Can I get OAS if I live outside Canada?

Can I get OAS if I live outside Canada? The 20-year rule

The OAS pension can be paid anywhere in the world, but only to people with a long enough link to Canada. The rule is 20 years of residence in Canada after your 18th birthday. Once you meet it, your pension is fully portable and continues for life, wherever you live.

If you have between 10 and 19 years, you can receive OAS while you live in Canada but not while living abroad. Service Canada warns that OAS may stop if you are away for more than 6 months and do not qualify to be paid outside Canada. The amount you get abroad follows the same years-divided-by-40 formula explained in OAS residency requirements.

When a social security agreement helps

Canada has social security agreements with many countries. If you lived and worked in one of them, that time may be counted toward the 20 years needed to keep OAS abroad. It helps you qualify but does not raise the amount, which is still based on Canadian years.

Can I get OAS if I leave Canada after it starts?

Yes, if you have 20 years. Your pension keeps coming on the usual OAS payment dates after you move. You must still tell Service Canada your new address and, if you want direct deposit to a foreign account, ask whether it is offered for your country.

If you have fewer than 20 years, plan the move with the 6-month limit in mind. Contact Service Canada before leaving so payments are stopped at the right time, rather than being paid in error and recovered later.

GIS stops after 6 months abroad

The Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance and the Allowance for the Survivor are not portable, no matter how many years you lived in Canada. If you are outside Canada for more than 6 months, these payments stop. They can restart when you return and let Service Canada know.

The loss can be large. For October to December 2026, the maximum GIS for a single pensioner is $1,138.90 a month, more than the full OAS pension itself. See GIS amount for the other household rates and GIS payment dates for when it is paid.

Non-resident tax and the OAS Return of Income

When you become a non-resident of Canada for tax purposes, Service Canada withholds non-resident tax from each OAS payment. The rate is 25% or lower, depending on the tax treaty between Canada and your country. Your annual slip becomes an NR4 instead of a T4A(OAS).

1. If a treaty sets a lower rate, apply for it on form NR5, Application by a Non-Resident of Canada for a Reduction in the Amount of Non-Resident Tax.
2. Each year, file form T1136, the Old Age Security Return of Income (OASRI), if the CRA requires it for your country. It reports your worldwide income so the recovery tax can be worked out.
3. Send the OASRI by April 30. A late or missing return can interrupt your OAS payments.
4. Watch your worldwide income against the recovery threshold, $93,454 for 2025 and $95,323 for 2026.

Canada.ca notes that the non-resident tax and the recovery tax together can never exceed the OAS you receive. How OAS is taxed for residents of Canada, by contrast, is covered in is OAS taxable.

Before you move: a short plan

If you are not yet 65 when you leave, you can still apply for OAS from abroad later, as long as you meet the 20-year rule or an agreement helps you reach it. Keep proof of your Canadian residence, such as old tax returns and lease or property records, because it can be harder to gather from another country.

If you move back to Canada

Returning residents should contact Service Canada as soon as they are back. If your OAS stopped because you had fewer than 20 years, it can resume once you live in Canada again, and GIS or an Allowance can restart if your income qualifies.

Your tax status changes too. Once you are a resident again, non-resident tax no longer applies, you file a regular Canadian return, and your slip switches back to a T4A(OAS). Ask Service Canada to set up voluntary tax deductions if you want tax taken off at source.