CPP/OAS Optimization Clock
See how starting CPP at 60 or 65, and OAS at 65, compares with waiting until 70. Move the start-age sliders to explore the trade-off between income sooner and permanently larger monthly benefits later.
Your age-65 benefit estimates
Enter your estimated gross monthly benefits at 65 in today’s dollars, before start-age adjustments. Prefilled amounts are examples, not current maximum payments.
Use your Service Canada CPP estimate, not a payment already reduced for age 60 or increased for age 70. For OAS, use your own residence-based entitlement at 65.
CPP can start at 60. OAS cannot start before 65. Neither receives an additional deferral bonus for waiting beyond 70.
Your benefit-start clock
+42%
CPP at 70 versus 65, for life
$1,420.00 instead of $1,000.00 monthly. Compared with starting at 60, the age-adjustment alone is 121.9% higher.
+36%
OAS at 70 versus 65, for life
$952.00 instead of $700.00 monthly, before the separate age-75 increase.
CPP starts at 65
OAS starts at 65
Filled circle: your start age. Green outline: receiving payments. Grey: waiting or not yet eligible. Larger payments require foregoing benefits during the waiting years.
More cheques now, or larger cheques later?
Cumulative CPP + OAS from age 60 to your selected birthday, in today’s dollars. Hover for exact totals. Identical strategies overlap.
- CPP 60 / OAS 65
- Both 65
- Both 70
- Your chosen ages
Payments and the waiting trade-off
| Start strategy | CPP / month | OAS / month | Total received by age 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlier: CPP 60 / OAS 65 | $640.00 | $700.00 | $453,000.00 |
| Standard: both 65 | $1,000.00 | $700.00 | $522,600.00 |
| Your choice: CPP 65 / OAS 65 | $1,000.00 | $700.00 | $522,600.00 |
| Delayed: both 70 | $1,420.00 | $952.00 | $586,416.00 |
Simple cumulative break-even ages
CPP 70 overtakes CPP 60
78 years 3 months
CPP 70 overtakes CPP 65
81 years 11 months
OAS 70 overtakes OAS 65
83 years 1 months
First monthly observation when delayed cumulative payments catch up. Break-even is calculated independently of the selected chart endpoint, up to age 120. These comparisons exclude investment earnings on earlier payments, taxes, GIS, OAS recovery tax and changes in entitlement.
How to read the clock
CPP is reduced by 0.6% per month before 65, to −36% at 60, or increased by 0.7% per month after 65, to +42% at 70. OAS cannot start before 65; delaying increases it by 0.6% per month, to +36% at 70. These start-age adjustments are permanent and are not compounded annual investment returns. There is no further deferral bonus after 70.
This isolates start-age adjustments using fixed age-65 entitlements in today’s purchasing-power dollars. Inflation indexing is assumed to preserve purchasing power; it is not added again. Actual CPP depends on contribution history, dropout provisions and work after 65; OAS depends on residence history and eligibility. These can change actual age-70 entitlements beyond the factors shown. This is not a QPP calculator.
Monthly payments are modelled from exact selected ages, ending just before the comparison birthday. The separate 10% OAS increase is included from age 75 for every strategy, applied once to its age-adjusted benefit. Actual OAS increases begin the month following the 75th birthday, and real payment dates and indexing can differ from this simplified clock.
All benefits are gross, before income tax and OAS recovery tax. GIS, the Allowance, survivor and disability benefits, post-retirement benefits, investment returns on early payments and the cost of funding the waiting years are excluded. You cannot receive GIS while deferring OAS, and GIS and Allowance amounts do not receive the OAS deferral increase. For people eligible for GIS, delaying OAS can be disadvantageous.
A larger monthly payment is not automatically the best choice. Consider health, longevity, cash needs, tax and other savings. This educational comparison does not recommend a personalized optimal age; the Income Sequencer can explore the wider income plan.