Can I get CPP and OAS at the same time?

Yes, you can get CPP and OAS at the same time

You can get CPP and OAS at the same time, and many retirees receive both every month. The Canada Pension Plan is an earned pension funded by your payroll contributions. Old Age Security is funded from general tax revenue and based on how long you have lived in Canada. Because they rest on different foundations, qualifying for one has no effect on your right to the other.

The two also combine with the Guaranteed Income Supplement if your income is low. That is where the programs do interact, and it is covered below.

How CPP and OAS differ

One practical difference is timing. You can start CPP as early as 60 but OAS not before 65, so many people receive CPP alone for a few years before OAS begins. Another is residence: OAS needs at least 10 years in Canada after 18 if you live here, and 20 years to be paid abroad. Partial OAS equals your years in Canada divided by 40.

How much is CPP and OAS at 65 combined?

The table adds the two programs together using the 2026 CPP maximum and the OAS rates for October to December 2026. OAS rises by 10% automatically the month after you turn 75, so there are two combined figures.

Over a full year at the 65 to 74 maximum, that works out to about $27,241.80 before tax, although the OAS portion changes every quarter. The OAS rates for January to March 2027 are not yet announced. For the details of each program, see how much CPP is per month and our OAS payment dates guide.

CPP and OAS are paid on the same date

Service Canada issues CPP and all OAS benefits on the same day. The remaining 2026 dates are October 28, November 26 and December 22. They are separate payments, so your bank statement can show two deposits that day.

Both go to the bank account on file with Service Canada. The CPP direct deposit page explains how to change accounts without missing a payment. Full dates are on the CPP payment dates hub.

Can I get CPP, OAS and GIS? How CPP affects GIS

Yes, if your income is low enough. The Guaranteed Income Supplement is a monthly top-up for OAS recipients with low income, and it is the one benefit that CPP directly affects. GIS is calculated on your income from the previous year, and OAS itself is left out of that income. CPP is not excluded, so every dollar of CPP counts toward the GIS income limit.

Example. A single person whose only income besides OAS is the average new CPP pension of $877.01 a month has $10,524.12 of income for GIS purposes. That is under the $23,112 limit, so a partial GIS is likely, but it will be below the $1,138.90 maximum. Employment income is treated more gently: the first $5,000 is ignored, and only half of the next $10,000 counts.

Clawback thresholds: CPP is not clawed back, OAS can be

CPP has no income test, so a high income never reduces it. OAS does. The OAS recovery tax takes back part of OAS when your net income passes $95,323 for the 2026 income year, and it removes OAS entirely at higher incomes.

CPP counts toward that net income. For the October to December 2026 period, OAS is fully eliminated above net income of $152,062 for ages 65 to 74 and $157,923 for 75 and over. Someone with a large workplace pension plus maximum CPP can therefore lose some OAS, while their CPP stays whole.

Applying for both, and living outside Canada

1. Apply for CPP separately from OAS. CPP is not paid until you ask for it, and you choose the start month between 60 and 70.
2. Watch for a letter from Service Canada around your 64th birthday about OAS and GIS. If no GIS letter arrives within a month after you turn 64, you may need to apply.
3. Decide whether to defer OAS. Deferring adds 0.6% a month, but GIS is not paid during any month OAS is deferred.
4. Set up direct deposit so both benefits arrive on the same day.

Moving abroad affects the two programs differently. CPP can generally be paid wherever you live, while OAS abroad needs 20 years of Canadian residence after 18. Our CPP outside Canada page covers what changes when you move abroad, and is CPP taxable covers the slips you receive in Canada.