Government benefits include financial assistance, benefits and employment assistance programs provided by the provincial or federal government. Full-time students are asked to report certain sources of income they receive from government benefits to calculate their financial need. This information is needed when applying for financial aid through the Ontario Student Assistance Program or York University's student profile.

Government benefits that are required to be reported include the following (but are not limited to): The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), The Employment Insurance (EI) program, and the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP).

Government benefits that are not required to be reported include (but are not limited to): the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB), and the Veteran Affairs Disability Benefits.

Additional programs that are required to be reported and programs that are not required to be reported are available on the OSAP application.