OAS calculator, with the clawback and the start age
See your OAS pension from 65 to 70, how much of it the recovery tax takes back at your income, and what waiting to start changes.
Figures in Canadian dollars (C$), from Canada.ca.
Starting OAS at 65 with 40 years in Canada after 18 and C$60,000 of other income a year, your OAS is about
C$9,150 a year
That is C$762.50 a month, C$9,150 a year, with no recovery tax at this income: your net income, about C$69,150 with your OAS in it, is under C$95,323.
The whole pension at this start age is recovered once your net income reaches about C$156,323.
The C$60,000 of other income is an example: replace it with your own, from your latest tax return.
| Start at | A month | Recovery tax a year | After recovery a year | Pays more in total than starting at 65, from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | C$762.50 | C$0 | C$9,150 | |
| 66 | C$817.40 | C$0 | C$9,809 | age 79 and 11 months |
| 67 | C$872.30 | C$0 | C$10,468 | age 80 and 11 months |
| 68 | C$927.20 | C$0 | C$11,126 | age 81 and 11 months |
| 69 | C$982.10 | C$0 | C$11,785 | age 82 and 11 months |
| 70 | C$1,037.00 | C$0 | C$12,444 | age 83 and 11 months |
Amounts are in today's dollars: OAS is reviewed for prices every quarter, the recovery tax threshold changes each year, and this page holds both flat. Not modelled: the 10% increase at 75 (it applies to every start age), the Guaranteed Income Supplement, tax on your OAS, and the effect of earlier money earning a return. The link carries your figures after the #, so you can save or share it. Your figures are not sent to us.
The start age, and years in Canada
OAS can start at 65 or as late as 70. The full pension is C$762.50 a month at 65 to 74 for October to December 2026, reviewed every quarter for prices. Each month you defer raises it 0.6% (7.2% a year), 36% at 70. From 75 it is 10% higher.
The full pension needs 40 years in Canada after 18. With 10 to 39 years you get a partial pension, one fortieth of the full amount for each complete year.
The recovery tax, and income you choose
OAS is taxable, and a recovery tax takes back 15% of your net income above a threshold: C$93,454 for income year 2025 (taken back from July 2026) and C$95,323 for income year 2026 (from July 2027). This page uses the 2026 one, held flat in today's dollars. The pension is taken back in full once your net income is high enough, and the calculator shows where that is for the start age you pick.
For someone who stops work early, income is a choice in the years before and after OAS starts. RRSP withdrawals count as income in the year you take them, so a large one in a single year can raise your net income over the threshold, while money you take out of a TFSA does not. A RRSP that is left to grow until it has to become a RRIF can raise income later, when OAS is being paid: the RRSP to RRIF calculator, linked under Next steps, shows how that minimum compares with the threshold.
The TFSA in a FIRE plan
Any income earned in a TFSA does not affect your federal income-tested benefits, and OAS and the Guaranteed Income Supplement are among them. You can withdraw from it tax-free whenever you want. That makes TFSA money the kind of income that does not feed the recovery tax. This page does not model accounts: it shows how the income you enter changes your OAS.
Questions people ask
- Should I defer OAS to 70?
- Each month you wait after 65 raises the pension 0.6%, up to 36% more at 70. Whether that pays depends on how long you draw it and on your income: the recovery tax takes back 15% of net income above a threshold, so a larger pension can be partly taken back. The calculator shows the amount after recovery for each start age and the age by which a later start has paid more in total.
- How does the OAS clawback work?
- OAS is reduced by 15% of the net income above C$95,323 (the figure for income year 2026), and no more than the pension. It is taken from your monthly payments over the following July to June.
- How many years in Canada do I need for OAS?
- 10 years after 18 for any pension (20 if you live outside Canada), and 40 for the full pension. In between it is one fortieth of the full pension for each complete year.
- Does money in a TFSA affect OAS?
- Income earned in a TFSA does not count toward the income-tested benefits, and withdrawals are tax-free. RRSP and RRIF withdrawals do count as income for the year you take them.
Sources: Canada.ca, OAS: when to start, OAS eligibility, OAS amounts and the OAS recovery tax; the partial pension rule is in the Old Age Security Act, s. 3(3). The line on TFSAs comes from the Canada Revenue Agency page What is a TFSA and the line on RRSP withdrawals from tax on RRSP withdrawals; that RRIF payments count as income is in section 56 of the Income Tax Act.