OAS Residency & Deferral

Separate the age you start Old Age Security from your years of Canadian residence. Compare start ages 65 to 70, then refine your estimate by month.

Rate basis

Published reference: $762.50 per month for ages 65–74 with 40 years of residence, October to December 2026. OAS is reviewed quarterly (January, April, July and October). Percentages do not depend on the quarterly rate. Dollar figures use the rate below, not a forecast of future payments.

Check current OAS payment amounts on Canada.ca

Using the October to December 2026 reference rate. All figures are gross, before income tax and OAS recovery tax (clawback).

Monthly start-date calculator

Use your intended pension start, not the date you submit paperwork. This simplified estimate uses whole months: residence anniversaries, eligibility and payment timing should be confirmed with Service Canada. There is no deferral increase after age 70.

Residence at 65 × OAS start age

Rows run from 40 to 0 complete years at age 65, with no extra residence months at that birthday. Each cell shows the percentage of full basic age-65 OAS and monthly CAD amount. Shaded cells select residence at start rather than a deferred pension. “Not eligible” is not a $0 pension award.

How residency and deferral interact

• The ordinary minimum is 10 years of residence for someone living in Canada at approval; 40 years gives a full basic pension. Only complete residence years count toward the pension fraction.
• Service Canada compares the initial eligible partial pension plus 0.6% per eligible month of delay, the pension based on residence at approval without deferral, and a full pension plus deferral earned after full-pension eligibility. You normally receive the greatest amount.
• You cannot simply multiply your residence fraction at 70 by 1.36. For example, 35 years at 65 and 40 at 70 gives 119% of full basic OAS, not 136%.
• If you first reach 10 years after 65, deferral credits begin only then, not at 65. A partial pension's residence fraction does not grow after approval; quarterly indexing and the age-75 increase still apply.
• Deferring OAS also delays GIS, and can affect a spouse's Allowance. This is not a recommendation to defer or a lifetime break-even comparison.

Confirm exact residence dates, eligibility, enrolment and the approved pension start with Service Canada. This estimate excludes retroactivity, interrupted residence, suspensions, GIS and recovery tax.

Official sources

• OAS Act, section 3: residence and partial pensions
• OAS Act, section 7.1: greatest amount, deferral and age 75
• Canada.ca: OAS eligibility, including living abroad
• Canada.ca: when to start OAS and effects on GIS