CPP and OAS Breakeven
A later start pays more each month and skips the earlier payments. Breakeven is the age when the larger payments have made up for the ones you did not receive. CPP at 60 is 36% lower than the age-65 amount. CPP at 70 is 42% higher. OAS, which cannot start before 65, is 36% higher at 70.
Current for the 2026 tax year · Updated 21 Oct 2026 · Source linked below
How Do the Two Benefits Move Differently?
CPP can start from 60 to 70. The age-65 amount is the reference. Starting earlier reduces it. Waiting past 65 increases it, up to 70. OAS cannot start before 65, and delaying it also increases the monthly amount, up to 70.
The two choices are separate. CPP can start at 60 while OAS waits. A breakeven age for one benefit is not a breakeven age for the household.
| Benefit | Earlier start | At 70 |
|---|---|---|
| CPP | 36% lower at 60 | 42% higher than at 65 |
| OAS | Cannot start before 65 | 36% higher than at 65 |
What Does a Breakeven Age Leave Out?
A breakeven age compares cumulative benefit receipts. It does not show the tax on those receipts, the OAS recovery tax, or what funds spending in the years before the benefit starts. A later, larger CPP is less helpful if the wait is funded by withdrawals that are themselves taxed.
Your CPP is also not the maximum unless your contribution record produces the maximum. The percentage adjustment applies to your own age-65 amount.
Which Question Belongs in Which Tool?
The CPP and OAS breakeven calculator compares cumulative receipts for a few start ages. It leaves out personal tax on purpose.
A retirement plan is where those start ages sit beside spending, pensions, and account withdrawals. That is the place to see whether the higher future payment covers the years you waited.
Source: Government of Canada, CPP retirement pension: When to start your pension.
Place the Start Ages on Your Timeline
Build a free plan with a retirement age, then compare CPP timing in Benefits beside the rest of your income. The breakeven calculator answers the narrower receipts question.
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