Your personal AI for understanding and tracking your personal finance.
Estimate your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) retirement pension at 60, 65 or 70. See how start age, earnings history and years of contributions change your monthly CPP, with OAS alongside.
Earning at or above the YMPE for $18,092 a year of pension needs about 39 such years. The average new pension at 65 is $858/month, not the $1,508 maximum.
Full OAS is $762.50/month at 65-74 and $838.75 from 75 (October-December 2026 quarter, re-indexed January 2027). It needs 40 years of Canadian residency after 18 and is pro-rated below that — set it to $0 if you do not expect to qualify. OAS cannot start before 65 whatever you do with CPP. Not sure what your residency earns you? The OAS calculator works the proration out year by year.
OAS cannot start before 65 no matter when you take CPP, so these two do not switch on at the same time.
CPP can start any time from 60 to 70. OAS cannot start before 65 under any circumstances, so taking CPP early does not move OAS forward with it — it only lengthens the stretch your own savings have to cover. Start CPP at 60 and that is five years on the reduced CPP alone; start at 65 and both arrive together.
On your figures, CPP and OAS begin together at 65 — $842 of CPP plus $763 of OAS, or $1,605/month. OAS is clawed back 15 cents per dollar of net world income above $93,454; CPP is never clawed back itself, but it counts toward the income that triggers the OAS recovery tax — the OAS clawback calculator shows what it takes back at your income.
The age at which the later start overtakes the earlier one in total dollars received. It depends only on the ratio between the two amounts, so it is the same for everyone.
These two are far apart, and treating them as one number is the most common mistake in the CPP timing debate. Deciding between 60 and 65 breaks even in your mid-70s; deciding between 65 and 70 does not break even until your early 80s. Health, other income and whether you need the money now matter more than the arithmetic.
The start-age adjustment is legislated: 0.6% less per month before 65, 0.7% more per month after. Applied to the January 2026 maximum ($1,508/month) and the average new pension ($858/month):
| Start age | Change | Max /mo | Avg /mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | -36% | $965 | $549 |
| 63 | -14% | $1,291 | $735 |
| 65 (standard) | — | $1,508 | $858 |
| 67 | +17% | $1,761 | $1,003 |
| 70 | +42% | $2,141 | $1,219 |
So a typical new pensioner starting at 60 receives about $549/month for life, against $1,219 for waiting to 70. The breakevens differ by decision: 60-vs-65 crosses at about age 74, but 65-vs-70 not until about 82 — the calculator above solves both for your own numbers.
Only after Old Age Security? The OAS calculator works out OAS on its own from your years of residency, including deferral past 65.
Two sides to the calculation. What you pay: employees contribute 5.95% of earnings between $3,500 and the YMPE of $74,600 (2026) — a maximum of $4,230.45 — plus the newer CPP2 tier of 4% on earnings from $74,600 to $85,000, at most another $416. Employers match both; the self-employed pay both halves.
What you get: Service Canada averages your earnings relative to each year's YMPE from age 18, drops your lowest ~17% of years (plus child-rearing periods), and pays a pension proportional to that average. The $1,508 maximum needs roughly 39 years at or above the YMPE — which is why the average new pension is only $858, about 57% of it. The CPP enhancement (2019–2025 phase-in) lifts future pensions by up to ~8% for those with full post-2019 careers — see the CPP enhancement calculator.
2026 contribution parameters verified against Canada.ca (CPP enhancement page), 30 August 2026.
What an employee pays in a full year at 5.95% (base CPP) plus 4% (CPP2). Your employer pays the same again; if you are self-employed you pay both halves.
| Salary | Base CPP | CPP2 | Employee total | Self-employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,576.75 | $0.00 | $1,576.75 | $3,153.50 |
| $50,000 | $2,766.75 | $0.00 | $2,766.75 | $5,533.50 |
| $74,600 | $4,230.45 | $0.00 | $4,230.45 | $8,460.90 |
| $85,000 | $4,230.45 | $416.00 | $4,646.45 | $9,292.90 |
| $120,000 | $4,230.45 | $416.00 | $4,646.45 | $9,292.90 |
Contributions stop rising at $85,000: anyone earning more pays the same $4,646.45 a year. No contributions are due on the first $3,500 of earnings or once you are receiving CPP after 65 and opt out.
Service Canada will show you a CPP estimate built from your actual contribution record. Sign in to My Service Canada Account to see your benefit estimate and your Statement of Contributions, which lists what you paid in each year. Its CPP amount page also links the Canadian Retirement Income Calculator, which puts OAS and other income on top.
This calculator does a different job: it answers what-ifs. What does starting at 62 instead of 67 do? What if I contribute for 10 more years? Once you have your official figure at 65, you can move it to any start age with the factors in the table above. For example, an official estimate of $1,000 a month at 65 becomes $640 at 60 and $1,420 at 70.
Couples who live together can share their CPP retirement pensions once at least one of them is receiving CPP or has applied for it. Each spouse gives the other half of the part of their pension earned while they lived together during their joint contributory period. The couple's total stays the same. What changes is who is taxed on it, which saves money when one of you is in a lower tax bracket.
| Monthly CPP | Before sharing | After sharing |
|---|---|---|
| You | $1,100 | $750 |
| Your spouse | $400 | $750 |
| Couple total | $1,500 | $1,500 |
The joint contributory period is the time when either of you could have paid into CPP or QPP. Your Statement of Contributions has the dates. Sharing starts once Service Canada approves the application (online through My Service Canada Account, or on form ISP1002) and cannot be backdated. The post-retirement benefit is not shared. Sharing ends on divorce, on death, or 12 months after you separate. It is not the same as CRA's pension income splitting. The model uses one ratio for the whole pension; for the post-2019 enhanced portion Service Canada uses a shorter joint period, so a couple who did not live together throughout may see a slightly different split.
