About this calculator
CPP is a contributory, earnings-related pension. Its base component replaces 25% of your average monthly pensionable earnings: each year’s pensionable earnings are counted as a share of that year’s maximum (YMPE) and then priced at the average YMPE of the five years ending when you start — for 2026 that average is CA$69,180 (2022–2026 YMPEs of CA$64,900, CA$66,600, CA$68,500, CA$71,300 and CA$74,600). The general drop-out then removes your lowest-earning 17% of months (about 8 years of a 47-year period from age 18 to 65) before the average is struck, and years inside the counted period with no earnings count as zero. The standard start age is 65: starting at 60 cuts the pension by 0.6% per month (36% at 60) and delaying to 70 raises it by 0.7% per month (42% at 70), permanently.
OAS is a residence-based pension, not a contributory one. Forty years of Canadian residence after age 18 buys the full pension — CA$762.50 a month at age 65–74 for October–December 2026, rising 10% to CA$838.75 at 75 — and 10 to 39 years buys that fraction (20 years buys half). You need at least 10 years to qualify at all. Delaying OAS past 65 adds 0.6% per month up to 36% at 70, and OAS cannot start before 65 even if you start CPP at 60. The two pensions are taxed as income and are indexed to inflation, but they are calculated under entirely different rules — which is why this page never merges them into a single unexplained figure.
How to use it
- Enter your average annual pensionable earnings — your career average on which CPP contributions were paid, capped at the 2026 YMPE of CA$74,600. If you earned at or above the maximum most years, enter CA$74,600.
- Enter how many years you contributed and how many low years the general drop-out removes (8 is the standard figure for a full 18-to-65 period).
- Pick the age you start CPP (60–70) and your years of Canadian residence after age 18, then the OAS age band.
- Read CPP and OAS as separate monthly lines; the combined line is only their sum.
The formula
Two deliberate scope limits keep this estimate honest. First, it models the base CPP only: the CPP enhancement (extra contributions since 2019, including the second tier on earnings between the CA$74,600 YMPE and the CA$85,000 YAMPE) adds a separate amount that depends on your year-by-year record since 2019 — for a new maximum pension starting in 2026 it is CA$66.40 a month, which is exactly the gap between the base maximum of CA$1,441.25 and the official total maximum of CA$1,507.65, so a long maximum contributor’s true CPP is higher than shown here. Second, it assumes your pensionable-earnings share of the YMPE was roughly steady across your career; Service Canada’s exact calculation uses your actual year-by-year record, including child-rearing and disability drop-outs, which this page does not model and which can only raise the result.
Worked example
Maximum base CPP, official recomputation: pensionable earnings CA$74,600, 39 counted earning years after an 8-year drop-out, starting at 65 — 25% × CA$69,180 ÷ 12 = CA$1,441.25 a month. At 60 that becomes CA$1,441.25 × 0.64 = CA$922.40; at 70 it becomes CA$1,441.25 × 1.42 = CA$2,046.58. OAS, official canada.ca delay table (October–December 2026): full residence, starting at 65 pays CA$762.50; at 67 it pays CA$762.50 × 1.144 = CA$872.30; at 70 it pays CA$762.50 × 1.36 = CA$1,037.00 — every row of the official table is reproduced exactly. A half-residence case: 20 years in Canada, starting at 65, pays CA$762.50 × 20 ÷ 40 = CA$381.25 of OAS, while CPP is unaffected by residence.
Sources: canada.ca / ESDC: quarterly report “Maximum Benefit Amounts and Related Figures — CPP 2026 and OAS July–September 2026” (YMPE CA$74,600, YAMPE CA$85,000, maximum CPP at 65 CA$1,507.65); canada.ca “When to start your retirement pension” (CPP −0.6%/+0.7% per month); canada.ca “When to start your OAS pension” (OAS delay table) and “Old Age Security payment amounts” (October–December 2026: CA$762.50 / CA$838.75; partial pension for 10–39 years). Verified October 2026. Official pages: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/pensions/pension/statistics/2026-quarterly-july-september.html — https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/when-start.html — https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/old-age-security/when-start.html — https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/old-age-security/payments.html Last updated: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my CPP lower than the official maximum of CA$1,507.65?
