Ontario Trillium Benefit payments for May 2025 go out soon — Here's how much you can get
A few hundred bucks could hit your account next week. 👀
Ontario residents can receive various benefit payments from the CRA in May 2025, including the OTB.
May is here, and that means another round of government benefits for Ontario residents is on its way.
If you're one of the many Ontarians keeping an eye on cost-of-living help, the Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) will be landing in bank accounts next week. This government payment is designed to help cover things like energy bills and property taxes — a monthly boost that can make a real difference for households across the province.
Funded by the Government of Ontario and delivered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the OTB is aimed at supporting low- to moderate-income residents of the province. It's just one of many CRA benefit payments for May 2025 that Ontario residents can receive.
Depending on your situation — things like where you live, your income and whether you have kids — your monthly payment could vary quite a bit. Either way, if you're eligible, you'll want to know what's coming.
Here's everything to know about the Ontario Trillium Benefit for May 2025 — including when it's arriving and how much you might get.
What is the OTB?
The Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) is a monthly payment designed to help Ontarians handle some of the heavier costs that come with everyday life — like heating your home, paying property taxes or covering sales tax on essentials. It's a tax-free benefit meant to give low- and moderate-income residents a bit of extra breathing room.
Even though the program is funded by the Ontario government, it's the CRA that handles getting the money into your hands.
Rather than juggling multiple payments, the OTB combines three credits into one deposit: the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit, the Ontario Sales Tax Credit and — for people living in the north — the Northern Ontario Energy Credit.
If you qualify for any of those three, you'll automatically be enrolled in the OTB.
Who qualifies for the Ontario Trillium Benefit?
The Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) payment for May 2025 is one of the last payments that will be based on your 2023 tax return. In order to receive it, you'll need to have filed and met the eligibility criteria for that year — even if you didn't have any income. That's how the CRA determines your eligibility and how much you'll get.
You also need to meet a few basic requirements. You must be 18 or older, or you need to have a spouse, common-law partner or child who lives (or lived) with you. For the Ontario Sales Tax Credit portion, there's one more rule — you have to be at least 19 years old.
Each of the other credits has additional criteria:
- Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit: For folks who pay rent or property taxes, cover home energy costs on a reserve or live in a public long-term care home.
- Northern Ontario Energy Credit: For people living in the northern districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming.
If you're married or living common-law, your benefit amount is based on both your and your partner's tax returns.
If you're not 18 yet but coming of age before July, make sure you file your 2023 tax return now (if you haven't already) so you won't miss out on your first possible payment.
How much is the Ontario Trillium Benefit?
The Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) combines three different credits — and how much you get depends on a bunch of personal factors, like your income, age, rent or property tax payments and where in Ontario you live. Each credit has its own maximum amount, and the CRA calculates your total based on your unique situation.
Here's the breakdown of the most you could receive for the full benefit year:
- OSTC: Up to $360 each for you, your spouse and any dependent children.
- OEPTC: If you're between 18 and 64, you could get up to $1,248. If you're 65 or older, that goes up to $1,421. There's also an extra $277 for those living on a reserve or in a public long-term care home, and a $25 boost if you lived in a school residence during 2023.
- NOEC: Up to $180 if you're applying as an individual, or up to $277 for families.
Once the CRA crunches the numbers, your total amount gets spread out over 12 monthly deposits — unless your benefit is $360 or less, in which case you'll have already received it all in one go last July.
To get an estimate of your payment amount, you can check your CRA account or use the CRA's benefits calculator tool.
How to apply for the Ontario Trillium Benefit
To get the Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) for this year, all you need to do is file your 2023 income tax return — and it's not too late to file if you haven't already. The steps you need to take when filing your return depends on which of the three credits you're eligible for.
- For the OSTC, there's nothing extra to fill out. The CRA will look at your tax return and figure out if you qualify based on your situation. For families, this portion of the benefit goes to the person whose return is assessed first — or to the senior in the couple if only one of you is 64 or older.
- For the OEPTC and NOEC, you'll need to complete Form ON-BEN as part of your 2023 return. This form is used to apply for those two parts of the OTB, and if you're in a couple, only one person needs to apply — usually the older spouse if one of you is a senior. If you use tax software to file electronically, chances are your software program will prompt you to fill this out, so you shouldn't have to worry about doing anything extra.
If you're approved, the CRA will send you a notice confirming your eligibility and payment amount. To keep getting the OTB each year, just make sure you keep filing your taxes on time.
Is the Ontario Trillium Benefit taxable?
Nope — the Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB) is totally tax-free. It's meant to give back some of what you already pay in taxes, not add more to your bill.
You don't need to report your OTB payments as income when you file your tax return, and they won't change your refund or how much you owe.
When is the Ontario Trillium Benefit paid?
The next OTB payment is scheduled for next Friday, May 9. Payments usually land on the 10th of each month, but if that date falls on a weekend or holiday (like it does next week), you get your money a bit earlier instead.
Beyond that, here are the rest of the OTB payment dates for 2025:
- Tuesday, June 10
- Thursday, July 10
- Friday, August 8
- Wednesday, September 10
- Friday, October 10
- Monday, November 10
- Wednesday, December 10
Keep in mind that not everyone gets monthly deposits. If your total OTB amount for the year was $360 or less, the Canada Revenue Agency would have paid it out as a one-time lump sum last July.
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