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Delaying OAS and CPP

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Delaying OAS and CPP raises your monthly payments for life. OAS goes up 0.6% for each month you wait after 65, to a maximum of 36% at 70. CPP goes up 0.7% a month, to 42% at 70, and is cut 0.6% a month if you start before 65. If your income is low enough for the GIS, delaying OAS usually costs you money.

Key facts

OAS increase for delaying
0.6% a month after 65, up to 36% at age 70
Maximum OAS at 65 vs 70
$762.50 vs $1,037.00 a month (October to December 2026)
CPP increase for delaying
0.7% a month after 65, up to 42% at age 70
CPP reduction for starting early
0.6% a month before 65, up to 36% at age 60
Maximum CPP retirement pension at 65
$1,507.65 a month (2026)
Average CPP retirement pension at 65
$858.34 a month (July 2026)

What does delaying OAS and CPP mean?

You choose when your Old Age Security (OAS) pension and your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) retirement pension begin. The later you start, the larger each monthly payment will be for the rest of your life.

OAS can start at 65, and you can put it off until 70. CPP can start at any age from 60 to 70; 65 is the standard age. Neither pension grows if you wait past 70. The two choices are separate, so you can take one early and delay the other.

Both pensions rise with the cost of living, so the extra you earn by waiting keeps its value over time.

How much more is OAS if you delay to 70?

Each month you wait after your 65th birthday adds 0.6% to your OAS pension. That is 7.2% a year, up to 36% if you start at 70.

Using October to December 2026 rates, the full OAS of $762.50 a month at 65 would be $1,037.00 a month if started at 70. At 75, OAS goes up a further 10% automatically, whether or not you delayed.

CPP at 60, 65 or 70: how much does it change?

If you start CPP before 65, your pension is cut by 0.6% for each month, or 7.2% a year. At 60, it is 36% lower, and the cut is permanent.

If you start after 65, your pension rises by 0.7% for each month, or 8.4% a year. At 70, it is 42% higher for life.

For example, a CPP pension worth $1,000 a month at 65 would be $640 a month at 60, or $1,420 a month at 70. Your own amount depends on how much you earned and contributed over your working life, and most people receive less than the maximum.

What is the break-even age for delaying CPP and OAS?

The break-even age is the point where the larger payments from waiting have made up for the payments you gave up. The rough examples below leave out tax and cost-of-living increases.

CPP at 70 instead of 65. Using the $1,000 example, waiting means giving up 60 payments of $1,000, or $60,000. The extra $420 a month takes about 143 months, almost 12 years, to make that back. You come out ahead if you live past about 82.

CPP at 65 instead of 60. Starting at 60 gives you a head start of 60 payments of $640, or $38,400. Waiting to 65 pays $360 more a month, which closes the gap in about 107 months, almost 9 years. The break-even age is about 74.

OAS at 70 instead of 65. You give up 60 payments of $762.50, or $45,750. The extra $274.50 a month takes about 167 months, almost 14 years, to make that back. The break-even age is about 84.

If you expect to live past the break-even age, waiting usually pays more in total. If your health is poor or you need the money now, starting earlier may suit you better. Only you can weigh this.

Should I delay OAS and CPP? Who it suits and who it does not

Delaying may suit you if you are in good health, you are still working or have savings to live on for now, or your income is high enough that the OAS clawback would take back some of your OAS in your late 60s.

It may also help if you have lived in Canada for fewer than 40 years since age 18. Each extra year you live here before OAS starts can raise a partial OAS pension. Once your OAS starts, more years in Canada no longer count.

Delaying OAS usually does not suit people with low income. You cannot get the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) unless you are receiving OAS, and the GIS does not increase when you wait. Service Canada's advice is that people who qualify for the GIS should not wait past 65 to apply. Delaying your OAS also means your spouse or common-law partner, if aged 60 to 64, cannot get the Allowance.

Starting earlier may also make sense if you have serious health problems, or you need the income now to pay bills or avoid debt.

How to delay OAS

Most people are enrolled in OAS automatically and receive a letter around their 64th birthday. If you get that letter and want to wait, you need to tell Service Canada.

  1. Sign in to My Service Canada Account (MSCA).
  2. Open your Old Age Security dashboard and select Profile.
  3. Under Tell us if anything has changed, choose the option to delay your pension.
  4. If you cannot go online, call the Service Canada OAS line at 1-800-277-9914.

If you did not receive an enrolment letter, you apply when you want OAS to begin, either online in MSCA or on paper with Form ISP-3550, Application for the OAS and the GIS. You can apply as early as 11 months before you turn 65.

How to delay CPP

CPP never starts on its own. You have to apply, so delaying CPP simply means applying later.

  1. Choose the month you want your pension to start, no later than age 70.
  2. Apply up to 12 months before that month, online in My Service Canada Account or on paper with Form ISP-1000, Application for a Canada Pension Plan Retirement Pension.
  3. Allow time for processing. Online applications are usually handled within 28 days and paper applications within 120 days.

If you apply after 65, you can ask for payments to begin up to 11 months earlier, but not before the month after your 65th birthday. Those back months are paid at the rate for that earlier start.

Things people miss

There is nothing to gain by waiting past 70. If you are over 70 and have not applied for CPP or OAS, apply now.

If you change your mind, you can cancel your CPP retirement pension in writing up to 12 months after it starts. You must repay everything you received.

A larger CPP is also larger taxable income. It may reduce the GIS and other income-tested benefits, so check how the two fit together before you decide.

Who to contact

Common questions

Should I delay OAS to 70?

It may make sense if you are healthy, have other income now, or would lose OAS to the clawback. It usually does not if you could get the GIS, because the GIS is only paid while you receive OAS.

How much more is CPP at 70 than at 65?

42% more, for life. A pension of $1,000 a month at 65 would be $1,420 a month at 70.

How much do I lose if I take CPP at 60?

Your pension is cut 0.6% for each month before 65, so it is 36% lower at 60. The reduction is permanent.

What is the break-even age for taking CPP at 70?

Compared with starting at 65, roughly age 82, before tax and cost-of-living increases.

Can I get the GIS if I delay my OAS?

No. You must be receiving OAS to get the GIS, and the GIS does not grow when you wait.

How do I tell Service Canada I want to delay OAS?

If you received an automatic enrolment letter, sign in to My Service Canada Account, select Profile, and choose the delay option. You can also call 1-800-277-9914.

Can I take CPP early and delay OAS?

Yes. The two pensions are separate decisions, and you can start each at a different age.

Is there any benefit to waiting past 70?

No. Neither OAS nor CPP increases after 70.

Sources

  1. Old Age Security: When to start your pension (Government of Canada)
  2. Old Age Security: Apply, delay, or change your start date (Government of Canada)
  3. Old Age Security: How much you could receive (Government of Canada)
  4. Old Age Security payment amounts (Government of Canada)
  5. CPP retirement pension: When to start your pension (Government of Canada)
  6. CPP retirement pension: How much you could receive (Government of Canada)
  7. CPP retirement pension: Apply (Government of Canada)
  8. CPP retirement pension: Receiving your benefits (Government of Canada)
  9. Deciding when to start your public pensions (Retirement Hub) (Service Canada)
  10. Old Age Security in My Service Canada Account (Government of Canada)
  11. Contact Canada Pension Plan (Government of Canada)

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