ODSP and Ontario Works Payment Dates for 2026

ODSP payment dates 2026

The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) pays income support once a month. The province says payments are made on the last business day of each month, and that December payments may come earlier in the month. These are the dates published on ontario.ca:

For December 2025, ODSP was paid early, on Monday, December 22, 2025. The December 2026 date had not been posted as of Sunday, October 18, 2026; this page will add it when the province publishes it.

Ontario Works payment dates 2026

Ontario Works (OW) is also paid monthly on the last business day, but the payment covers the following month. So the money that arrives on Fri, Oct 30, 2026 is your November benefit.

The December 2026 Ontario Works benefit is paid on Monday, November 30, 2026. The date for the January 2027 benefit was not yet published in mid-October 2026.

Why the two tables label months differently

Look at the two tables side by side and the deposit days match from January to November 2026: both programs pay on Fri, Oct 30, 2026 and Mon, Nov 30, 2026. What differs is the label. ontario.ca describes Ontario Works payments as made "on the last business day of the previous month", so OW lists the October 30 deposit as the November benefit. The ODSP table lists the same deposit day under October.

In practice, plan around the deposit date, not the month name. If you are moving from Ontario Works to ODSP, ask your caseworker which month your first ODSP payment covers so you know whether there is a gap or an overlap around the switch.

How weekends and holidays move the date

"Last business day" means that when the month ends on a weekend, the payment comes on the Friday before. Examples from the 2026 calendar:

• May 2026: May 31 fell on a weekend, so the payment was made on Friday, May 29, 2026.
• February 2026: February 28 fell on a weekend, so the payment came on Friday, February 27, 2026.
• January 2026: January 31 fell on a weekend; payment on Friday, January 30, 2026.
• September 2026: both programs published Tuesday, September 29, 2026, one day before the last weekday of the month. Always check the official table rather than working the date out yourself.
• December: payments are often early because of the holidays. In 2025, ODSP paid on December 22 and Ontario Works paid its January benefit on December 31.

How much you can get

Both programs combine an amount for basic needs (food, clothing and personal items) with a shelter amount based on what you actually pay, up to a maximum that depends on the size of your family. The province gives these headline figures for a single person:

These are maximums for one person; families get different amounts depending on the number of people and their ages. Your actual payment depends on your shelter costs, your household and any income you report. Extra benefits can be added on top, such as help with transportation to medical appointments under ODSP, or the Remote Communities Allowance for Ontario Works recipients who live north of the 50th parallel without year-round road access.

Shelter costs that count include rent or mortgage payments, heat, utilities, property taxes, home insurance and condominium fees. If you get your meals and housing from the same person, a separate board-and-lodging rate applies.

Who qualifies

Ontario Works

Ontario Works is for Ontario residents who are in financial need and need help paying for food and housing. It also comes with health benefits for you and your eligible family members.

ODSP

ODSP has two parts. The financial part looks at your income, assets, shelter costs and Ontario residency. The medical part requires a disability determination: an approved health care professional completes a Disability Determination Package, unless you belong to a prescribed class of people who skip that step.

How to apply

1. Online: the province's online application takes about 20 to 30 minutes and covers you and the immediate family members who live with you.
2. By phone: through the Social Assistance Support Line.
3. In person: at your local Ontario Works office, or by booking an appointment at an ODSP office.

Give your bank account details when you apply if you have an account. Direct deposit is the fastest way to receive payments and avoids delays from mail or office pick-up.

MyBenefits: checking your payment

MyBenefits is Ontario's online account for social assistance. You can use it to check the status of an application, see payment information, send documents and messages to your caseworker and report changes such as new income, a move or a change in who lives with you. Signing up also lets you read your decision letter online sooner than by mail.

Reporting changes on time matters: payments are calculated from what you report, and late reports can lead to an overpayment that has to be paid back later.

If your payment is late

1. Check the date in the tables above, especially around weekends and in December.
2. Allow for your bank. Deposits usually show up on the payment day, but some banks post them later in the day.
3. Sign in to MyBenefits to see whether the payment was issued and confirm your banking details.
4. Contact your caseworker or local office if the money has not arrived. They can confirm whether the payment was issued, held or sent to the wrong account.

Payment rules can change with your circumstances. Your caseworker and the official ontario.ca pages are the authority on your own payments; this page only explains the published schedule.

Other payments on different days

Social assistance is not the only money many Ontario households receive each month. Federal benefits use their own calendars: the Canada Child Benefit and the Ontario Trillium Benefit arrive on different days, and the Canada Disability Benefit is paid on the third Thursday of each month (the next one is on Thu, Nov 19, 2026). The province says the Canada Disability Benefit does not affect ODSP eligibility or the amount of your ODSP payment.

See Ontario Trillium Benefit dates, Canada Disability Benefit dates and the full CRA benefit payment calendar.