OAS Guides

Eligibility checks

Can I keep getting my OAS, GIS and CPP if I live outside Canada?

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Moving or spending long stretches outside Canada affects each federal pension differently. Old Age Security (OAS) depends on your years in Canada, the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) depends on living in Canada, and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) depends on what you paid in. Check one payment at a time.

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Which payment do you want to check?

You can run this check again for each payment you get.

Were you a Canadian citizen or legal resident of Canada on the day you left (or will leave) Canada?

A legal resident is, for example, a permanent resident.

Since your 18th birthday, how many years in total have you lived in Canada?

Add up all the time you lived in Canada after age 18, even if it was in separate periods.

Have you lived and worked in another country that has a social security agreement with Canada?

Canada has social security agreements with many countries. Service Canada keeps the list. Time in one of those countries may help you reach 20 years.

How long will you be outside Canada without coming back?

What counts is time away in a row, not the total over a year.

Do you get a CPP pension, or did you pay into CPP while working?

CPP contributions show on your T4 slips and pay stubs as "CPP". Work only in Quebec counts for the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), not CPP.

Likely eligible

You can likely keep getting OAS while you live outside Canada.

Why

OAS can be paid outside Canada if you lived in Canada for at least 20 years after age 18 and were a Canadian citizen or legal resident on the day you left. Non-resident tax of 25% or less is taken off, depending on any tax treaty with the country where you live.

What to do next

  1. Call Service Canada to report your move and new address before you leave for more than 6 months. From Canada and the United States, call 1-800-277-9914. From other countries, call collect at 1-613-957-1954.
  2. If you apply from outside Canada, use the paper application. Send it to the Service Canada office in the last province or territory where you lived.
  3. You may have to file an OAS Return of Income (form T1136) each year. For the 2025 tax year, it was due April 30, 2026. You may not need to if you live in a country on the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA's) list and meet its conditions.
  4. Ask CRA at 1-613-940-8495 (from outside Canada and the United States) or 1-800-959-8281 whether form NR5 could lower your non-resident tax.
  5. GIS does not follow you. It stops after more than 6 months in a row outside Canada.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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We cannot tell from your answers

A social security agreement may help you keep OAS abroad.

Why

You have fewer than 20 years in Canada after age 18. If you lived and worked in a country with a social security agreement with Canada, your time there may be added to reach 20 years. Your payment is still based only on your years in Canada. Service Canada decides.

What to do next

  1. Call International Social Security Agreements at 1-800-454-8731 (Canada and the United States) and ask whether the other country has an agreement with Canada.
  2. List every country you lived or worked in since age 18, with dates.
  3. Ask the other country's pension office whether you can also get a pension there.
  4. Without an agreement, OAS may stop after you have been away for more than 6 months.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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Likely not eligible

Your OAS will likely stop if you stay away more than 6 months.

Why

To keep OAS while living outside Canada, you need at least 20 years in Canada after age 18. With fewer years and no time in a country with a social security agreement, your OAS may stop after you have been away for more than 6 months.

What to do next

  1. Before you leave, call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 and ask how your OAS will be affected.
  2. If you get a decision letter you think is wrong, you can ask for a reconsideration within 90 days.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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Likely not eligible

You likely cannot get OAS while living outside Canada.

Why

To get OAS while living outside Canada, you must have been a Canadian citizen or legal resident of Canada on the day you left.

What to do next

  1. Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 (or collect at 1-613-957-1954 from outside Canada and the United States) if you think your situation is different.
  2. If you lived or worked in another country, ask that country's pension office whether you qualify for a pension there.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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We cannot tell from your answers

Your legal status on the day you left decides this.

Why

OAS is paid outside Canada only if you were a Canadian citizen or legal resident, such as a permanent resident, on the day you left Canada.

What to do next

  1. Look at your immigration documents, or ask Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to confirm your status.
  2. Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914. They can tell you whether your status counts.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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We cannot tell from your answers

Count your years in Canada before you move.

Why

You need at least 20 years in Canada after age 18 to keep OAS while living abroad. With fewer years, OAS may stop after more than 6 months away, unless a social security agreement helps.

What to do next

  1. Write down the dates you arrived in and left Canada since you turned 18. Passport stamps, old tax returns and leases can help.
  2. Ask Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 to confirm your years before you leave.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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Likely eligible

Your GIS will likely continue if you stay 6 months or less.

