OAS Payment Dates | Monthly Schedule

Old Age Security is paid once a month, near the end of the month, on dates Service Canada sets for each year. The Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance and the Allowance for the Survivor are paid on the same dates, and so is CPP. How much you receive is covered in the maximum OAS payment page and the OAS guide.

OAS payment dates (2026)

Source: Government of Canada: Benefits payment dates.

These are the direct deposit dates. They don’t fall on one fixed day of the month, so each month’s date comes from the table rather than a rule of thumb; the December payment is on December 22. The next year’s dates are added here once Service Canada publishes them on its benefits payment calendar.

Direct deposit or cheque

OAS is paid by direct deposit or by cheque in the mail. Direct deposit can go to a bank account in Canada, the United States or another participating country, and you can sign up for it at any time. If you didn’t choose direct deposit, the cheque is mailed during the last 3 business days of each month. Payments can take a few days to arrive after the date listed, and posted cheques may take longer than direct deposit.

To change the bank account OAS is paid into:

• My Service Canada Account: you can update your OAS direct deposit online once the feature is turned on. You first call 1-800-277-9914 or visit a Service Canada location to enable it, and you only need to do this once. Only you can update your own information this way.
• Other ways: the eServiceCanada form, or a call to Service Canada.

Your first payment

Your first OAS payment comes the month after you turn 65, or on the start date you chose if you delayed your pension. Service Canada sends its decision by mail; an approval letter gives the amount you will receive each month and the date of your first payment. From then on, payments follow the table above. How and when to apply for OAS covers processing times and back payments.

Months your payment can change

For October to December 2026, the maximum OAS is $762.50 a month at 65 to 74 and $838.75 at 75 and over, and it rises 1.4% for October to December 2026. A pension below the maximum is usually a partial pension, or reflects the clawback or tax withheld.

What is taken off each payment

If your income is high, the clawback is deducted from your monthly payments: If your net world income is above the threshold ($93,454 of 2025 income), you repay 15% of the amount above it as recovery tax, taken from the OAS payments for the July 2026 to June 2027 period; the pension is fully recovered at about $152,062 (under 75) or $157,923 (75 and over). The clawback page shows how it is worked out.

Income tax is not deducted automatically. If you don’t ask for monthly tax deductions, you may have to pay the tax when you file your return; is OAS taxable? explains how to set up withholding.

If a payment is late or missing

1. Service Canada asks you to wait 5 to 10 business days after the payment date before contacting it.
2. My Service Canada Account shows your payment information.
3. Check that your direct deposit details in My Service Canada Account are current, especially after changing banks.
4. Service Canada’s OAS line is 1-800-277-9914 from Canada and the United States, or 1-613-957-1954 (collect) from other countries.

Payments can also stop, rather than run late:

• Time outside Canada. OAS and the GIS may stop if you’re away for more than 6 months and don’t qualify for payments while outside Canada. Service Canada asks you to call before you leave for that long, and to call when you come back to restart your payments.
• The OAS Return of Income. If you live outside Canada and have to file this return, payments stop from July when the Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t receive it; is OAS taxable? covers who has to file and the deadline.

Living outside Canada

• Direct deposit abroad. The Government of Canada offers direct deposit in many countries; the foreign bank account page lists them and has the form to mail in.
• Changing your details. You can view your OAS information online, but you must contact Service Canada to change your address or banking details.
• Deductions. Non-resident tax is deducted from each monthly payment. Once your OAS Return of Income is received, any recovery tax is divided across the monthly payments, and you receive a letter about the deductions. The two taxes together can’t be more than your OAS payment.
• Whether OAS is paid abroad at all depends on your years in Canada; see am I eligible for OAS?.

How OAS, GIS and CPP dates line up

The other federal and provincial benefit dates are on all government payment dates.

Related pages

• CPP payment dates
• GIS payment dates
• How and when to apply for OAS