Old Age Security (OAS) is a federal pension paid monthly to Canadian residents aged 65 and older. The benefit is funded from general government revenue rather than contributions, which makes it universal in principle. Eligibility, amount, deferral bonus, and recovery tax (clawback) all depend on rules set by the Old Age Security Act and administered by Service Canada. The calculator above computes the monthly OAS amount for a given age, residency history, deferral choice, and net income.
Quick answer
A full OAS pension in 2026 pays approximately $722.50 per month to recipients aged 65 to 74 and approximately $794.75 per month to recipients aged 75 and older (the 10% automatic increase introduced in July 2022). A recipient with 20 years of Canadian residency after age 18 receives half the full amount. A recipient with net income above $90,997 in 2026 has the OAS reduced by 15 cents for every dollar above that threshold, with the benefit fully clawed back at $148,179 for the age 65 to 74 bracket. Deferring OAS past 65 increases the benefit by 0.6% for each month of deferral, up to 36% at age 70.
Eligibility
A person qualifies for OAS at age 65 with either of the following residency records after age 18:
- 10 years of Canadian residency if the person currently lives in Canada.
- 20 years of Canadian residency if the person currently lives outside Canada.
A full OAS pension requires 40 years of residency in Canada after age 18. Between 10 and 40 years produces a partial pension equal to the number of years divided by 40 of the full amount. A person with 25 years of residency receives 25/40 = 62.5% of the full OAS amount.
Some international social security agreements credit time spent in specific countries toward the Canadian residency requirement for eligibility (but not for the amount). Canada has agreements with the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, and more than 40 other countries. The agreement covers the 10-year or 20-year minimum for eligibility. The partial pension is still computed on actual Canadian residency.
2026 amounts
OAS is indexed to the Consumer Price Index and adjusted quarterly in January, April, July, and October. The figures below reflect the April to June 2026 quarter.
| Age bracket | Monthly maximum | Annual equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 65 to 74 | $722.50 | $8,670 |
| 75 and older | $794.75 | $9,537 |
Partial pension amounts are the number of years of Canadian residency divided by 40, multiplied by the applicable monthly maximum. OAS is taxable as ordinary income in the year received.
OAS recovery tax (clawback)
The OAS recovery tax reduces OAS payments for recipients with high net income. For 2026:
- Threshold. Net income above $90,997 begins to trigger the recovery tax.
- Recovery rate. 15 cents of OAS is recovered for every dollar of net income above the threshold.
- Full clawback point (age 65 to 74). $148,179. Above this amount, all OAS for the 65 to 74 recipient is recovered.
- Full clawback point (age 75 and older). $153,771. Above this amount, all OAS for the 75+ recipient is recovered.
Net income includes employment income, pension income, CPP and Quebec Pension Plan payments, RRIF and LIF withdrawals, rental income, and taxable capital gains. It does not include TFSA withdrawals, which is why the TFSA versus RRSP decision shifts at high retirement incomes. Income splitting under pension income splitting rules (Form T1032) can reduce the higher spouse’s net income below the threshold.
Deferral bonus
An OAS recipient may defer the start of the pension by up to 60 months past age 65. Each month of deferral increases the monthly amount by 0.6%, for a maximum 36% increase at age 70.
| Start age | Bonus | Monthly maximum (age 65 to 74 bracket) |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | 0% | $722.50 |
| 66 | 7.2% | $774.52 |
| 67 | 14.4% | $826.54 |
| 68 | 21.6% | $878.56 |
| 69 | 28.8% | $930.58 |
| 70 | 36.0% | $982.60 |
The deferral bonus is fixed: deferring past age 70 produces no further increase. The breakeven age for deferring from 65 to 70 is approximately age 82. Recipients in poor health or with short life expectancy typically start at 65. Recipients with other retirement income and strong family longevity history typically defer.
Deferral and the clawback
A recipient who plans to exceed the clawback threshold at age 65 but expects lower net income later may prefer to defer OAS to a year after the high-income period. Deferral produces a larger monthly amount in the lower-income year rather than a fully clawed back amount in the high-income year.
Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
GIS is a non-taxable monthly benefit paid to low-income OAS recipients. Eligibility depends on combined household income, not individual income. Maximum GIS for a single person in 2026 is approximately $1,086 per month. GIS begins to be reduced at the first dollar of non-OAS income (50 cents per dollar for a single person, 25 cents per dollar per spouse for couples). The GIS Eligibility Calculator computes the estimated GIS for a given OAS and income level.
OAS and non-residents
An OAS recipient who leaves Canada can continue to receive OAS outside Canada if the recipient had at least 20 years of Canadian residency after age 18. Recipients with fewer than 20 years lose the benefit six months after leaving. International social security agreements may cover the 20-year requirement for specific country pairs.
Non-residents are subject to a 25% non-resident withholding tax on OAS, reduced to 15% for residents of countries with a Canadian tax treaty (including the United States). The US Canada Income Tax Convention reduces the withholding to 0% for residents of the United States who meet the Convention’s conditions.
Allowance and Allowance for the Survivor
The Allowance is a benefit for low-income spouses and common-law partners of OAS recipients, aged 60 to 64. The Allowance for the Survivor is a benefit for low-income widows and widowers aged 60 to 64. Both are non-taxable and phase out at the same income thresholds as GIS. Both end automatically at age 65 when the recipient becomes eligible for OAS and GIS.
Related calculators
- CPP Retirement Benefit Calculator. Estimates CPP at any start age from 60 to 70, including post-retirement benefits.
- GIS Eligibility Calculator. Computes the Guaranteed Income Supplement for a given income profile.
- Canada Pension Projection Calculator. Combines CPP, OAS, and RRSP/RRIF drawdown with clawback flagging.
- RRIF Minimum Withdrawal Calculator. CRA prescribed rate table applied to a RRIF balance.
- Retirement Withdrawal Sustainability Calculator. Tests a withdrawal rate against sequence of returns over 30 years.
Verified against source
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Old Age Security pension.
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Old Age Security Recovery Tax.
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Guaranteed Income Supplement.
- Canada Revenue Agency, Line 23500 Social Benefits Repayment.
Methodology
Full OAS monthly amount is the quarterly indexed figure for the applicable age bracket (65 to 74 or 75 and older). Partial pension is the ratio of Canadian residency years after age 18 divided by 40, multiplied by the full amount. Deferral bonus adds 0.6% to the monthly amount for each month of deferral past age 65, capped at 36% at age 70. Recovery tax reduces the annual OAS by 15% of net income above $90,997 in 2026, with the reduction capped at the full OAS amount. Net income is the Line 23400 figure before the OAS recovery tax deduction. Non-resident withholding is applied at 25% (or the treaty rate) on the gross OAS before any Canadian clawback. 2026 figures reflect the April 2026 quarterly adjustment.