Skip to main content
Drained.ca
Calculate

Reference · 2026

Old Age Security 2026: the amount and the clawback

What the pension pays this quarter, what it paid last quarter, and the point where Ottawa starts taking it back through the tax return. The January 2027 amounts are not published, so they are shown as pending.

By Updated

Share:XFacebook

How much is Old Age Security from October to December 2026?

$762.50

Those are the maximum monthly amounts. The pension rose 1.4% from the July to September quarter; that percentage is drained.ca arithmetic on ESDC’s two amounts. Above the threshold, the pension is taken back at 15% of each extra dollar of income.

Status
Announced by ESDC for October to December 2026[1]
Age 75 and over
$838.75, which is 10% more by law[3]
July to September
$751.97 and $827.17[2]
Clawback starts
$93,454 of 2025 income, for payments to June 2027[5]
Checked
October 14, 2026
The share of each extra dollar of income that Ottawa takes back from OAS, 2025 incomeNothing below the threshold, then the same cut on every dollar until the pension is gone, at ESDC’s own full-recovery incomes.
The steps show ESDC’s published full-recovery incomes. This page does not recompute them.
Rate [4], threshold and full recovery [5].

Employment and Social Development Canada

What OAS pays, quarter by quarter

The maximum monthly OAS pension, October to December 2026 beside July to September$762.50 at 65 to 74 and $838.75 at 75 and over, up 1.4%.
  1. Age 75+, Oct to Dec[1]$838.75
  2. Age 75+, Jul to Sep[2]$827.17
  3. Age 65 to 74, Oct to Dec[1]$762.50
  4. Age 65 to 74, Jul to Sep[2]$751.97
Each bar carries the marker of its document.
Maximum monthly OAS and GIS amounts, October to December 2026 against July to September 2026
ItemOct to Dec 2026Jul to Sep 2026
OAS pension, age 65 to 74$762.50[1]$751.97[2]
OAS pension, age 75 and over$838.75[1]$827.17[2]
GIS, single, widowed or divorcedIncome under $23,112[1]$1,138.90[1]$1,123.17[2]
GIS, partner receives a full OAS pensionCombined income under $30,528[1]$685.56[1]$676.09[2]
January to March 2027, all fourPending not published

Pending The January to March 2027 amounts are not published yet. ESDC sets them from the Consumer Price Index. This page does not estimate them, and it states no release date it has not checked on an ESDC page.

The rule: the Old Age Security Act has the pension adjusted quarterly by regulation, and ESDC reviews the rate each quarter on the Consumer Price Index. It is never reduced.

The second look

The clawback: two thresholds, two payment years

Where the clawback starts, by the income year it is measured on$93,454 on 2025 income (payments to June 2027), $95,323 on 2026 income (payments from July 2027).
  1. 2026 income, pays Jul 2027 to Jun 2028[5]$95,323
  2. 2025 income, pays Jul 2026 to Jun 2027[5]$93,454
Each bar carries the marker of its document.

Ottawa’s headline is a threshold. The cost is a rate. Above the threshold, the recovery tax takes 15% of each extra dollar of net world income[4]. That sits on top of income tax on the same dollar, and the pension has already been paid out before it is taken back through the tax return.

Which threshold is “the 2026 threshold”? Both are used under that name. The clawback taken from your payments now, July 2026 to June 2027, rests on your 2025 income and starts at $93,454. ESDC counts the pension as fully recovered at $152,062 for ages 65 to 74 and $157,923 at 75 and over[5]. The $95,323 figure is for 2026 income and takes effect in July 2027; its full-recovery incomes are $155,320 and $161,320[5].

The recovery tax is not in the Old Age Security Act. It is in the Income Tax Act, section 180.2, which sets the 15% rate. We have not traced how the statute’s threshold becomes ESDC’s indexed figure, so we cite ESDC for the threshold.

The rule

Where the pension runs out, and how the amounts are set

Net world income at which ESDC counts OAS as fully recovered$152,062 at 65 to 74 and $157,923 at 75+ on 2025 income; $155,320 and $161,320 on 2026 income. These are ESDC’s figures.
  1. 75+, 2026 income[5]$161,320
  2. 65 to 74, 2026 income[5]$155,320
  3. 75+, 2025 income[5]$157,923
  4. 65 to 74, 2025 income[5]$152,062
Each bar carries the marker of its document. ESDC’s figures, not ours.

ESDC’s own example. ESDC works one case through on its recovery tax page: for July 2026 to June 2027 the repayment in its example is $981.90[5]. That is ESDC’s figure, and it is the rate applied to the income above the threshold.

The best case for the government. The recovery tax takes OAS back only from higher incomes, and the repayment is deducted from monthly payments. Where the deductions cause hardship, a person may ask the Canada Revenue Agency to review the case (our paraphrase of ESDC’s page).

What is not published here. The full-recovery incomes are ESDC’s, quoted as theirs. This page does not rebuild them from the threshold and the rate, because the sums do not yet reconcile against the maximum pension and the bridge is not in the registry. It will be shown when it is.

