New OAS Payment Of 2026 Coming On January 28, With An Increase

Last Updated On 24 January 2026, 3:43 PM EST (Toronto Time)

The first Old Age Security – OAS payment of 2026 is scheduled for January 28, and the amount is going up for the new quarter.

You are now 3 days away from the first OAS payment of 2026, and it will reflect the newly indexed January to March 2026 rates.

This matters because OAS does not increase once per year like CPP.

OAS is reviewed and adjusted quarterly in January, April, July, and October based on CPI, and the January to March 2026 quarter has a confirmed increase.

This guide breaks down what is changing, who gets the increase, the full 2026 OAS payment calendar, the updated maximum OAS and GIS amounts for January to March 2026, and the key rules that determine eligibility for long-term residents, newcomers, and higher-income seniors.

What are OAS payments?

Old Age Security is a monthly pension paid to eligible seniors starting at age 65.

Unlike CPP, OAS is not built from workplace contributions.

Your OAS entitlement is mainly based on:

your age
how long you have lived in Canada after age 18
your income (because higher-income seniors can face OAS recovery tax)

OAS is also taxable income, which matters for total income planning and for seniors who are near the recovery tax ranges.

OAS payments often arrive on the same day as CPP for most recipients, which is why end-of-month deposit dates become the key budgeting anchors for many seniors.

OAS increase confirmed for January to March 2026

For the January to March 2026 quarter, OAS benefits increased by 0.3% based on changes in CPI.

The same Government of Canada material also notes this represents a 2.0% increase over the past year from January 2025 to January 2026.

This is the core difference between OAS and many other benefits:

OAS is reviewed quarterly
rates increase when CPI rises
rates do not decrease when CPI falls

So if inflation cools, OAS does not get cut. It simply holds steady until the next CPI-driven increase.

Next OAS payment date and All The OAS payment dates for 2026

The Government of Canada benefits calendar lists the next OAS payment date as January 28, 2026.

Here are all OAS payment dates for 2026:

January 28, 2026
February 25, 2026
March 27, 2026
April 28, 2026
May 27, 2026
June 26, 2026
July 29, 2026
August 27, 2026
September 25, 2026
October 28, 2026
November 26, 2026
December 22, 2026

Practical note: the same calendar warns that it may take a few days for payments to appear, and delays can be longer for cheque recipients.

New maximum OAS payments for January to March 2026

For the January to March 2026 quarter, the Government of Canada lists these maximum monthly OAS pension amounts:

OAS age 65 to 74: up to $742.31
OAS age 75 and over: up to $816.54

Two important clarifications:

these are maximum amounts, not what everyone receives
if you lived in Canada for at least 10 years but less than 40 years after age 18, you may receive a partial OAS pension, and the standard maximum tables do not apply to estimate your exact payment

The Government of Canada also confirms that the OAS pension for seniors age 75+ was permanently increased by 10% beginning in July 2022, which is why the 75+ maximum is higher than the 65 to 74 maximum.

GIS and Allowance amounts and why some deposits are much higher

Many people casually say “I get OAS,” but what actually hits the bank account can include multiple OAS-program benefits.

The Government of Canada calendar confirms OAS deposit dates include:

OAS pension
Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
Allowance
Allowance for the Survivor

For January to March 2026, the maximum monthly amounts listed by the Government of Canada include:

GIS for a single person receiving OAS: up to $1,108.74
Allowance: up to $1,409.72
Allowance for the Survivor: up to $1,680.47

This is the reason some households see deposits that are far larger than the OAS pension maximum alone.

Why GIS amounts can change in July even if OAS is stable

The Government of Canada notes that GIS, Allowance, and Allowance for the Survivor are not taxable and are recalculated each July based on net income from the previous calendar year.

Payments can increase, decrease, or stop depending on income changes.

This creates a common real-life pattern:

OAS follows quarterly CPI indexing
GIS can shift in July because it is income-tested annually using last year’s income

Who qualifies for OAS in 2026

OAS eligibility is not based on contributions. It is built around age and residence.

Your OAS pension amount is determined by your age, how long you lived in Canada after age 18, and your income.

