What changes at 70 when the CPP and OAS deferral clocks stop

Seventy is the last birthday that changes a public pension. Both deferral increases hit their ceiling, CPP contributions end for good, and any delay after that is lost money.

A couple of about seventy walking along a lakeshore boardwalk in early autumn. — Illustrative photograph. The people shown are not identified benefit recipients.

The public pension system has a handful of birthdays that matter. Sixty and 65 get most of the attention. Seventy is quieter, but it is the last birthday that can change the size of a Canada Pension Plan or Old Age Security payment by choice. From 70 onward, the decisions that were open for five years close, and one obligation that has lasted a whole working life comes to an end.

For people who deliberately waited, 70 is the moment the waiting pays off. For people who simply had not got round to it, it is the moment the waiting starts to cost.

Dates in this article

At 75 OAS rises by 10% automatically, the next age-based change

At 70 OAS deferral increase reaches its 36% maximum

At 70 CPP contributions stop, even if you are still working

At 70 CPP deferral increase reaches its 42% maximum

Filled square: the next date. Day counts update daily from today’s date.

Both deferral increases reach their ceiling

CPP and OAS each reward a later start, at different rates, and both stop rewarding it at exactly the same age.

Deferral rules as published by the Government of Canada. Increases are permanent and apply to the amount payable at 65.
Program	Increase per month after 65	Per year	Maximum, reached at 70
Canada Pension Plan	0.7%	8.4%	42%
Old Age Security	0.6%	7.2%	36%

For both programs the Government of Canada uses the same phrase: there is no benefit to wait after age 70. A pension started at 72 is the same size as one started at 70, just paid for two fewer years.

After 70, waiting only loses money

Back pay softens the edge but does not remove it. For CPP, someone who applies after 65 can ask for a start date as early as 11 months before the month the application is received. For OAS, people over 65 can be paid retroactively for up to 11 months from the date the application is received. A person who applies within the first year or so after turning 70 can usually still collect everything owed from 70. Someone who leaves it longer cannot. The arithmetic of that gap is worked through in why there's nothing to gain by waiting past 70 for CPP.

CPP contributions stop for good

The second change has nothing to do with deferral. Service Canada states that at the age of 70 you no longer contribute to the CPP, even if you are still working. The contributory period ends when you start your pension, turn 70 or die, whichever comes first, although people who keep working while receiving CPP before 70 can continue to contribute toward the post-retirement benefit.

In practice:

A working CPP recipient between 65 and 70 who elected to stop contributing with Form CPT30 keeps that election until 70; after that the question no longer arises.
An employee still contributing stops at 70, and employers prorate the year's maximum contribution for the year an employee turns 70.
The self-employed stop paying CPP on self-employment earnings in the same way.

Worked example · illustrative only

A hypothetical person whose CPP would be $1,000 a month at 65 and who qualifies for the full OAS. The OAS rate used is the published October to December 2026 maximum for ages 65 to 74; future indexation and tax are ignored to keep the arithmetic clear.

Start both at	CPP	OAS	Combined a month
65	$1,000.00	$762.50	$1,762.50
70	$1,420.00	$1,037.00	$2,457.00
72	$1,420.00	$1,037.00	$2,457.00

Waiting from 65 to 70 gives up 60 months of $1,762.50, or $105,750, in exchange for $694.50 more each month. On these simplified numbers it takes about 152 months, to about age 83, for the larger payments to catch up. Waiting from 70 to 72 gives up $58,968 and gains nothing. The first is a trade-off people weigh in different ways; the second is not a trade-off at all.

What does not change at 70

Indexation continues. CPP is still adjusted each January and OAS each quarter, as explained in why OAS amounts change four times a year.
GIS rules stay the same. The supplement is not increased by deferral, and it cannot be paid while OAS is deferred, which is one reason lower-income households often do not defer OAS at all.
The RRSP deadline is a year later. RRSPs have to be converted or closed by December 31 of the year you turn 71; see what has to happen before December 31 of the year you turn 71.
The next step is at 75. OAS rises by 10% automatically from the month after the 75th birthday.

Who this matters for, and what to check

Anyone who has deferred CPP, OAS or both. Apply in good time for a start in the month after your 70th birthday. The CPP application window opens 12 months ahead, as explained in when to apply for CPP.
Anyone still working at 69. Expect CPP deductions to stop at 70, and check the first pay slip after the birthday.
Families of older relatives. If a parent over 70 has no CPP or OAS approval letter, it is worth checking their status in My Service Canada Account or with Service Canada.

The short version

At 70 the CPP increase stops at 42% and the OAS increase at 36%, and CPP contributions end even for people still working. From that birthday on, there is nothing to gain from waiting, and back pay reaches only about a year back. If you have been deferring, the month after you turn 70 is the date to have in the calendar.

Keep the dates in view.

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Official sources

Government of Canada, When to start your CPP retirement pension, 0.7% a month, 42% at 70, retroactive start rules
Government of Canada, When to start your OAS pension, 0.6% a month, 36% at 70, no GIS while deferring, retroactive payment
Government of Canada, Contributions to the Canada Pension Plan, no contributions at 70, even if still working
Government of Canada, OAS payment amounts, October to December 2026 maximums

This is private sponsored information published by NIVO Consultancy OÜ on caethe.com. It is not a Government of Canada, Service Canada or Canada Revenue Agency website and has no affiliation with them. Nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice, and no figure in this article is a promise, quotation or entitlement for any reader; amounts and dates were checked against the official sources above on 22 October 2026 and can change. There are no applications, registrations or fees on this website. Never give your Social Insurance Number, banking details or My Service Canada Account or CRA credentials to a website. For anything about your own payments, use My Service Canada Account or contact Service Canada.