How to change CPP direct deposit (and OAS): online request, form, phone or in person

CPP direct deposit is separate from CRA direct deposit

CPP direct deposit is set up with Service Canada, the department that pays the Canada Pension Plan. The CRA runs a different direct deposit file for tax refunds and CRA benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit.

Changing your account in CRA My Account does not update your CPP. The federal direct deposit guide says people who receive several government payments may need to contact more than one department. If you moved banks and only told the CRA, your next CPP deposit will still go to the old account.

For how CRA deposits are timed, see CRA direct deposit time. The rest of this page covers CPP only.

How to change CPP direct deposit

Service Canada's personal information page states that CPP, EI and Canada Disability Benefit recipients cannot use My Service Canada Account to change their information at this time. Old Age Security recipients can, so people who receive both pensions may need two different routes.

Option 1: eServiceCanada callback

Submit the eServiceCanada request form on canada.ca. A Service Canada representative calls you back within 2 business days, verifies your identity and records the new account. This is the fastest route for most people in Canada.

Option 2: in person

Visit a Service Canada office with valid identification and a void cheque or a direct deposit form printed from your online banking. An agent can record the new account during the visit.

Option 3: by phone

You can also call the Canada Pension Plan call centre; the number is on Service Canada's Contact Canada Pension Plan page. Have your Social Insurance Number and new banking details ready.

What do you need to change CPP direct deposit?

• Your Social Insurance Number
• The name of your bank or credit union
• The branch transit number (5 digits) and institution number (3 digits)
• Your account number
• A void cheque, or the electronic direct deposit form most banks let you download

You can find the transit, institution and account numbers along the bottom of a cheque or in the account details section of online banking. Make sure the numbers belong to the account you want the pension paid into, not a savings account you rarely check.

How long a CPP direct deposit change takes

Timing depends on the method and on when in the month you make the change. CPP is paid near the end of each month, and the payment file is prepared ahead of the deposit date. A change recorded a few days before a payment date may not apply until the following month.

Make the change as soon as you open a new account, ideally right after a payment date. The remaining 2026 CPP deposit dates are October 28, November 26 and December 22. The 2027 dates are not yet announced; the full list is on CPP payment dates.

Avoiding a missed CPP payment when you switch banks

1. Open the new account and get a void cheque or deposit form for it.
2. Update CPP with Service Canada, and separately update OAS and the CRA if you receive those payments.
3. Leave the old account open with a small balance.
4. Check the new account on the next CPP payment date.
5. Close the old account only after the CPP deposit has arrived in the new one.

If a deposit does not appear, wait a few business days, since canada.ca notes payments can take a few days to arrive, then follow our steps for a CPP payment not deposited.

CPP direct deposit dates, amounts and bank accounts abroad

Direct deposit does not change how much you receive or which day it is paid; it only changes where the money lands. For current amounts see CPP payment amounts, and for the January change see CPP increase.

If you are moving abroad, a Canadian account can stay in place, or you can enrol a foreign account with the Foreign direct deposit enrolment form (8002-501E) in countries where the service exists. That process is explained on CPP outside Canada.