At a high level, most people qualify through one of these paths:

long-term residence in Canada after age 18 (full OAS)
a shorter residence history (partial OAS)
residence plus eligibility through certain international social security agreements (common for newcomers who worked in another country)

The most important takeaway for readers is that “turning 65” is necessary, but residence history is what determines whether you get full OAS or partial OAS.

How partial OAS works for newcomers and people with fewer years in Canada

This is where many newcomers get confused.

The Government of Canada states that if you lived in Canada for at least 10 years but less than 40 years after age 18, you will receive a partial OAS pension, and you should not use the maximum tables to determine your payment.

In practice:

full OAS is linked to 40 years of residence in Canada after age 18
partial OAS applies when residence is between 10 and 39 years (after age 18)

For many newcomers, this is still valuable because partial OAS can combine with:

GIS (if income qualifies)
CPP (if you contributed while working in Canada)
foreign pensions (depending on the country and agreement status)

OAS recovery tax thresholds and what triggers a clawback

OAS is taxable income and can also be subject to a recovery tax (often called the OAS clawback) when net income rises above the threshold for the year.

For 2026, the Government of Canada’s quarterly figures page provides the repayment ranges:

ages 65 to 74: net world income repayment range is $95,323 to $154,708
ages 75 and over: upper threshold is $160,647

The same source notes that net world income includes the OAS pension.

Practical planning point: you can qualify for OAS and still have part of it recovered at tax time if your income falls into the repayment range.

High-income seniors often plan RRSP withdrawals, RRIF timing, and capital gains recognition with this in mind.

Should you defer OAS past 65

Many Canadians do not realize OAS can be delayed.

The Government of Canada states that if you defer receiving OAS beyond age 65, your monthly pension increases by 0.6% for every month delayed, up to 36% at age 70.

Deferring can make sense when:

you have strong other income between 65 and 70
you want higher guaranteed income later
you expect to live long enough for the higher payment to be valuable in total lifetime terms
you are trying to reduce early retirement-year taxable income and manage recovery tax exposure

Deferring does not fit everyone. For lower-income seniors who qualify for GIS, delaying OAS can reduce near-term support, so this decision should be made carefully.

How to check your OAS payment and what to do if it is missing

The simplest way to confirm your exact OAS amount is to use the official OAS benefits estimator and your Service Canada account tools.

The Government of Canada has replaced public “rate tables” with the OAS Benefits Estimator for personalized estimates.

If your January 28 payment does not appear:

confirm you are enrolled in direct deposit and your banking details are correct
remember cheque delivery can take longer
allow a few business days for processing delays before escalating, consistent with the Government of Canada calendar guidance

Frequently asked questions

Is the January 28 payment higher for Seniors because of an OAS increase?

Yes, OAS benefits increased by 0.3% for the January to March 2026 quarter, and the January 28 payment is the first deposit reflecting that quarter’s rates.

How much is the maximum OAS payment in early 2026?

For January to March 2026, the maximum monthly OAS is $742.31 for ages 65 to 74 and $816.54 for ages 75+.

Can OAS payments go down if inflation goes down?

No, the Government of Canada notes OAS rates increase when cost of living rises and do not decrease when cost of living falls.

The January 28 OAS payment is the first end-of-month deposit of 2026 and the first one calculated using the new January to March 2026 quarterly rates.

The most important planning advantage with OAS is predictability: a fixed payment date calendar and quarterly CPI-based indexing that increases when inflation rises and does not fall when inflation drops.

At the same time, your personal outcome still depends on residence history, whether you receive partial OAS, whether you also qualify for GIS or Allowance benefits, and whether your income places you in the OAS recovery tax range.

If you want the cleanest confirmation of what you will receive on January 28, use Service Canada tools to check your entitlement and compare it to your last payment, then review whether GIS or recovery tax factors apply to your situation.

Sidak Singh Dhanoa

I am a born Canadian citizen and growing daily with my content on INC – Immigration News Canada, developing into an empathetic person and knowing the other side of the story. Born in Toronto, exploring Canada from coast to coast, embracing the nomadic lifestyle.