Old Age Security (OAS)
Old Age Security is the pension you get for having lived in Canada, not for having worked — how much it pays, the income level where the government starts taking it back, and what waiting until 70 is actually worth.
Last updated: July 2026 · Service Canada · Amounts for July to September 2026
What is Old Age Security?
Old Age Security is Canada’s residence-based pension. Unlike CPP, you never contribute to it and your work history is irrelevant — what counts is how long you have lived in Canada after turning 18. Live here 40 years or more and you qualify for the full pension; fewer than 40 and you get a partial one. The floor is 10 years of residence to collect while living in Canada, or 20 years if you have moved abroad. You must be 65, and you must file a tax return each year to keep it flowing.
Two things make OAS behave differently from every other pension in this section. First, it is income-tested at the top: once your net income passes $93,454 a recovery tax — everyone calls it the clawback — takes back 15 cents of every dollar above that line, and by roughly $152,000 the pension is gone entirely. Second, the amounts move four times a year, in January, April, July and October, tracking the Consumer Price Index. They never fall when prices do. Every figure on this page is the July-to-September 2026 quarter, and it will shift again in October.
OAS Key Rates — July to September 2026
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Maximum monthly pension, age 65 to 74 | $751.97 |
| Maximum monthly pension, age 75 and over | $827.17 |
| Income must be under (65 to 74) | $152,062 |
| Income must be under (75 and over) | $157,923 |
| Recovery tax starts at (2025 net income) | $93,454 |
| Recovery tax rate above that | 15% |
| Deferral increase | +0.6% per month (+36% at 70) |
| Maximum monthly pension if deferred to 70 | $1,022.68 |
| Automatic increase at age 75 | +10% |
| GIS maximum, single | $1,123.17 |
| Minimum residence in Canada | 10 years (20 if abroad) |
OAS and GIS amounts are set quarterly by Service Canada and shown here for the July to September 2026 quarter — they are reviewed again in October. The recovery tax threshold works on a lag: your 2025 net income determines the tax applied to payments from July 2026 through June 2027. The GIS figure shown is the maximum for a single, widowed or divorced person with income under $22,800; other marital situations have their own thresholds.
What You’ll Find in This Section
- OAS Clawback Calculator: enter your income and see exactly how much of your pension the recovery tax takes back, and what is left each month
- OAS Payment Amounts Table: the full quarterly amounts, income ceilings, and what each year of deferral to 70 is worth in dollars
- GIS and Allowance Table: the Guaranteed Income Supplement maximums and income cut-offs for every marital situation, plus the Allowance and Allowance for the Survivor
- How to Apply: why most people are enrolled automatically, when you do have to act, and how to delay your start date on purpose
- Complete guide: how residence years build your pension, how the clawback really works, and the decisions worth making before 65
Also in Canada:
- Canada Pension Plan — the contributory pension that pays alongside OAS
- CPP and OAS Payment Dates — both pensions land on the same twelve dates each year
- Net Pay Calculator — your salary after tax, CPP and EI, in any province
📋 Rates verified — Official sources: Service Canada — OAS payment amounts · Service Canada — OAS recovery tax · Service Canada — Do you qualify
⚠️ This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. KnowMyGovt is an independent service with no affiliation with or endorsement by Service Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency or the Government of Canada, and is not responsible for decisions you make based on it.