Because this page estimates the base CPP only. The official CA$1,507.65 maximum for a new pension starting in 2026 is CA$1,441.25 of base CPP plus CA$66.40 of CPP enhancement. The enhancement comes from extra contributions since 2019 and grows with each post-2019 year you contributed; it cannot be computed from a career average alone, so it is disclosed here rather than guessed. If you contributed at the maximum since 2019, add roughly the enhancement to the CPP line; if most of your career predates 2019, your enhancement is small.
Does living in Canada longer raise my CPP?
No — residence affects OAS only. CPP depends on contributions: how much pensionable earnings you had and for how many years. Years with no earnings inside your counted period still drag the CPP average down unless the drop-out removes them, which is why the drop-out field matters. OAS is the opposite: it ignores earnings entirely and pays by years of residence after age 18 (40 for full, 10 minimum).
What about Quebec?
CPP does not apply in Quebec — workers there contribute to the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) instead, run by Retraite Québec. The QPP maximum and rates are close to CPP but not identical, so do not use this page’s CPP line for a Quebec work history. OAS, being federal, applies in Quebec exactly as elsewhere.
What is not included?
The Guaranteed Income Supplement (a separate low-income top-up on top of OAS), the OAS recovery tax (the clawback that reduces OAS at higher incomes), post-retirement benefits from working while collecting CPP, and survivor or disability benefits. Workplace pensions, RRSPs and TFSAs are also out of scope: this page estimates only the two federal pensions. CPP and OAS are taxable income; the figures here are before tax.
I raised children / was on disability — will my CPP be higher?
Possibly. The child-rearing drop-out can exclude low-earning years while you were the primary caregiver of a child under 7 (you must claim it — it is not automatic), and months on a CPP disability pension are excluded too. Both are applied before the general 17% drop-out, so they can only raise the average. Because they depend on your personal record, this calculator does not model them: treat its CPP line as a floor if either applies to you, and check your record in My Service Canada Account.
Should I take CPP at 60 or 70?
The adjustment is permanent, so it is a longevity and cash-flow decision, not a free lunch: at 60 you get 64% of your age-65 amount for life, at 70 you get 142%. Delaying only wins if you live long enough to collect the higher amount for enough years, and you need other income to bridge the gap. OAS has the same shape on a smaller base (up to +36% at 70) and, unlike CPP, cannot start before 65 at all.
What formula does this Canada Pension calculator use?
Base CPP at 65 = 25% × (pensionable earnings ÷ YMPE) × CA$69,180 (5-year average YMPE) × counted earning years ÷ counted years ÷ 12, capped at CA$1,441.25; CPP payable = base CPP at 65 × (1 − 0.6% × months before 65) or × (1 + 0.7% × months after 65); OAS payable = CA$762.50 (or CA$838.75 at 75+) × residence years ÷ 40 (CA$0 under 10 years) × (1 + 0.6% × months delayed past 65, to 70) Two deliberate scope limits keep this estimate honest. First, it models the base CPP only: the CPP enhancement (extra contributions since 2019, including the second tier on earnings between the CA$74,600 YMPE and the CA$85,000 YAMPE) adds a separate amount that depends on your year-by-year record since 2019 — for a new maximum pension starting in 2026 it is CA$66.40 a month, which is exactly the gap between the base maximum of CA$1,441.25 and the official total maximum of CA$1,507.65, so a long maximum contributor’s true CPP is higher than shown here. Second, it assumes your pensionable-earnings share of the YMPE was roughly steady across your career; Service Canada’s exact calculation uses your actual year-by-year record, including child-rearing and disability drop-outs, which this page does not model and which can only raise the result. The worked example on this page applies the formula step by step with real numbers, so you can verify the result by hand.