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COVID-19 updates
We’ve temporarily changed some of our services.

Legal Aid Ontario is moving!
Starting April 2023, Legal Aid Ontario’s Provincial Office, Toronto Family Law Services Office, Criminal Senior Counsel Services Office, and Refugee Law Office will be located on the seventh floor of the Atrium on Bay.

Legal Aid Ontario
Atrium on Bay
20 Dundas St. West
Suite 730

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Français LAO Client Portal
Français LAO Client Portal
  • Services
    • Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
    • COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
    • Our services
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic Violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • Legal clinics
    • How to apply
    • Find a lawyer
      • Finding the right legal aid lawyer
    • What do you think about our services?
  • For legal professionals
    • COVID-19: Ongoing list of supports for lawyers
    • LASA 2020 process updates for lawyers
    • Changes to policies and certificate coverage
    • Roster resources
      • Audit & Compliance
      • Billing
      • Case management
      • Forms library
      • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 policies
      • Legal Aid Online
      • LAO LAW
      • Minimum experience requirements
      • More resources
    • Do legal aid work
    • Mentoring
    • Test case funding
    • News for lawyers
    • B3 Newsletters
    • Contacts for lawyers
  • Corporate
    • About
      • By-laws
      • Our clients
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Team
      • Board Advisory Committees
      • Sidney B. Linden Award
      • French Language Services
    • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020
      • LASA 2020 Rules and Policies
      • LASA 2020 glossary
    • Consultations
    • LAO Consultation Registry
    • Open Government
    • Reports
    • Publications
    • News
    • Social media
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • FAQ

Which family members count as part of my family unit?

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Your family unit includes:

  1. You
  2. Your spouse (married, common-law, same-sex).

    A spouse is someone you:

    • Are married to, or
    • Live with in a common-law relationship (meaning you have lived together for three or more years, or you live together and have a biological/adopted child), or
    • Live with in a conjugal (non-platonic) relationship, regardless of the amount of time you have lived together.
  3. Your dependent children (including spouse’s dependent children).

    A biological or adopted child counts as dependent if they are unmarried and:

    • are under 18 years old or
    • are under 26 years old and in school full-time, and
    • live with you at least 50% of the time or is financially supported by you to live outside the home.

    A child does not count as dependent if they are:

    • a foster child
    • an adult child who receives Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits
    • a youth who has withdrawn from parental control (meaning they are16 years old or older, no longer live at home, and have made the choice to become independent and assume the responsibility of their own financial situation)
  • This form is feedback only.

Questions

My child is a minor parent (a parent under the age of 18)—do I count my child and their child as part of my family unit?

I live with a dependent adult relative (for instance, aging parents or a sibling with a disability). Do they count as part of my family unit?

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Current wait time: The CLSC is currently closed.

Wait times: Monday is our busiest day. For faster service, try calling Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Land acknowledgement: Legal Aid Ontario recognizes that its work, and the work of its community partners take place on traditional Indigenous territories across the province.

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