The Ontario Self-Employment Benefit provides unemployed people who are or have recently been eligible for Employment Insurance with income and entrepreneurial support while they develop and start their business.

Who can apply?

• Job seekers who are unemployed can apply to participate if they meet one of the following conditions:They established a claim for Employment Insurance benefits or their Employment Insurance benefit period ended within the past three years.

• They established a claim for Employment Insurance maternity or paternity benefits and were paid benefits within the past five years, and are re-entering the labour force after having left it to care for newborn or newly adopted children.

For the purpose of determining whether an individual qualifies as a participant, the date the completed application is received by Employment Ontario is the date when he or she is considered to have requested assistance.

Other criteria may apply.

How can I get more information?

Call the toll-free Employment Ontario hotline at TTY (telephone service for the deaf) for more information about how to access Ontario Self-Employment Benefit services in your area. Newcomers to Ontario can ask for this information in the language of their choice.