Do I qualify for Old Age Security (OAS)?
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Old Age Security (OAS) is a monthly federal pension for people 65 and older. Whether you qualify depends on your age, your legal status and how long you have lived in Canada. Your income decides how much of it you keep.
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How old are you?
Are you a Canadian citizen or a legal resident of Canada?
A legal resident is, for example, a permanent resident. If you live outside Canada, answer for the day before you left Canada.
Where do you live now?
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.
Since your 18th birthday, how many years in total did you live in Canada?
If you live outside Canada, you need at least 20 years in Canada after age 18. Add up all the separate periods.
Have you lived or 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 meet the years you need in Canada.
What was your net income in 2025?
Net income is the amount on line 23600 of your 2025 tax return. Your OAS payments from July 2026 to June 2027 are based on it.
Are you 75 or older, and was your 2025 net income under $157,923?
At 75 and older, OAS is 10% higher, so it stops at a slightly higher income.
Likely not eligible
Not yet. OAS starts at 65.
Why
OAS is paid from age 65. You can apply once you are 64 years and 1 month old, and most people are enrolled automatically.
What to do next
- Around your 64th birthday, watch for a letter from Service Canada. It says whether you will be enrolled automatically.
- If no letter arrives within one month after your 64th birthday, contact Service Canada.
- Come back to this check when you are 64.
Your answers
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.
Likely not eligible
You are likely not eligible for OAS at this time.
Why
To get OAS, you must be a Canadian citizen or a legal resident of Canada on the day before your pension is approved. If you live outside Canada, you must have been a citizen or legal resident on the day before you left.
What to do next
- If your status changes, for example you become a permanent resident, check again.
- If you have lived in another country, ask that country's pension office whether you qualify for a pension there.
- Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 if you think your situation is different.
Your answers
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.
We cannot tell from your answers
Your legal status in Canada decides this.
Why
OAS is paid to Canadian citizens and legal residents, such as permanent residents. Visitors and people on most temporary permits do not qualify.
What to do next
- Look at your immigration documents, or ask Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to confirm your status.
- Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914. They can tell you whether your status counts.
Your answers
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.
We cannot tell from your answers
Count your years in Canada first.
Why
You need at least 10 years in Canada after age 18 if you live in Canada, or 20 years if you live outside Canada. Service Canada decides by looking at the dates you lived here.
What to do next
- Write down the dates you arrived in and left Canada since you turned 18. Passport stamps, old tax returns and leases can help.
- Apply anyway if you think you are close. Service Canada will count your years and tell you in writing.
- Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 if you have questions about your dates.
Your answers
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.
We cannot tell from your answers
You may still qualify through a social security agreement.
Why
You do not have enough years in Canada on their own. But if you lived or worked in a country that has a social security agreement with Canada, that time may count toward the years you need for OAS. Service Canada decides this.
What to do next
- Apply for OAS and list every country you have lived or worked in since age 18.
- Ask Service Canada whether the other country has an agreement with Canada. Call 1-800-277-9914.
- Ask the other country's pension office whether you can also get a pension from them.
Your answers
More help
- Read our full guide: Partial OAS and years in Canada
- Read our full guide: Living outside Canada
- Read our full guide: Old Age Security (OAS)
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.
Likely not eligible
You likely do not have enough years in Canada yet.
Why
OAS needs at least 10 years in Canada after age 18 if you live in Canada, or 20 years if you live outside Canada. Your answers show fewer years than that, and no time in a country with a social security agreement.
What to do next
- If you live in Canada, check again once you reach 10 years after age 18.
- If you live outside Canada and lived here at least 10 years, you may qualify if you move back to Canada.
- Call Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 if you are not sure about your dates.
Your answers
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.
Likely eligible
You are likely eligible for OAS.
Why
You meet the age, status and residence rules, and your 2025 income is below the point where OAS starts to be taken back. From October to December 2026, OAS pays up to $762.50 a month at ages 65 to 74 and up to $838.75 at 75 and older.
What to do next
- Watch for your letter from Service Canada around your 64th birthday. If it says you are enrolled automatically, check the details.
- If no letter arrives, apply online in My Service Canada Account or on paper with form ISP-3550.
- The full amount needs 40 years in Canada after age 18. With fewer years, you may get a partial pension.
- If your income is low, also check whether you qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).
Your answers
More help
- Do I qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)?
- Read our full guide: Partial OAS and years in Canada
- Read our full guide: Delaying OAS and CPP
- Read our full guide: Old Age Security (OAS)
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.
Likely eligible
You are likely eligible, but you may have to repay part of your OAS.
Why
You meet the age, status and residence rules. Because your 2025 net income was over $93,454, the OAS recovery tax (the clawback) takes back 15 cents for every dollar above that amount. You still keep part of your OAS.
What to do next
- Apply or confirm your automatic enrolment as usual.
- Read our guide to the OAS clawback to see how the repayment works and when it is taken from your payments.
- Ask whether delaying OAS could make sense for you, since your income is above the clawback limit.
Your answers
More help
- Read our full guide: OAS clawback (recovery tax)
- Read our full guide: Delaying OAS and CPP
- Read our full guide: Old Age Security (OAS)
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.
Likely not eligible
You likely qualify on paper, but your OAS would be fully taken back.
Why
Your 2025 net income was at or above the point where the OAS recovery tax takes back the whole pension: $152,062 at ages 65 to 74, or $157,923 at 75 and older. The recovery tax is worked out again each year, so if your income falls, you keep some or all of your OAS in a later year.
What to do next
- Consider applying anyway, or delaying OAS up to age 70. Delaying raises the pension by 0.6% for each month you wait.
- If your income falls in a later year, less recovery tax is taken from your OAS, or none.
- Read our guide to the OAS clawback.
Your answers
More help
- Read our full guide: OAS clawback (recovery tax)
- Read our full guide: Delaying OAS and CPP
- Read our full guide: Old Age Security (OAS)
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.
Likely eligible
You are likely eligible for OAS.
Why
You meet the age, status and residence rules. How much you keep depends on your income. If your 2025 net income (line 23600 of your tax return) was under $93,454, you keep all of it.
What to do next
- Find your 2025 net income on line 23600 of your tax return, or on your Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency.
- Apply or confirm your automatic enrolment as usual.
- If your income is low, also check whether you qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).
Your answers
More help
- Do I qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)?
- Read our full guide: OAS clawback (recovery tax)
- Read our full guide: Old Age Security (OAS)
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.
Where these rules come from
- Old Age Security: Do you qualify (Government of Canada)
- Old Age Security: Payment amounts (Government of Canada)
- Old Age Security: How much you could receive (Government of Canada)
- Old Age Security: Apply (Government of Canada)
- OAS pension recovery tax (Government of Canada)