Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security payments are scheduled for October 28, 2026, according to the government's benefits calendar. The date applies to these pension programmes, rather than a new payment for every resident.
The CPP calendar includes retirement, disability, children's and survivor benefits. The OAS schedule covers the pension, Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowance and Allowance for the Survivor. Eligibility and the amount payable depend on the benefit.
Other programmes have different dates. The Canada child benefit was scheduled for October 20 and the Canada Disability Benefit for October 15. Those payments differ from the October 28 pension schedule.
The OAS amounts applying this quarter
For October to December 2026, OAS benefits increased by 1.4% from the previous quarter. The government reports a 3.0% increase over the year to October. The maximum monthly pension is CAD762.50 for people aged 65 to 74 and CAD838.75 for those aged 75 and over.
These are maximums, not amounts promised to every recipient. Age, income and the number of years a person has lived in Canada after turning 18 affect the payment. The official page cautions people receiving a partial pension not to use the maximum-payment tables to determine their entitlement.
For a single, widowed or divorced GIS recipient, the maximum is CAD1,138.90 a month, with annual net income below CAD23,112. Other marital and household situations have different thresholds. GIS is income-tested support for qualifying OAS recipients, not an additional amount automatically paid to everyone.
OAS is taxable and may be subject to recovery tax when individual net income exceeds CAD93,454 for 2025. GIS, Allowance and Allowance for the Survivor are not taxable. Their amounts are recalculated each July using the previous calendar year's income.
Why individual CPP payments differ
The CPP payment guidance lists a maximum retirement pension at age 65 of CAD1,507.65 a month for January 2026. Its average-at-65 figure, labelled July 2026, is CAD858.34. Neither figure is a guaranteed personal payment. Contribution history and the age at which a person begins collecting can produce a different amount.
The calculation considers how much and for how long someone contributed, their earnings during working life and their starting age. My Service Canada Account provides a benefit estimate based on the contribution record, along with the statement of contributions. That statement includes recorded pensionable earnings and contributions.
Periods with little or no earnings can also matter. The base calculation can exclude up to eight of the lowest-earning years, while the enhanced calculation uses the best 40 years. Child-rearing and disability provisions can affect the calculation where their conditions are met.
People under 70 who work while receiving CPP and continue contributing may qualify for a post-retirement benefit. Each additional contribution year can generate another lifetime benefit. Contributions can stop from age 65 and must stop at 70.
What the official pages establish about 2027
CPP inflation adjustments take effect each January. The official indexation page checked on October 24 still identifies its latest payment adjustment as January to December 2026: a 2.0% increase for benefits paid in 2025. That is a 2026 figure, not confirmation of a 2027 increase.
The annual calculation compares average Consumer Price Index levels across two consecutive 12-month periods. The published 2026 example compares November 2024 to October 2025 with November 2023 to October 2024. Benefits do not fall when that calculation produces a negative result. No 2027 percentage is supplied on this page.
A separate 2027 measure concerns contributions. The Canada Revenue Agency's July payroll guide records the government's April 28 announcement of an intention to reduce the base CPP contribution rate from 9.90% to 9.50%, effective January 1, 2027. The corresponding employee and employer shares would each fall from 4.95% to 4.75%; the first and second additional contribution rates would be unaffected. This passage describes a contribution-rate proposal, not a pension-payment increase.
Payments can take several days to arrive, especially by cheque. The calendar asks recipients to wait five to ten business days before contacting the programme. The next listed CPP and OAS dates are November 26 and December 22.
More Canada coverage: Express Entry changes from November 3 and the new federal regulatory framework.