The same cut one payment year on: 2026 income, taken from payments from July 2027The threshold and both full-recovery incomes move up, ESDC’s figures.
Rate [4], threshold and full recovery [5].

The Old Age Security Act adjusts the pension each quarter, and ESDC reviews the rate in January, April, July and October. The amount rises if the cost of living has gone up and is not reduced if it has gone down[3]. From July 2022 the pension is 10% higher for people 75 and over[3].

Questions people ask

How much is OAS in October 2026?

Up to $762.50 a month at 65 to 74 and up to $838.75 at 75 and over, for October to December 2026. That is 1.4% more than July to September 2026 ($751.97 and $827.17). The percentage is our arithmetic; ESDC does not state it.

What is the OAS clawback threshold for 2026?

It depends on which payment year you mean. The clawback taken from payments now, July 2026 to June 2027, rests on 2025 income and starts at $93,454. The $95,323 threshold is for 2026 income and applies from July 2027 to June 2028.

The Guaranteed Income Supplement, maximum monthly, October to December beside July to September$1,138.90 for a single pensioner, up from $1,123.17.
  1. Single, Oct to Dec[1]$1,138.90
  2. Single, Jul to Sep[2]$1,123.17
  3. Partner has OAS, Oct to Dec[1]$685.56
  4. Partner has OAS, Jul to Sep[2]$676.09
Each bar carries the marker of its document.

More questions

When does OAS go up again?

The next review is January 2027. Pension amounts are reviewed each January, April, July and October and rise if the cost of living has gone up. They are not reduced if it has gone down. The January to March 2027 amounts are not published yet, and this page shows them only when ESDC does.

How do I reduce the OAS clawback?

This page does not give tax planning advice. It shows the rule: the clawback is a share of income above the threshold, so what counts is net world income on the tax return. The Canada Revenue Agency can review a case where the repayment causes hardship.

Sources

What this page rests on5 documents from 3 publishers, each one linked in the list below.
  1. Employment and Social Development Canada / Service Canada2 documents
  2. Department of Justice Canada (Justice Laws Website)2 documents
  3. Employment and Social Development Canada1 document
Checked against these documents on October 14, 2026. Read between October 14, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Show the 5 documents

Each bracketed number on this page links to the document below that contains the figure, with the table, row or section. Checked against these documents on October 14, 2026.

  1. [1]Employment and Social Development Canada / Service Canada, Old Age Security payment amounts, last modified September 29, 2026. Where: OAS pension table, 65 to 74: 'up to $762.50'; also esdc-quarterly-2026-q4 Table 5; OAS pension table, 75 and over: 'up to $838.75'; also esdc-quarterly-2026-q4 Table 5; GIS table, single, widowed or divorced: 'up to $1,138.90'; GIS table, spouse or partner receives a full OAS pension: 'up to $685.56'; GIS table, single: 'less than $23,112'; GIS table: 'less than $30,528'.Note: Shows October to December 2026 only. Page details date 2026-09-29 (not labelled as modified on the page). Search lists the same page at /en/services/benefits/publicpensions/old-age-security/payments.html.
  2. [2]Employment and Social Development Canada, Maximum Benefit Amounts and Related Figures - Canada Pension Plan (2026) and Old Age Security (July to September 2026), last modified September 29, 2026. Where: Table 5, OAS pension, age 65 to 74; Table 5, OAS pension, age 75 and over; Table 5, GIS, single person who receives an OAS pension; Table 5, GIS, spouse or common-law partner of an OAS pension recipient.
  3. [3]Department of Justice Canada (Justice Laws Website), Old Age Security Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. O-9 (current to 2026-09-21, last amended 2025-10-01). Where: s. 7(2): 'adjusted quarterly, in such manner as may be prescribed by regulation'; esdc-oas-payments for the CPI wording; s. 7(5), beginning with the payment quarter commencing on July 1, 2022.Note: Only the first 100,000 of 210,853 characters were read. Section 7 read; section 15 is not the recovery tax.
  4. [4]Department of Justice Canada (Justice Laws Website), Income Tax Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 1 (5th Supp.), s. 180.2 (Tax on old age security). Where: s. 180.2(2): '15% of the amount, if any, by which the individual's adjusted income for the year exceeds'; also esdc-recovery-tax 'You must repay 15% of that amount.'.Note: Act current to 2026-09-21; section page modified 2026-09-28.
  5. [5]Employment and Social Development Canada / Service Canada, Old Age Security pension recovery tax, last modified September 29, 2026. Where: Table, row 2025 (July 2026 to June 2027), minimum income recovery threshold; example '$100,000 - $93,454 = $6,546'; Table, row 2025, full repayment, age 65 to 74; matches esdc-oas-payments 'less than $152,062' for October to December 2026; Table, row 2026 (July 2027 to June 2028), minimum income recovery threshold; also esdc-quarterly-2026-q4 'from $95,323'; Table, row 2026, full repayment, age 65 to 74; esdc-quarterly-2026-q4 '$95,323 to $155,320'. Final from October 2026.; 'You would have to repay $981.90 for the July 2026 to June 2027 period.' ($100,000 - $93,454 = $6,546; x 0.15).

What changed

  • PublishedPublished the Old Age Security page.