Do you qualify
Who can receive a CPP retirement pension
To qualify for a Canada Pension Plan (CPP) retirement pension, you must:
- be at least 60 years old
- have made at least one valid contribution to the CPP
Valid contributions can be either from work you did in Canada or from credits received from a spouse/common-law partner after a divorce or separation.
Working while receiving CPP
Your CPP retirement pension will not be reduced if you work while receiving it. In fact, you may also qualify for the CPP Post-Retirement Benefit.
More information about the CPP Post-Retirement Benefit
You qualify for a CPP Post-Retirement Benefit if you're:
- under age 70
- working while receiving your CPP pension, and
- still making contributions
How the CPP Post-Retirement Benefit works
- Each year you contribute to the CPP will result in an additional post-retirement benefit which will increase your retirement income
- We'll automatically pay you this benefit the following year
- You'll receive it for the rest of your life
You can choose to stop your post-retirement contributions when you reach age 65. Your contributions will stop when you reach age 70, even if you're still working. We will contact you if we need more information for you to qualify.
Other eligibility criteria
If you lived and worked in Quebec
The CPP and Québec Pension Plan (QPP) work together to make sure that all contributors receive a retirement pension. Contact Retraite Québec if one of the following applies to you:
- you've only worked in Quebec
- you worked in Quebec and in at least one other province/territory, and are living in Quebec
- you've worked in Quebec, currently live outside Canada and your last province of residence was Quebec
If you lived and worked in another country
If you lived and/or worked in Canada and in another country, you may qualify to receive both a CPP retirement pension and a pension from the other country. Canada has international social security agreements with a number of countries.
If you die before starting CPP retirement pension
- If you die in the month of or before your 70th birthday, and you have not applied for your CPP retirement pension, it can't be paid to anyone else
- If you're over age 70 and you die before applying for your CPP retirement pension, your estate can submit an application for your CPP retirement pension
- The application from your estate must be received no later than one year after your death
- Your estate may receive payment for the month of death and the 11 months preceding the death
- There is no payment made to your estate for the months of and before your 70th birthday
Your family may also qualify for other CPP benefits.
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