Sources: Canada.ca “Pension sharing” and Canada Pension Plan Act s. 65.1(9), read 22 October 2026.
| Benefit (monthly) | 2026 | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum CPP at 65 | $1,508 | Benefits starting January 2026 |
| Average new CPP at 65 | $858 | average for new beneficiaries, July 2026 (Canada.ca) |
| Maximum OAS, 65–74 | $762.50 | October-December 2026 quarter |
| Maximum OAS, 75+ | $838.75 | 10% statutory boost at 75 |
| Max CPP + OAS combined at 65 | $2,270 | Before any OAS clawback |
OAS is residency-based, needs no contributions, cannot start before 65, and is clawed back at 15 cents per dollar of net world income above $93,454. Quebec workers contribute to QPP instead — the same structure with slightly different rates; this calculator models CPP.
CPP is one of two public pensions and this page computes the other only as a flat amount you set. To work out what your years of Canadian residency actually earn you, use the OAS calculator — it prorates below 40 years and handles deferral to 70. If your retirement income is likely to pass $93,454, the OAS clawback calculator shows how much of it the recovery tax takes back. Both pensions arrive as two separate deposits on the same day each month — see the CPP and OAS payment dates 2026. For a full post-2019 contribution history, the CPP enhancement calculator splits Tier 1 from CPP2. And to check the result against reality, see what Canadians 65 and over actually live on in average retirement income and average CPP payment by age. If a disability stops you working before 65, the same contribution record pays a flat rate plus 75% of this pension instead — see the CPP disability calculator.
CPP retirement pension is based on your contributions over your working life. Service Canada uses your average earnings (between 18 and 65) relative to the Year's Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE) each year.
The formula drops your lowest-earning years (up to 17% via the 'general drop-out provision') and periods of child-rearing. The maximum monthly CPP at 65 is $1,507.65 for benefits starting January 2026, but the average new beneficiary at 65 receives $858.34 per month (Canada.ca, July 2026) — about 57% of the maximum, because the maximum needs roughly 39 years of contributions at or above the YMPE.
You can start as early as 60 (with a 36% permanent reduction) or delay until 70 (with a 42% permanent increase). At 60, you get 0.6% less per month before 65.
At 70, you get 0.7% more per month after 65. There is no single breakeven age, and quoting one is the most common error in this debate: choosing between 60 and 65 breaks even at about age 74, while choosing between 65 and 70 does not break even until about age 82.
The calculator computes both. Health, other income sources, and tax implications matter more than the arithmetic.
CPP2 is a second tier of contributions that began in 2024 for earnings between the YMPE ($74,600 in 2026) and YAMPE ($85,000). Employees contribute an extra 4% on that band (employers match, self-employed pay 8%).
At maturity (workers who contribute for 40 years), CPP2 will add ~8% more pension on top of base CPP. Most workers won't see the full CPP2 benefit until 2065+.
For a detailed Tier 1 + Tier 2 contribution breakdown and a transitional-vs-fully-enhanced retirement pension projection, see the dedicated CPP Enhancement Calculator at /ca/tools/cpp-enhancement-calculator.
Yes. Since 2012, you can receive CPP and continue working.
If you're under 65, your employer must continue CPP contributions (building your 'Post-Retirement Benefit' or PRB). If you're 65-70, contributions are optional.
Each year of PRB contributions adds a small amount to your pension the following year.
CPP and OAS (Old Age Security) are separate programs. OAS is available to all Canadians 65+ who meet residency requirements — it's not based on contributions.
For the October-December 2026 quarter the maximum OAS is $762.50/month for ages 65 to 74, rising to $838.75 at 75. Combined with the maximum CPP of $1,507.65, that is $2,270.15/month in government benefits.
OAS is clawed back at 15 cents per dollar of net world income above $93,454, and — unlike CPP — it cannot start before 65 however early you take CPP. How much OAS you personally get depends on years of Canadian residency, which the OAS calculator at /ca/tools/oas-calculator works out; what the recovery tax takes back at your income is at /ca/tools/oas-clawback-calculator.
Yes, through CPP pension sharing. You must be living with your legal spouse or common-law partner, and at least one of you must be receiving, or have applied for, a CPP retirement pension.
Each of you gives the other 50% of the part of your pension earned while you lived together during your joint contributory period, so a couple together for the whole period ends up with equal pensions. The couple's total CPP does not change; the saving is in tax when one spouse is in a lower bracket.
Sharing starts once Service Canada approves it and cannot be backdated, and the post-retirement benefit is not shared. It is a different thing from CRA pension income splitting.
Sign in to My Service Canada Account. It shows a benefit estimate built from your actual CPP contribution record, and your Statement of Contributions year by year.
Service Canada's Canadian Retirement Income Calculator adds OAS and other income on top. A calculator like this one is for what-ifs: start age, future earnings and years of contributions.
To move an official at-65 estimate to another start age, apply the same legislated factors: 0.6% less per month before 65 and 0.7% more per month after.
Most Canadians don't. The average new CPP retirement pension at 65 is $858.34/month (Canada.ca, average for new beneficiaries, July 2026), against a 2026 maximum of $1,507.65 — so the typical new pension is only about 57% of the maximum.
Your pension is proportional to your average contributions relative to the YMPE. Years abroad, part-time work, periods of unemployment, and career breaks all reduce your average.
However, the child-rearing drop-out and general 17% drop-out help remove your worst years.
Your personal AI for understanding and tracking your personal finance.
Keep your CPP up to dateTrack my CPP
Free to download · 7-day free trial