CPP and OAS payment dates, 2026

Service Canada pays the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security on the same day each month. You'll find all 12 of this year's dates here, a countdown to the next deposit, what each program pays after October's OAS increase, and a check of the "double payment" stories that keep circulating.

• $1,507.65Most a new CPP pension at 65 paid, Jan. 2026
• $858.34Average new CPP pension at 65, July 2026
• $762.50Most OAS pays at 65 to 74, Oct. to Dec.
• $838.75Most OAS pays at 75 and older, Oct. to Dec.

Sources: Employment and Social Development Canada² and Canada.ca's CPP payment amounts table.³

Why December's payment comes early

From January to November, every 2026 payment lands in the last week of the month. By our count, each one falls on the third-last business day once you skip weekends and Sept. 30, a federal holiday this year.^1,8 December breaks the pattern. The payment goes out Tuesday, Dec. 22, three days before Christmas.¹

That deposit is December's payment, paid earlier than usual, and it is the only CPP or OAS payment in December. Service Canada has not published its 2027 dates yet. The January payment landed on Jan. 29 in 2025 and Jan. 28 in 2026, so plan for the December money to cover about five weeks.¹

How much CPP and OAS pay in 2026

Headlines quote the maximums, and most people get less. A new CPP retirement pension that started at 65 in January 2026 paid at most $1,507.65 a month.² The average new pension at 65 in July 2026 was $858.34, about 57% of the maximum by our calculation.³ Your own amount depends on what you paid into the plan, your earnings over your working life and the age you start.⁹

Canada Pension Plan, 2026

Maximums apply to benefits that started in January 2026; Service Canada says the maximum for new benefits rises each month because of the CPP enhancement. The death benefit average sits above the $2,500 maximum. Service Canada's table notes that an estate can get an extra $2,500 when the contributor died before collecting a CPP retirement or disability pension and left no survivor.^2,3

CPP pensions already being paid rose 2.0% for 2026. CPP rises once a year, each January, in line with the Consumer Price Index, and benefits do not drop when the index falls.⁷

Old Age Security, October to December 2026

GIS and Allowance maximums include the top-ups paid to the lowest incomes. The cut-offs leave out the OAS pension itself, the first $5,000 of work income and half of work income between $5,000 and $15,000.²

OAS rose 1.4% for October to December 2026, for a 3.0% increase over the past year. Service Canada reviews OAS in January, April, July and October.⁴ The pension is 10% higher from age 75, a permanent change that took effect in July 2022.⁴ Each month you put off OAS past 65 adds 0.6%, up to 36% at 70.²

If your payment hasn't arrived

Service Canada issues each payment on the listed date, but the money can take a few days to reach your account, and mailed cheques take longer than direct deposit. Service Canada asks you to wait 5 to 10 business days before you contact it.¹

After that, call the CPP and OAS line at 1-800-277-9914 (TTY 1-800-255-4786).² Service Canada recommends direct deposit to avoid delays.⁵ Its payments calendar opens with a warning about false information online and links to the government's scam alerts.¹

Claims we checked

Search for CPP payment dates and you will find pages promising double deposits, bonuses and new schedules. We checked the versions we saw most often in 2026 against Service Canada's own records. Two of the sites we found carrying them had already gone offline when we checked on Oct. 6, 2026.

• False
  Seniors get a double CPP or OAS payment in December.

  Service Canada's 2026 calendar lists one CPP date and one OAS date for each month.¹ The Dec. 22 deposit is December's payment, sent earlier in the month than usual.

• False
  CPP and OAS will start arriving together on Jan. 10, 2026.

  CPP and OAS shared every payment date in 2025 and 2026. Both were paid on Jan. 28, 2026, and no payment went out on Jan. 10.¹

• Misleading
  Seniors will receive $1,507.65 from CPP this month.

  That figure is the most a new retirement pension starting at 65 paid in January 2026. The average new pension at 65 was $858.34 in July 2026.^2,3

• Not on record
  A one-time CPP or OAS bonus is on the way.

  The 2026 calendar shows no extra payment dates.¹ Increases come through indexation: CPP once a year in January and OAS every three months, built into the regular monthly payment.^4,7

Questions people ask

How we did this

We took every date from Service Canada's benefits payment calendar and every amount from Employment and Social Development Canada's table of maximum benefit amounts (updated Sept. 29, 2026) and the CPP and OAS payment amount pages, all retrieved Oct. 6, 2026. The third-last-business-day pattern is our own count, using the federal holiday list. The countdown runs on your device's date, so it rolls over at midnight where you are.

We update this page when Service Canada changes an amount or publishes new dates. It is general information, not financial advice. Your own payment details are in My Service Canada Account.⁶

Update log

• Oct. 7, 2026, 8:41 p.m. ETFirst published. Dates and amounts retrieved from Canada.ca on Oct. 6, 2026.