How Much Can You Get on ODSP?
A Complete Guide to Financial Eligibility, Benefit Rates, and Extra Supports
If you’re living with a disability in Ontario, one of the biggest questions is: “How much will ODSP actually give me every month?” It’s a fair question — especially with the cost of rent, food, and transportation in Ontario getting higher every year. This blog will walk you through how ODSP decides payment amounts, what the average person receives, and what extra supports you might be missing.
🗂️ Table of Contents
What ODSP Actually Pays For
Basic Needs vs. Shelter Allowance
How Much Does a Single Person Get on ODSP?
Families, Couples, and Parents on ODSP
Working While on ODSP (and not losing everything)
Extra Benefits Many People Don’t Know About
Financial & Asset Rules
Common Questions People on ODSP Ask
Key Takeaways
Disclaimer
What ODSP Actually Pays For
The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is there to help people with disabilities cover day-to-day living costs. It isn’t meant to make people rich, and it isn’t the same as employment income — it’s a support program.
ODSP can help with:
• food and personal needs
• rent, mortgage, taxes, or room-and-board
• utilities
• some disability-related health costs
• prescription drugs, dental, and vision (for most people on ODSP)
ODSP is run by the Ontario government (Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services), but a lot of people get information from community pages, Facebook groups, or friends — and sometimes the numbers don’t match. That’s why it’s important to know how the payment is actually built.
Basic Needs vs. Shelter Allowance
Your ODSP payment is made of two parts:
Basic Needs — this is for food, clothing, hygiene, bus money, phone, basic life stuff
Shelter Allowance — this is for housing (rent, mortgage, heat, hydro, taxes, etc.)
These two together make your monthly ODSP amount.
The Basic Needs part is more “fixed.” The Shelter part depends on where you live and how much your rent is — but only up to the ODSP maximum.
How Much Does a Single Person Get on ODSP?
As of 2025, most single adults on ODSP who are renting or paying for housing receive around:
• Basic Needs: $752
• Shelter Allowance (max): $556
• Total: $1,308/month
That $1,308/month is a very common number — but remember, it is not the same for every single person.
Why it might be different for you:
• your rent is lower than $556 (ODSP only pays what you actually pay, up to the max)
• you are boarding/living with family in a “room and board” setup
• you have other income (CPP-D, work, support payments)
• you live with a spouse or partner
• you get extra ODSP benefits
Families, Couples, and Parents on ODSP
ODSP goes up if you have a spouse or children, because the program looks at “benefit unit” — not just you.
Approximate examples:
• Single person: about $1,308/month
• Couple (both on ODSP): about $1,941/month
• Single parent + 1 child: about $1,874/month
• Couple + 1 child: about $2,407/month
• Couple + 2 children: about $2,900–$2,910/month
These are good ballpark numbers for your blog, but always remind people: housing costs, income, and special needs can make it go up or down.
Important: If your rent is very high (e.g. $1,300 for a basement in the GTA), ODSP will not match your rent. It will only give you the shelter maximum for your family size. A lot of people on ODSP in the GTA are “rent-burdened” — which means part of their Basic Needs money is being used to finish paying rent.
Working While on ODSP (and not losing everything)
A lot of people are scared to work because they don’t want to lose ODSP. But ODSP actually allows people to earn some income.
Here’s how it works:
• You can earn up to $1,000/month from work with no deduction to your ODSP
• After $1,000, ODSP deducts 50 cents for every dollar
• You can still keep health benefits even when working
• ODSP can help with things like transportation-to-work or work clothing (ask your worker)
Example:
You get $1,308 from ODSP.
You work and make $800 in a month → ODSP stays the same.
You work and make $1,400 → first $1,000 is exempt, the extra $400 is reduced by 50% ($200), so ODSP goes down by $200.
This is good information for the community because a lot of people think “if I work, I lose ODSP.” That’s not fully true.
Extra Benefits Many People Don’t Know About
This is where a lot of ODSP recipients are missing out. ODSP can sometimes pay for things outside the usual monthly amount — but you often have to ASK.
Some examples:
• Special Diet Allowance — if you have diabetes, celiac, HIV/AIDS, heart/kidney disease, or another condition that requires special foods
• Medical Travel — if you need to go to appointments regularly
• Vision & Dental — glasses, some dental, kids’ dental
• Hearing — hearing aids and related services
• Assistive Devices — mobility, medical equipment (sometimes coordinated with ADP)
• Employment-related benefits — bus pass to interviews, boots, uniforms
• Children’s needs — back-to-school or winter clothing (certain cases)
This is why community-based sites like yours are important — a lot of people don’t know what to ask for.
Financial & Asset Rules
ODSP is income-tested and asset-tested. That means they look at how much money you have coming in, and how much in savings or property you have.
Current ODSP asset limits:
• Single person: up to $40,000
• Couple: up to $50,000
• Plus $500 per dependent
Things that don’t count as assets:
• your main home
• one vehicle
• RDSP
• most personal belongings
• some trust arrangements (if set up properly)
If someone on ODSP suddenly gets an inheritance or settlement, they should NOT panic — often ODSP allows time (usually up to 6 months) to spend it on approved things (paying debt, mobility aids, dental, housing, car repairs, etc.).
Common Questions People on ODSP Ask
“Why is my friend getting more than me?”
Because ODSP is individualized. They might have higher rent, a child, a spouse, a special diet, or less income than you.
“Does ODSP go up every year?”
ODSP is now indexed, so it adjusts with inflation, but it doesn’t always match the real cost of living in Ontario — especially rent.
“Can I get ODSP and CPP-D?”
Yes, but CPP-D is counted as income, so your ODSP will go down — you still keep health benefits.
“What if my rent goes up?”
You must tell your worker. If it’s still under the ODSP shelter max, they can adjust it. If it’s higher than the max, ODSP will stay at the cap.
“Can ODSP help with emergency stuff?”
Sometimes, yes — food, shelter, medical. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s worth asking.
Key Takeaways
• Most single ODSP recipients get around $1,308/month (in 2025 numbers).
• Your amount = Basic Needs + Shelter.
• Your amount can be higher if you have a spouse, kids, or special needs.
• You can work and still stay on ODSP.
• There are extra benefits — but many of them you have to ask for.
• ODSP is individual — don’t compare your exact payment to someone else’s without comparing situations.
• Always report income or changes to avoid overpayments.
Disclaimer
This blog is for informational and community education purposes only. ODSP policies, rates, and eligibility rules can change, and individual situations can be different based on income, housing, medical needs, immigration status, or family size. This site is not affiliated with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services or the Government of Ontario. For the most accurate and up-to-date information about your ODSP file, contact your ODSP caseworker or visit the official Ontario government ODSP page.
