Print

Financial Eligibility

Who Qualifies?

  • People whose problems are within the areas of law practised by the Clinic.
  • People whose income and assets are within the guidelines set by Legal Aid Ontario for representation.

Financial guidelines are not considered when the staff provides only summary advice.

We can only help you if you are living on a low income. However, we may be able to provide some summary advice even if your income is higher than our limits, so call us.

If your main source of income is one of the following, then you qualify financially for our service:

  • Ontario Works (OW)
  • Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
  • Old Age Security Pension with Guaranteed Income Supplement
  • War Veterans’ Allowance
  • Canada Pension Plan (if a CPP application where CPP is the primary source of family income)
  • Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) which are temporary or threatened

Financial eligibility is mostly based on family size and family income. Eligibility also depends on the assets you own.

There are discretionary factors which are taken into consideration. For example, a single person with no children, with the maximum discretionary factors, could have an income up to $21,144 per year. A single parent with two children, with the maximum discretionary factors, could have a family income up to $39,143 per year.