Ontario Increasing Income Eligibility Thresholds for Ontario Electricity Support Program
January 18, 2024
The Ontario government is investing an additional $50 million in the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP), and is increasing the income eligibility thresholds for the program by up to 35 per cent in order to provide thousands of additional low-income families access to the program’s on-bill credits and help make electricity more affordable. The updated OESP income thresholds will come into effect on March 1, 2024.
OESP Monthly Credit Amounts by Household Income Level (After Tax)
The current income thresholds, effective until February 29, 2024, are as follows:
| Household Size (Number of people living in household) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7+ |
| $28,000 or less | $45 | $45 | $51 | $57 | $63 | $75 | $75 |
| $28,001 – $39,000 | $40 | $45 | $51 | $57 | $63 | $75 | |
| $39,001 – $48,000 | $35 | $40 | $45 | $51 | $57 | ||
| $48,001 – $52,000 | $35 | $40 | $45 |
The new income thresholds, effective March 1, 2024, are as follows:
| Household Size (Number of people living in household) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7+ |
| $38,000 or less | $45 | $45 | $51 | $57 | $63 | $75 | $75 |
| $38,001 – $54,000 | $40 | $45 | $51 | $57 | $63 | $75 | |
| $54,001 – $65,000 | $35 | $40 | $45 | $51 | $57 | ||
| $65,001 – $71,000 | $35 | $40 | $45 |
OESP Monthly Credit Amounts by Household Income Level (After Tax) – Energy Intensive
The current income thresholds, effective until February 29, 2024, are as follows:
| Household Size (Number of people living in household) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7+ |
| $28,000 or less | $68 | $68 | $75 | $83 | $90 | $113 | $113 |
| $28,001 – $39,000 | $60 | $68 | $75 | $83 | $90 | $113 | |
| $39,001 – $48,000 | $52 | $60 | $68 | $75 | $83 | ||
| $48,001 – $52,000 | $52 | $60 | $68 |
The new income thresholds, effective March 1, 2024, are as follows:
| Household Size (Number of people living in household) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7+ |
| $38,000 or less | $68 | $68 | $75 | $83 | $90 | $113 | $113 |
| $38,001 – $54,000 | $60 | $68 | $75 | $83 | $90 | $113 | |
| $54,001 – $65,000 | $52 | $60 | $68 | $75 | $83 | ||
| $65,001 – $71,000 | $52 | $60 | $68 |
Customers eligible for the higher energy intensive on-bill credits include those using electric heating, those using certain medical devices that use a lot of electricity, and customers who are Indigenous or living with Indigenous family members.
The government remains committed to providing immediate bill relief to electricity consumers in Ontario and ensuring support is available to families when they need it. There are a number of additional programs in place to help income-eligible consumers with their energy costs.
The Energy Affordability Program provides eligible participating households with personalized, free electricity-saving measures that can help them reduce their electricity bills. Customers can also access the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program and receive up to $600 in emergency assistance if they are behind on their electricity or natural gas bill and face having their service disconnected.
For on-reserve First Nation residential customers, the government has been providing immediate relief on delivery charges since 2017 through the First Nations Delivery Credit (FNDC) Program, in addition to numerous retrofit and efficiency programs available to First Nation customers.