Why

GIS is for people who live in Canada. It stops only if you are outside Canada for more than 6 months in a row.

What to do next

  1. Keep track of your departure and return dates.
  2. If your trip may run longer than 6 months, call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 before you pass that point.
  3. Keep filing your Canadian tax return by April 30 each year so your GIS can be renewed.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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Likely not eligible

Your GIS will likely stop while you are away.

Why

GIS stops if you are outside Canada for more than 6 months in a row, no matter how long you lived in Canada before. It is not paid for any month you spend fully outside Canada after you have already been away for 6 months in a row.

What to do next

  1. Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 before you leave. This helps prevent overpayments you may have to pay back.
  2. If GIS keeps arriving after you have been away more than 6 months, do not spend it. You will likely have to repay it.
  3. When you come back, call Service Canada again to restart your payments.
  4. Your OAS and CPP may continue. Run this check again for each.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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We cannot tell from your answers

It depends on whether you stay away more than 6 months in a row.

Why

GIS continues during trips of 6 months or less. It stops if you are outside Canada for more than 6 months in a row.

What to do next

  1. If you might stay longer than 6 months, call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 before you go.
  2. If GIS keeps arriving after 6 months away, do not spend it. You will likely have to repay it.
  3. When you come back, call Service Canada to restart your payments.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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Likely eligible

You can likely get your CPP while living outside Canada.

Why

CPP is based on your contributions, not on how long you lived in Canada. Service Canada pays CPP to people living in other countries. Non-resident tax of 25% or less is taken off, depending on any tax treaty with the country where you live.

What to do next

  1. Report your new address to Service Canada. Allow an extra month for payments to reach you after a move.
  2. Ask about payment in local currency or to a foreign bank account.
  3. Ask the Canada Revenue Agency whether form NR5 could lower your non-resident tax. An approved NR5 covers 5 tax years, and you must file a section 217 return for each year.
  4. If you have not started CPP yet, you must apply. It does not start on its own.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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We cannot tell from your answers

Ask Retraite Québec about your QPP pension abroad.

Why

If you worked only in Quebec, your pension comes from the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), run by Retraite Québec, not from CPP. This check does not cover QPP rules for people living abroad.

What to do next

  1. Contact Retraite Québec and ask how living outside Canada affects your QPP pension.
  2. Your OAS and GIS follow the federal rules. Run this check again for each.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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Likely not eligible

You likely have no CPP pension to receive.

Why

CPP is based on contributions. If you never paid into CPP, you likely do not have a CPP retirement pension, wherever you live.

What to do next

  1. Check Old Age Security. It does not depend on work.
  2. If your spouse or partner paid into CPP and has died, you may qualify for a CPP survivor's pension.
  3. If you worked in another country, ask that country's pension office about a pension there.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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We cannot tell from your answers

Your contribution record decides this.

Why

CPP is paid outside Canada to people who earned it by paying into CPP. You need to know whether you paid in.

What to do next

  1. Sign in to My Service Canada Account and look at your CPP Statement of Contributions.
  2. Or call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 (collect at 1-613-957-1954 from outside Canada and the United States).

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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We cannot tell from your answers

Ask Service Canada before you leave.

Why

We have not confirmed how long you can be outside Canada and keep the Allowance or the Allowance for the Survivor. Service Canada can tell you how your trip or move affects it.

What to do next

  1. Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 before you leave. From outside Canada and the United States, call collect at 1-613-957-1954.
  2. Ask what happens to your payments, and what you need to report, while you are away.

More help

This check is general information, not legal or financial advice. OAS Guides is not part of, or connected to, the Government of Canada or Service Canada. Only the government office that runs the program can decide whether you qualify, and we cannot promise any result. Figures were last checked on 2026-10-04.

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Where these rules come from

  1. Old Age Security - Do you qualify (Government of Canada)
  2. Guaranteed Income Supplement - While receiving GIS (Government of Canada)
  3. Lived or living outside Canada - Pensions and benefits: Eligibility (Government of Canada)
  4. Lived or living outside Canada - While receiving (Government of Canada)
  5. Managing your taxes (CPP and OAS) (Government of Canada)
  6. Old Age Security Return of Income (OASRI) (Canada Revenue Agency)

All eligibility checks