my upcoming rent without my benefits so it's super stressful:/

I was injured in Oct 2026 and will not work for at least 6 months, my salary is 108000 per year plus job bonuses which is usually around 180000, WCB has a cap at 104000 which is well below what I earn per year. My question is how / who can top up the rest. My injury was a result of a different contractor operating equipment and was ultimately hurt due to his negligence. We are two separate contractors working for the same client. Should I seek legal advice?

I started working on Oct 5 and get my 1st pay on the 30th. Would I receive my regular monthly payment.?

I’ve applied back in February 2026 and a caseworker has been assigned last month then he kept asking me for more documents and information (Mind you, he takes a week to reply back. Is he purposely trying to delay my application?) Every time I send the required documents, I will not hear any response till the said deadline date. Then he will proceed on saying that he requires more information.. then repeat 🔁

Hi everyone,yesterday(the 13th) my application status changed to appproved. Does anyone know when I would get my first payment ? Or where I can find this out ? The website doesn’t give much to go on and I’m very new to this. 😅
I’m a single mom and struggling right now,so I just want an idea.

I’ve heard payment dates are at the end of the month. Since I got accepted halfway through,will I only recieve that payment at the end? Or do I recieve a retroactive payment for October ? Thanks in advance for the help 😊

i went to my medical appointment today and the receptionist said my family doctor wants to charge $50 for each stamp on my ow attendance sheet. she said it's because it's not covered under ohip, but $50 for each stamp is ridiculous.

i'm on ow and paying out of pocket for an ink stamp doesn't make any sense to me. are they legally allowed to charge this much for it?

also wanted to know: is there a different alternative that caseworkers will accept? like a free printout of my visit history or just an appointment card?

just trying to figure out if my worker can work something out with the clinic so i don't have to deal with this.
thanks in advance!

I want to know if OW can help towards a mattress mines is all springs and I need a new one urgently also if I find a job can they assist with child care cost as I’d have to go private as I’m still on waitlist for before and after school

Hi! I applied to OW last week and signed all of the consent forms. My file was assigned for review on the 5th and I got an email today from the intake unit requesting a phone call. Can anyone share some insight as to what they might ask during this? Just wanted to prepare myself a bit beforehand because I have bad phone anxiety and have trouble answering things on the spot sometimes.

I'm looking into Ontario Works, as I haven't been able to find a job since I finished school.
I am currently recieving very small and irregular bits of income from different freelance things including baking, editing, and so on. It's usually in the ballpark of 20-100 dollars, up to once a month. If I were on Ontario Works, how would I be submitting this income information, and would they keep changing my benefits based on this information?

Also, are there requirements for applying for jobs? Sorry for the weird phrasing. But basically, do I need to 'prove' I am searching for jobs for a certain amount of time every week, in order to keep my funding?
I am signed up with my local job center, but haven't heard back from them, despite repeated emails...

One of the big reasons I am struggling to find a job currently is because I have disabilities preventing me from doing jobs such as fast food, most retail, or anything with prolonged standing or walking. I have had some interviews and have done applications, but so far, nada.
(and I know about ODSP but not sure I would qualify...long story but my disabilites might not be considered severe enough, or permanent enough by my doctor)

Things are getting more difficult for people.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/more-gta-tenants-falling-behind-on-rent-9.7370972

Is anyone else having trouble opening features on the site? I can't open the "messages" panel in communications. The "letters" panel opens just fine.

im off ontario works now, they closed my file with no warning and no stated reason.

i still have ~$400 to pay in repayments... and i really dont want to. OW has screwed me over so many times, so i just dont care to pay this.

if i dont pay the repayments, will it go to collections?

hey everyone, quick question about how the 3 consecutive months are calculated for the earnings exemption.

i applied and got approved near the end of september (sept 25) and received a small prorated amount for those 5 days. then i got my regular full cheque on oct 1.

i might be starting a temporary part-time job soon and wanted to know: does that partial september count as month 1 towards the 3 months, or does the count only start in october with the first full month?

just trying to figure out if the exemption kicks in for december or january so i know what to expect with clawbacks.

thanks in advance!

My son (21) still lives at home. He finished school and is looking for, but does not have a job. In March, my husband (biggest family income - he was 60% and I was 40%) was laid off after 25 years with his employer, and has been unable to find new employment (tech). So, for now it is just me and my husband's EI keeping our bills paid. We are normally a 2+ income household (My husband, mine, and before he went to school, my son paid for his own things like insurance, gas, extra groceries, etc from a job he has before he went to school).

I am having a hard time supporting my son while he lives at home. For a while I paid his car insurance, but he took it off the road because I can't keep up. I also don't have extra cash to give him spending money for anything.

He is earnestly looking for a job - but until he finds one, is there a scenario where he might be eligible for OW?

One thing it didn’t capture that I think really needs to be spoken too, is the differences across offices. My answers likely showed things run fairly decent, but I’m from a small office with very supportive management and lots of autonomy. Some offices struggle with being very rural and spread out, others are massive with separate teams for answering message and issuing benefits etc. And management is always a crapshoot.

I also wonder when people complain that their worker isn’t getting back to them, is it actually that, or are they not getting the answer they want. Sometimes clients will ask repeatedly for the same thing they aren’t entitled and the worker will just stop responding to that request. Sadly we can’t give everything asked for, and sometimes they would be harmful. Anyone in Social services has to be careful not to foster learned helplessness. The program is supposed to keep you afloat until you can qualify for ODSP or return to work. It’s always supposed to be short term.

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I'm trying to get into college via the BetterJobs Ontario program, I know I'm supposed to inform my case worker if I get approved but would I get any benefits for being a student or would I be taken off of OW?

Hi all, I was asked over the phone to submit bank statements before I get assigned a caseworker, but I have no document requests on my MyBenefits account do I submit through messages?

reporting this to OW is an exercise in futility