Retirement Library

Benefits Library

Old Age Security, GIS, CPP, survivor benefits and working after 65.

• Benefits When a Spouse Dies: What Stops, What Changes, and What Starts
  When a spouse or common-law partner dies, their OAS and CPP are paid for the month of death and then stop. The survivor's GIS and quarterly CRA benefit are worked out again for one person, and the GIS can go up. The CPP survivor's pension and the Allowance for the Survivor start only after an application.
• OAS at 65 or 70: what deferral adds and what it can cost
  Old Age Security (OAS) rises by 0.6% for each month it is delayed after 65, up to 36% at 70, and it rises a further 10% at 75 either way. No Guaranteed Income Supplement is paid while OAS is delayed, and the waiting does not make the supplement larger. Deferral avoids the recovery tax only in the years when no OAS is paid.
• Sponsored parents and OAS: the pension, the GIS, and the sponsorship years
  A parent or grandparent sponsored to Canada can get a partial Old Age Security (OAS) pension after 10 years of residence after age 18. Since October 1, 2025, the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and the Allowance are not paid for the whole sponsorship, which lasts 20 years outside Quebec and 10 years in Quebec. Four events, such as the sponsor's death, end that bar early.
• Taking CPP at 60: The Reduction, the 12-Month Limit, and Work After 60
  A Canada Pension Plan retirement pension that starts at 60 is 36% lower than the same pension started at 65, and it is paid at that rate for life. The start can be cancelled only in writing within 12 months, and everything received must be paid back. People who keep working after 60 can add small lifetime post-retirement benefits on top.
• Why GIS stops in July, and how it starts again
  The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and the Allowance are renewed each July using the income on the previous year's tax return. When Service Canada has no income information, the benefit can stop until the information arrives. The law allows back payments for no more than 11 months before the month the request is received.
• Working after 65: what a paycheque does to GIS, OAS, and CPP
  Wages and self-employment earnings get special treatment in the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS): the first $5,000 is ignored, and so is half of the next $10,000. The OAS recovery tax has no such exemption, and CPP contributions on work income become optional at 65 for people who already receive CPP.