As a member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, you must pay your membership fee annually by December 31 of the previous year. Keeping your membership current is important. It demonstrates your commitment to professional, ethical, qualified and accountable practice.
This year’s renewal period will begin in early November. You will be sent a notice via email once the College’s member renewal period is open.
In early November, you will be able to renew your membership and pay your annual fee through the College’s online member services. The deadline to complete your 2019 membership renewal is December 31, 2018. A late-fee penalty of $50 will be applied to renewals received by the College after the deadline.
Renew your membership online
Once the renewal period is open, follow these easy steps to renew your membership online:
- Log in using your User ID (your OCSWSSW registration number) and your password.
- Go to “My Profile” to confirm that your personal information is accurate and up to date.
- Click on the “Renewals” link on the top left-hand side of your screen and select “2019 renewal” to complete the annual renewal of registration form and payment.
Tax receipts and member cards available online
The College would like to remind members that tax receipts and member cards are available online following payment of the annual renewal fee.
To access your tax receipt and member card, please follow the steps below:
- Log in to your Online Member Services.
- Click the “Renewals” menu, “History” section.
- From the Membership Renewal History grid, click on the “Membership card and tax receipt” of the selected Membership Year to open a PDF file that you can print, save or send by email.
2019 annual fees
After careful consideration, the College Council approved an increase of $20 to annual fees for 2019. The 2019 fees are as follows:
| Annual renewal of registration for members in the general class of certificate of registration | $330.00 |
| Annual fee for general class of certificate of registration | $330.00 + $100.00 application fee |
| New graduate registration fee * You are eligible for this reduced fee, provided you apply for registration no later than December 31 of the year in which you graduate. You are then eligible for the reduced fee for the two subsequent years. |
$230.00 + $100.00 application fee |
| Annual fee for inactive class of certificate of registration | $165.00 |
| Annual fee for retired class of certificate of registration (no fee increase) | $50.00 |
Why have annual fees increased?
Member fees must reflect actual operating costs in order for the College to be in a position to effectively fulfill its public protection mandate. As part of its business plan, the College has been intentionally operating with a deficit budget for several years, in order to draw down on an accumulated reserve. During this time, all members have benefited from lower fees that did not reflect the College’s actual operating costs.
“The College takes its duty to protect the public interest seriously,” said College Registrar and CEO Lise Betteridge, MSW, RSW. “This was not a decision made lightly by Council, however, this increase is necessary to ensure that the College has the resources needed to continue to meet its public protection mandate and promote ethical and professional practice.”
For more information on the fee increase, please read the College’s recent eBulletin.
Questions about the membership fees can be directed to renewals@ocswssw.org or call 416-972-9882 or 1-877-828-9380 (toll free):
- Paul Cucci, Membership Manager, ext. 202.
- Anne Vézina, Membership Administrator (bilingual), ext. 211.