Government benefits reference

OAS and GIS Payment Amounts

Current OAS, GIS, Allowance, and Allowance for the Survivor payment amounts and income thresholds, with key OAS residence and deferral rules.

Current snapshot

Maximum monthly amounts

Payment period	OAS age 65-74 maximum	GIS single maximum	Survivor allowance maximum
October to December 2026	$762.50	$1,138.90	$1,726.18
July to September 2026	$751.97	$1,123.17	$1,702.34

Reference tables

Maximum payments and income thresholds

The payment tables below apply to October to December 2026. OAS thresholds use individual 2025 net world income for July 2026 to June 2027 withholding. GIS and Allowance thresholds use program income, excluding OAS and the applicable earnings exemption; combined-income thresholds are identified in the tables.

Final recovery thresholds for 2026 income apply to July 2027 to June 2028. See OAS Clawback Thresholds for that separate income-year context.

OAS pension

Situation	Maximum monthly amount	Income threshold
Age 65 to 74	$762.50	$152,062
Age 75 and over	$838.75	$157,923

GIS

Situation	Maximum monthly amount	Income threshold
Single, widowed, or divorced	$1,138.90	$23,112
Spouse/common-law partner receives full OAS pension	$685.56	$30,528 (combined income of couple)
Spouse/common-law partner receives the Allowance	$685.56	$42,768 (combined income of couple)
Spouse/common-law partner does not receive OAS pension or Allowance	$1,138.90	$55,392 (combined income of couple)

Allowance

Situation	Maximum monthly amount	Income threshold
Spouse/common-law partner receives GIS and full OAS pension	$1,448.06	$42,768 (combined income of couple)

Allowance for the Survivor

Situation	Maximum monthly amount	Income threshold
Surviving spouse or common-law partner	$1,726.18	$31,152

Plain-language context

What this reference means

OAS pension amounts can depend on age, qualifying residence history and when the pension starts. Higher income can separately result in OAS recovery tax. GIS, the Allowance and the Allowance for the Survivor are income-tested benefits connected to the OAS program.

The tables show published maximum monthly amounts and income thresholds for the periods identified. The OAS amounts shown are full-pension amounts before any increase for starting later. Partial pensions, deferral and personal circumstances can produce different amounts. The published GIS tables are not a personal calculation for someone receiving a partial OAS pension.

How OAS pension amounts are determined

Residence and the pension fraction

Under the ordinary residence rules, someone living in Canada generally needs at least 10 years of Canadian residence after age 18; someone living outside Canada generally needs at least 20 years. Legal-status requirements also apply. International social security agreements and certain special rules can change how someone qualifies.

A full residence-based pension generally requires 40 years. For a partial pension, qualifying residence is counted in completed years, with each year representing one fortieth of the full amount. Once a partial pension has been approved, additional Canadian residence does not increase its approved residence fraction.

Sources: OAS eligibility; Old Age Security Act, section 3.

Comparing residence and deferral amounts

When OAS starts after first eligibility, more than one pension calculation may apply. The comparison concerns the pension amount at that start, not whether delaying produces a better lifetime financial outcome.

Ordinary same-period amounts before the age-75 adjustment and tax:

P_{residence} = M \times \frac{\min (Y_{a}, 40)}{40}

P_{partial deferral} = M \times \frac{Y_{e}}{40} \times (1 + 0.006 \times m_{p})

P_{full deferral} = M \times (1 + 0.006 \times m_{f})

M is the full monthly OAS reference amount for ages 65–74 in the same payment period. Yₐ is completed qualifying residence at application approval; Yₑ is completed qualifying residence when partial-pension eligibility first arose. mₚ and m_f are eligible deferral months for the partial and full pension, respectively. The partial-deferral formula applies only where partial-pension qualification arose, with fewer than 40 years at that point. The full-deferral formula applies only when full-pension qualification has been reached.

The Old Age Security Act generally awards the greatest applicable amount unless the person chooses otherwise. Eligible deferral months exclude months before July 2013, months after age 70 and other excluded periods. The age-75 increase is considered separately. OpenBook's ordinary calculator uses OAS start timing as a simplified approximation; exact application approval and payment timing may differ.

Source: Old Age Security Act, section 7.1.

One illustrative comparison

Suppose someone first qualifies at 65 with 20 completed residence years and starts OAS at 67 with 22 years. Assuming 24 eligible deferral months, the partial-deferral calculation is:

\frac{20}{40} \times (1 + 0.006 \times 24) = 57.2 %

The residence-at-start comparison is:

\frac{22}{40} = 55.0 %

Both percentages use the same full-pension reference amount. The partial-deferral calculation is higher in this example. It does not show that delaying is preferable for every person.

Starting after 70

A pension can begin after age 70, including when the qualifying requirements are met later. Waiting past 70 does not earn additional deferral increases. The distinction is between when a pension begins and which months qualify for an increase.

Living outside Canada

Where someone lives is not the same as where their pension is deposited, and the OAS residence test is not the CRA tax-residency test. A person temporarily outside Canada can remain a Canadian resident for income-tax purposes.

A later move or extended absence can affect continued payments. Under the ordinary OAS rules, the 20-year test for continued payment abroad can depend on residence accumulated when the person leaves or ceases to reside in Canada. This can differ from the residence fraction fixed when a partial pension began. Temporary absences, international agreements and other special histories need separate assessment.

Sources: Old Age Security Regulations, section 21; Old Age Security Act, section 9; CRA factual residents temporarily outside Canada.

Benefit rules and estimates

GIS eligibility and amount context

GIS generally requires you to live in Canada and receive an OAS pension, in addition to meeting the applicable income and other eligibility conditions.

A partial OAS pension does not automatically mean a lower combined OAS and GIS amount. For an ordinary partial pension, the GIS formula accounts for the difference between the full OAS pension for the person's age and their OAS pension before any increase for starting later. Income and the selected benefit situation still affect the result.

The calculator starts with annual program income before the working-income exemption, applies each relevant person's exemption, and uses the selected benefit formula. It supports ordinary partial OAS pensions established using 10 to 39 qualifying residence years. An additional couple adjustment is not determined here.

Earnings exemption

For GIS purposes, the first $5,000 of annual employment or self-employment income is fully exempt. A 50% exemption applies to the portion above $5,000 and up to $15,000. The exempt amount is excluded from the income used to assess GIS.

The exemption applies to the program's employment and self-employment income measure after required adjustments, not automatically to every gross amount on a pay slip. For a couple, each person's applicable exemption is calculated separately.

GIS and the Allowances generally require living in Canada. Payments can stop after an absence of more than six months. Residence and absence conditions are separate from the income calculation.

Sources: GIS eligibility; While receiving GIS.

Government benefits estimator

The Government of Canada’s Old Age Security Benefits Estimator can help you find out approximately how much you could receive in OAS, GIS and related benefits. The tool is available in English and French.

Understanding the results

Neither OpenBook’s results nor the amounts shown by the government estimator confirm that you qualify or will receive a particular amount. Service Canada determines eligibility and actual OAS and GIS payments.

Official sources