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Apply

You need to apply for the Allowance benefit.

What to know before you start

Gather your information

You will need the following:

  • Your Social Insurance Number (SIN)
  • Information about your spouse or common-law partner:
    • Social Insurance Number
    • Date of birth
    • Foreign income information (types of income and annual amounts in CAD)
  • Information about the countries where you have lived since age 18
  • Your banking information to sign up for direct deposit
  • The date your employment or pension income stopped or was reduced and the new monthly rate, if applicable

How to determine your income

When applying for the Allowance, you and your spouse or common-law partner, must report your income and deductions.

What you must report as income

  • Canada Pension Plan (CPP) or Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) benefits
  • Other pension income, such as private pensions, superannuation and foreign pension income (types of income and annual amounts in CAD)
  • Withdrawals from your Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs)
  • Employment Insurance benefits
  • Interest and other investment income
  • Capital gains and taxable Canadian dividends
  • Net income from any rental properties
  • Net employment or self-employment income
  • Other income such as workers' compensation payments
  • Some spousal support income

What is exempted as income

  • Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowance or Allowance for the Survivor payments
  • Retroactive CPP or QPP payments for previous years
  • Other benefit and assistance payments, such as municipal, territorial or federal government or universal childcare benefits
  • Grants, rebates, refunds programs and credits
  • Certain war service pensions, retribution payments and ex gratia payments
  • Aboriginal people tax –exempt income
  • Lottery winnings
  • Inheritances
  • Tax free savings account (TFSAs)
  • CPP death benefit or children’s benefits
  • Wage loss replacement benefits paid under a private insurance plan

What can be deducted from your income

  • Canada Pension Plan or Quebec Pension Plan contributions and your Employment Insurance premiums
  • Elected pension split income deduction
  • Union or other professional dues
  • RRSP, RPP or Saskatchewan pension plan contributions
  • moving expenses related to employment and other employment expenses
  • Clergy residence deduction
  • Deductions to reduce rental income
  • Certain child support payments
  • Certain spousal support payments
  • Attendant care and other disability supports deduction
  • Other deductions permitted by CRA

Note: If you are employed or self-employed and receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowance or Allowance for the Survivor, you can earn up to $5,000 and still receive the full benefit amount. For earnings between $5,000 and $15,000, your Guaranteed Income Supplement, Allowance or Allowance for the Survivor will be reduced by 50 cents for every dollar of income you receive.

Apply

Apply online through your My Service Canada Account (MSCA). It’s fast, easy and secure.

Apply online

Before you start, confirm that you can apply online

You can only apply online if all the following statements are true:

  • You live in Canada
  • You have not already applied, or your application is still being assessed by Service Canada
  • You don't have a third party (for example, a power of attorney or a trustee) managing your account

If you cannot apply online, you will need to use a paper form.

Steps to applying using MSCA

  1. Sign in to your MSCA or create an account using the "Apply using MSCA" button
  2. Once signed into MSCA, go to "Old Age Security" section on your MSCA dashboard
  3. Click on "Apply for Old Age Security and manage my benefits" and follow the instructions

Apply using MSCA

Other way to apply

By mail

Apply with a paper form
  1. 1. Print and complete the forms:
  2. 2. Choose and complete an option (if required):
    If someone is helping you communicate with Service Canada

    You can authorize another person to communicate with Service Canada on your behalf by:

    This does not give that person consent to:

    • Apply for benefits on your behalf
    • Change your payment address
    • Request or change the withholding of tax
    If you are applying on someone's behalf

    To act as an administrator for someone who cannot manage their own pension and benefits, you must:

    1. Have a medical professional complete the Certificate of Incapability OAS/CPP form (ISP-3505)
    2. Choose and complete the form that applies to you:
  3. 3. Submit the forms by mail

Contact us

Need help applying for the Allowance? Contact us.

Page details

2026-08-27

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