Benefits for low-income seniors
Receiving benefits
The GIS
Once we approve your application for the GIS, we will add it to your Old Age Security pension payment each month.
The Allowance
Once we approve your application, your Allowance will begin the month after one of these dates, whichever is latest:
- Your 60th birthday,
- When you meet the residence and income requirements, or
- When your spouse or common-law partner qualifies for the Guaranteed Income Supplement;
- When your spouse or common-law partner dies (in the case of the Allowance for the survivor).
If you apply late for OAS benefits, we can give you a retroactive payment for up to 11 months.
What day of the month can I expect my payment to arrive?
Payments usually arrive in the last three banking days of each month. If your payment is more than a week late, or if you lose your cheque, please call us.
Can you send the payment to my bank?
Yes. We can deposit your payment into your bank account through our direct deposit service. Direct deposit offers several advantages:
- Your deposit is always on time and you can immediately start using the money or earning interest.
- Your payment is never lost, stolen or damaged.
- Your payment is automatically deposited into your account, even if you are ill or away.
If you wish to sign up for direct deposit by telephone, call us. Be sure to have the following information when you call:
Personal information
- Your social insurance number
- Your telephone number, including the area code
- Your current home address, including the postal code
Banking information
- The name of your bank or financial institution
- The branch number of your bank
- Your account number
If you have a chequing account, you can find the bank information on your cheques.
What happens if I move?
If you are planning to move, please tell us your new address and postal code as soon as possible. This will allow us to update our records and make sure your payment gets to you on time. Even if your payments are deposited directly into your bank account, we need to know your new address so we can send you information and your yearly income tax slip or renewal form.
Can I receive my benefit outside Canada?
If you spend more than six months in a row outside Canada, we will make payments for the month you leave and for the six months after that. Then payments will stop. For example, if you left Canada in January, we would send payments until the end of July. After July, the payments would stop.
If you stay outside the country for a longer period, then return to Canada to stay, you can reapply.
What happens if the cost of living goes up?
We will increase your pension payments to reflect increases in the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index. We apply any increases every three months-in January, April, July, and October. Your monthly payment will not be reduced if the cost of living goes down.
Can my benefits stop?
We stop paying your GIS, Allowance, or Allowance for the survivor benefits when you die or if one of the following occurs:
- You do not reapply for the benefit for the coming year.
- You leave Canada for more than six months in a row.
- Your income, or in the case of the Allowance, your income combined with that of your spouse or common-law partner, is above a certain level.
- You qualified for the Allowance for the survivor because your spouse or common-law partner died, then you remarried or began living in a common-law relationship.
- You receive the Allowance and you separate from your spouse.