Receiving your benefits

You will receive your first Allowance for the Survivor payment the month you turn 60 or on the specific date that is on your decision letter. You will receive a payment every month if you continue to meet the eligibility criteria.

View your monthly payment amount
Update your banking and direct deposit information
Request or change tax deductions from your Allowance for the survivor
Download your tax slips
Update your contact information and marital status
Report your income

To update direct deposit and contact information in MSCA

You must first call 1-800-277-9914 to enable this feature in MSCA. You only need to do this once.

Receive your payments

Direct deposit

Direct deposit is the fastest, easiest, and most secure way to receive your payments. Sign up for direct deposit.

View the direct deposit payment dates.

Payment by cheque

Cheques will be mailed the last 3 business days of each month. To avoid any payment delays, sign up for direct deposit.

When your monthly amount may increase

Your monthly payment will increase every January, April, July, and October if the cost of living goes up. This increase is based on the Consumer Price Index. If your cost of living goes down, your payments will not decrease.

File taxes by the deadline to avoid payment delays

You do not pay taxes on your Allowance for the Survivor payments, but you must file your taxes by April 30 every year to avoid any disruption of payments.

Annual review of your Allowance for the Survivor

Each year, your benefit is reviewed using your federal tax return.

In July, you'll get a letter stating if:
- Your benefit is renewed (with the new amount)
- Your benefit is stopped
- Your benefit will start/resume
- More income information is needed

What to do if you did not receive your payment in July

Call us as soon as possible. Be prepared to provide:

Your Social Insurance Number (SIN)
Your income information from last year

Keep your information up to date

Tell us as soon as possible if there are any changes to your:

Contact information
Income
Marital status

Keeping this information current helps avoid payment issues, such as missed payments, overpayments, or underpayments.

If your income changes

If you have a lower annual income due to retirement or if other pension benefits are reduced or stopped contact us .

In these cases, we can set your benefit payment by estimating your income for the current year instead of using last year's income.

If you are in federal prison for 2 years or more

Your Allowance for the Survivor stops during a federal prison sentence of 2 years or more. You must contact us in writing to notify us of your release. Your payments will start again the same month you are released.

If you leave and return to Canada

You cannot collect the Allowance for the Survivor benefit if you are outside of Canada for more than 6 months.

If you're leaving Canada for more than 6 months

If you're returning to Canada after being away more than 6 months

Important to provide accurate information

We compare information with the Canada Border Service Agency. You could be fined for giving false or misleading information or purposely omitting information.

How to stop Allowance for Survivor benefits

Cancel the Allowance for the Survivor benefit after it starts

You can cancel within 6 months of receiving your first payment. To submit a request, write a letter and send it by mail .

What to include in your letter:

Full name
Social Insurance Number (SIN)
Date of birth
Mailing address and telephone number
A clear statement that you wish to cancel your Allowance for Survivor pension
The date your Allowance for Survivor payments began (if known)
Your signature and the date

When someone dies

Notify us as soon as possible when someone dies to avoid overpayment. Find out how to cancel the Allowance for the Survivor benefit on behalf of a deceased person.

The estate and survivors may be eligible for other benefits, such as:

Death benefit: A one-time payment on behalf of the deceased contributor
Survivor's pension: A monthly payment to the surviving spouse or common-law partner
CPP children's benefit: A monthly benefit for a dependent child of a deceased CPP contributor

Contact us

Need help? Contact us if:

your contact information, income or marital status changes
someone receiving benefits dies
you're leaving Canada for more than 6 months

If someone is helping you communicate with Service Canada

You can authorize someone to communicate with Service Canada on your behalf by signing in to your My Service Canada Account and selecting the "Give consent to communicate on my behalf" link.

This does not give someone consent to:

apply for benefits on your behalf
change your payment address
request or change the withholding of tax

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2026-10-08