ODSP Increase 2026: The New $1,436 Single Rate, By Family Type

ODSP Went Up 1.9% on July 1, 2026 — Here Is the New Rate Table

The short answer: yes, ODSP increased in 2026, and it already happened. Ontario applies an inflation-based adjustment to core ODSP rates every July, and the July 1, 2026 adjustment was 1.9% — the fifth increase since September 2022. For a single recipient, the maximum monthly amount rose from $1,408 to $1,436. This is not a proposed change or a budget promise; it is confirmed on Ontario's own ODSP program page, updated June 30, 2026, and cross-checked here against the Income Security Advocacy Centre's July 2026 rates sheet.

Here is the full breakdown, previous versus new, by family type:

Source: Ontario.ca ODSP program page (updated June 30, 2026) and the Income Security Advocacy Centre's July 2026 OW/ODSP/OCB rates sheet. Amounts shown are combined Basic Needs + Maximum Shelter + Ontario Child Benefit maximums; the Ontario Child Benefit portion (up to $146.66/month per child) also rose modestly and is folded into the "incl. OCB" rows above.

What the Single Rate Is Actually Made Of: $825 + $611

Most people quote the $1,436 headline number without knowing it is two separate components that behave differently. A single ODSP recipient's payment is:

• Basic Needs: $825/month — a flat amount for food, clothing, and personal items. You get the full $825 regardless of what you actually spend.
• Maximum Shelter: $611/month — this is a cap, not a flat amount. You are reimbursed for your actual rent, mortgage, heat, hydro, water, property tax, and condo fees, up to $611. If your housing costs $500/month, you receive $500 in shelter allowance, not $611.

This distinction matters because two people both described as receiving "the ODSP single rate" can be getting materially different amounts if one pays low rent and the other pays market rent in Toronto or Mississauga. The 1.9% increase applied separately to both components: Basic Needs moved from $809 to $825, and Maximum Shelter moved from $599 to $611.

Why ODSP Went Up: The Inflation-Indexation Mechanism

ODSP is not increased at the government's discretion each year — it is tied to inflation and adjusted annually every July, based on the change in the cost of living. This is a structural difference from Ontario Works, which has been frozen at $733/month for a single adult since 2018 and received no adjustment in the July 2026 round. The Income Security Advocacy Centre estimates that since 2018, prices in Ontario have risen roughly 25%, meaning the frozen OW rate has lost significant real purchasing power, while ODSP — indexed since September 2022 — has risen roughly 22% cumulatively since indexation began.

The practical takeaway if you are on ODSP: you do not need to apply for the increase or request a review. Your July 2026 payment reflects the new rate automatically. The only scenario where you would need to contact your caseworker is if your shelter portion is based on actual costs that have also changed — for example, a rent increase that now pushes your actual housing cost above the new $611 maximum, in which case you are capped at $611 regardless.

What the Increase Does Not Cover

The 1.9% adjustment applies to a specific list of core amounts — it does not touch every ODSP-related payment. Here is what moved and what stayed flat:

If you rely on the Special Diet Allowance or another frozen supplement, do not expect your total payment to reflect the full 1.9% — only the core Basic Needs and Shelter portions moved.

The Earnings Exemption: Working and ODSP Are Not Mutually Exclusive

A common misconception is that any employment income immediately reduces ODSP dollar-for-dollar. It does not. The first $1,000 of net monthly earnings is fully exempt — it does not reduce your ODSP payment at all. Above $1,000, ODSP exempts an additional 25% of net earnings, and there is a separate flat $100/month Work-Related Benefit available regardless of earnings level.

Worked example: a single ODSP recipient in Brampton takes a part-time retail job earning $1,000/month net. Because the entire $1,000 falls under the exemption, their ODSP payment stays at the full $1,436. Combined monthly income: $2,436, with zero clawback. If that same person's hours increase and net earnings rise to $1,400/month, the first $1,000 is still fully exempt, and 25% of the remaining $400 ($100) is also exempt — leaving $300 of "chargeable" income that reduces ODSP. The exemption structure means modest work is genuinely additive to ODSP income, not a wash.

2026 ODSP Payment Dates

ODSP pays monthly, on the last business day of the month, with December typically paid a few days early. Confirmed 2026 dates:

If a payment does not arrive on schedule, wait a few business days for bank processing before contacting your local ODSP office.

How ODSP Fits With Other Benefits in 2026

ODSP does not exist in isolation — most recipients are also drawing from, or eligible for, other federal and provincial programs. Two interactions worth knowing:

• Canada Disability Benefit (CDB): Ontario has explicitly exempted the CDB from counting as income for ODSP. If you qualify for both, they stack — the CDB does not reduce your ODSP payment or eligibility.
• CPP Disability: if you receive CPP-D, that income generally reduces your ODSP payment dollar-for-dollar, since CPP-D counts as unearned income under the ODSP rules — unlike earned employment income, which gets the $1,000 monthly exemption.
• Ontario Trillium Benefit and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly GST/HST credit): these are separate, non-ODSP payments and are not reduced by receiving ODSP.

If you are structuring retirement or disability income across CPP, CPP-D, and provincial supports, the interactions between programs matter as much as the headline rate — our 2026 CPP payment amounts guide breaks down how CPP and CPP-D max and average payments are calculated, which is the starting point for understanding how much of that income would count against ODSP.

The Bottom Line

ODSP is going up — it already did, on July 1, 2026, by 1.9%. A single recipient's maximum rose from $1,408 to $1,436/month, a couple's maximum rose to $2,148, and the double-disabled couple cap rose to $2,416. The increase is automatic, tied to inflation, and applied every July — but it only touches core Basic Needs and Shelter amounts, not the frozen flat-rate supplements. If you are managing ODSP alongside other federal benefits like the Canada Child Benefit, the GST/HST credit, or planning around an eventual transition to OAS and the Guaranteed Income Supplement at 65, the sequencing of income sources — earned versus unearned, registered versus TFSA — determines how much of your total household income you actually keep.