Applying for the CPP retirement pension: who qualifies, the start-age rules, the online and paper routes, and the 28-day and 120-day decisions.
Applies in: CA
The Canada Pension Plan retirement pension is a monthly, taxable benefit that replaces part of your income when you retire. If you qualify, you will receive it for the rest of your life. This guide covers the application mechanics only: who qualifies, how to apply, and how long it takes. It gives no advice on when to take CPP. That choice depends on your finances, health, life expectancy, and taxes, and this guide does not make it for you. The CPP operates throughout Canada except in Quebec, where the Quebec Pension Plan provides the equivalent pension.
Before you start your application, check that you qualify and that you have chosen your pension start date. To qualify, you must be at least 60 years old and must have made at least one valid contribution to the CPP. Everyone is entitled to CPP regardless of how many years they have worked; how much you receive depends on your earnings and your contributions. If you are receiving a CPP disability benefit, you do not need to apply: when you turn 65, your CPP disability benefit will automatically change to a CPP retirement pension.
The standard age to start CPP is 65. You can start receiving as early as age 60 or as late as age 70. You can apply up to 12 months before your chosen start date, and Service Canada advises applying in advance to ensure your pension starts on your chosen date. The start age changes the monthly amount permanently. If you start your CPP pension before age 65, payments decrease by 0.6 per cent each month, or 7.2 per cent per year, up to a maximum reduction of 36 per cent if you start at age 60. If you start after age 65, payments increase by 0.7 per cent each month, or 8.4 per cent per year, up to 42 per cent at age 70. There is no benefit to waiting after age 70, because the maximum monthly amount is reached when you turn 70. Those are the mechanics as Service Canada states them. This guide does not say which start age is right for you.
You will need your Social Insurance Number and your direct deposit information: the name of your financial institution, the branch or transit number, and the account number. If you have lived or worked in a country other than Canada, you will also need the country name, the insurance number, and the start and end date. If you are applying for the Child Rearing Provision, you will need the child's full name, Social Insurance Number, and date of birth, plus documentation showing the child's date of entry into Canada if the child was born outside Canada, and the dates when you did not receive Family Allowance or were not eligible for the Canada Child Benefit, and the dates when you were not the primary caregiver for the child or children.
Apply online through your My Service Canada Account, known as MSCA. The steps are: sign in to your MSCA or create an account, go to the Canada Pension Plan section on your MSCA dashboard, and click on Apply for Canada Pension Plan retirement pension, then follow the instructions. Service Canada describes the online route as fast, easy, and secure. Expect a decision by mail within 28 days from when Service Canada receives the application. Before you apply, you can also view your benefit estimate based on your CPP contribution record and your statement of contributions in MSCA, and try the Canadian Retirement Income Calculator for an estimate of your retirement income from the CPP, Old Age Security, and other income sources.
If you prefer paper, or if you are applying from outside Canada, use the paper application. Complete the Application for a Canada Pension Plan Retirement Pension, form ISP-1000. If you download the form, check your Downloads folder, even if the page indicates the form is loading. You cannot submit the fillable form electronically: print it and mail it or drop it off at a Service Canada office. If you are applying from outside Canada, you must use a paper application, and send it to the Service Canada office in your last province or territory of residence. Expect a decision by mail within 120 days from when Service Canada receives the application. If someone is helping you communicate with Service Canada, you can authorize them with form ISP-1603, the Consent to Communicate Information to an Authorized Person. That consent does not let them apply for benefits on your behalf, change your payment address, or request or change the withholding of tax. To act as an administrator for someone who cannot manage their own pension, a medical professional must complete the Certificate of Incapability, form ISP-3505, plus the trustee or agency agreement form that applies.
The amount of your CPP retirement pension depends on your age when you start, your contributions, and your average earnings. The maximum CPP pension at age 65 was $1,507.65 a month in January 2026, and the average CPP pension at age 65 was $858.34 a month in July 2026. The maximum and average amounts are not guaranteed. Your actual pension may be different depending on your contribution history and when you start collecting. Other factors can also affect the amount: working while receiving the pension can earn a post-retirement benefit if you are under 70 and still making contributions, credit splitting can apply after a divorce or separation, earnings after 65 can replace low-earning periods before 65 if that increases the pension, and the child-rearing and disability provisions can raise the amount. Contributions stop when you reach age 70, even if you are still working. The next CPP payment date listed on the Canada.ca overview page was November 26, 2026, and payment dates are published on the same page.
The opened Service Canada pages state the eligibility rules, the start-age mechanics, the maximum and average amounts, the application routes, and the 28-day and 120-day decision times set out above. They do not state a processing time for applications that need extra verification, or the exact payment amount for any individual, because that amount depends on the person's own contribution record. Your own estimate is in your My Service Canada Account statement of contributions. Those figures were cut from this guide rather than filled in from another source. The start-age percentages in this guide were verified on the Canada.ca page on when to start your pension, opened and read at re-gate time on November 5, 2026.
You must apply to receive the CPP retirement pension. It does not start automatically when you reach 65. The one exception Service Canada states is for people receiving a CPP disability benefit: when you turn 65, your CPP disability benefit will automatically change to a CPP retirement pension.
Two conditions must be met: you must be at least 60 years old, and you must have made at least one valid contribution to the CPP. The CPP operates throughout Canada except in Quebec, where the Quebec Pension Plan provides the equivalent pension instead.
You can apply up to 12 months before your chosen start date. Service Canada advises applying in advance to ensure your pension starts on your chosen date. The standard age to start CPP is 65, and you can start receiving as early as age 60 or as late as age 70.
Starting before 65 reduces the pension by 0.6 per cent for each month before 65, up to a maximum reduction of 36 per cent if you start at 60. Starting after 65 increases the pension by 0.7 per cent for each month after 65, up to a maximum increase of 42 per cent at age 70. There is no benefit to waiting after age 70, because the maximum monthly amount is reached when you turn 70. This guide states the mechanics only and gives no advice on when to take CPP.
The amount depends on your contributions, your average earnings, and the age you start. The maximum CPP pension at age 65 was $1,507.65 a month in January 2026, and the average CPP pension at age 65 was $858.34 a month in July 2026. Those amounts are not guaranteed: your actual pension may be different depending on your contribution history and when you start collecting. Your own estimate is in your My Service Canada Account statement of contributions.
Expect a decision by mail within 28 days from when Service Canada receives an online application through My Service Canada Account. For a paper application, expect a decision by mail within 120 days from when Service Canada receives it. The Canada.ca overview page also notes approximately 7 to 14 days for online applications and 120 days for applications delivered by mail or in person, so use the 28-day and 120-day figures from the application page as the planning numbers.