How to apply for Old Age Security in Canada: automatic enrolment, the online and paper routes, who qualifies, and the October–December 2026 maximums.
Applies in: CA
Most people do not need to apply for Old Age Security at all — Service Canada enrols them automatically and sends a letter around their 64th birthday. If you do not get that letter, you apply yourself: online through My Service Canada Account, or on paper with form ISP-3550. The pension is based on your age and your years of residence in Canada, not on your work history — eligibility turns on being 65 or older, being a Canadian citizen or legal resident when the pension is approved, and having lived in Canada for at least 10 years since age 18.
Wait for the letter. Service Canada sends an enrolment letter around your 64th birthday if it has enough information to determine that you are eligible. If the letter arrives, your pension will be paid automatically when you reach 65 — do nothing.
Take action if any of these apply:
The application form sets out the same conditions Service Canada applies:
If you have lived or worked in a country Canada has a social security agreement with, that time may help you meet the residence requirement even if you fall short on Canadian residence alone.
Before you start, have the following ready:
You do not need to provide proof with the application unless the form says so, but Service Canada may contact you later to ask for more information or documents.
Applying online is the fastest route if you can use it. The online application is only available if all of these are true: you are at least one month past your 64th birthday, you are not currently receiving an OAS pension, you have not applied yet or Service Canada is still assessing your application, and no third party (for example, a power of attorney or a trustee) manages your OAS account.
The steps are:
To delay your start date online instead, go to "Profile" and then "Delay Receiving OAS/GIS Pension" under "Tell us if anything has changed".
If you cannot apply online, or you are applying from outside Canada, use the paper form: Application for the OAS and the GIS (ISP-3550). Complete it, sign every section that requires a signature using a pen, include certified true copies of any required documents, and mail it to the Service Canada office for your province or territory of residence — or, if you live outside Canada, to the Service Canada office in the last province or territory where you lived. The Reference Guide (ISP-3550A) explains how to fill in the form.
If someone is helping you communicate with Service Canada, they can be authorized with form ISP-1603 — but that does not let them apply for benefits on your behalf, change your payment address, or change tax withholding. If you are applying on someone's behalf because they cannot manage their own pension, a medical professional must first complete the Certificate of Incapability (ISP-3505), plus an agreement to administer benefits (ISP-3506 for an individual, ISP-3507 for an agency or institution).
You can start your pension at 65 or as late as 70. Waiting past 65 increases your monthly payment by 0.6% for each month you delay — 7.2% per year — up to 36% at age 70. On the October to December 2026 maximum of $762.50 at ages 65 to 74, the deferral is worth weighing only if you can afford to give up the payments in the meantime: a period you deliberately deferred is never paid retroactively.
If you are already over 65 and never applied, Service Canada may be able to give you a retroactive payment for up to a maximum of 11 months from the date it receives your application — but not for any period you deliberately deferred. If you already applied and chose a start date but want to change it, contact Service Canada to ask for a new date.
The same form ISP-3550 is also the application for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), a non-taxable amount added to the OAS pension for low-income seniors. For October to December 2026, a single, widowed or divorced pensioner with annual net income under $23,112 can receive up to $1,138.90 a month in GIS on top of OAS. If your income is low, apply for both on the same form — and use the OAS Benefits Estimator on the payment amounts page for an amount based on your own income, since the tables there show maximums only.
The pages do not state a processing time for OAS applications, so this guide gives none — apply as early as you can, and no later than the 11-month window allows. They also do not state the OAS recovery-tax threshold for the current payment year on the pages reviewed, so no clawback figure is given here; check the OAS payment amounts page for the current income limits before you plan around one. Amounts in this guide are the October to December 2026 maximums and change every quarter — the next review is in January 2027.
| Age 65 to 74 | $762.50 per month |
|---|---|
| Age 75 and over | $838.75 per month |
| Guaranteed Income Supplement, single person | Up to $1,138.90 per month |
These are maximums for a full pension, which needs 40 years of residence in Canada after age 18. Amounts are reviewed every January, April, July and October. The income limit for the full OAS pension in this quarter is $152,062 of 2025 net world income at ages 65 to 74 and $157,923 at 75 and over.
For many people it is automatic. If Service Canada has your eligibility information, you will get an enrolment letter around your 64th birthday and do not need to apply. If it has been one month since your 64th birthday and you still have not received a letter, contact Service Canada to find out if you need to apply.
You must be 65 or older, a Canadian citizen or legal resident when your pension is approved, and have lived in Canada for at least 10 years since age 18 if you live in Canada. If you live outside Canada when you apply, you must have been a Canadian citizen or legal resident when you left, and have lived in Canada for at least 20 years since age 18.
For October to December 2026, the maximum is $762.50 a month at ages 65 to 74 and $838.75 a month at 75 and over. Those maximums are for a full pension — 40 years of residence in Canada after age 18. With fewer years you get a partial pension: your years of residence divided by 40, times the full amount. For example, 20 years of residence pays half the full pension.
The earliest you can apply is 11 months before the date you want your pension to start. To apply online through My Service Canada Account you must be at least one month past your 64th birthday, not currently receiving an OAS pension, not already have an application being assessed, and not have a third party such as a power of attorney managing your OAS account. If any of those is not true, use the paper form instead.
Yes. You can start at 65 or as late as 70. If you wait past 65, your payments increase by 0.6% for each month you delay, up to 36% at age 70. But a period you deliberately delayed is not paid retroactively, so delaying means giving up payments in the meantime in exchange for a permanently higher monthly amount.
You must use a paper application — form ISP-3550 — and send it to the Service Canada office in the last province or territory where you lived. You need at least 20 years of residence in Canada after age 18 to be paid while living outside Canada. A social security agreement between Canada and the country where you lived or worked may also help you qualify.