# What changes if I start CPP at 70 instead of 65?

CPP retirement payments can start between 60 and 70. Starting after 65 raises each payment. Starting later also means more years without that income. This made-up Ontario example starts CPP at 65 or at 70. Retirement and OAS stay at 65 in both versions.

## A later start means bigger payments, received for fewer years.

Canada.ca says the usual CPP start age is 65. Each month you start after 65 raises the payment by 0.7%, up to 42% more at age 70. Each month before 65 lowers it by 0.6%. The right age depends on your own situation.

Your CPP amount depends on your contributions, your earnings and your start age. My Service Canada Account shows your record and an estimate. If you work while receiving CPP, new contributions can change your actual benefit.

This comparison holds the entered CPP-at-65 estimate and OAS residence years fixed and changes only the CPP start age. It does not rebuild your contribution history, add years, or pick the best age for you. The example uses Ontario and CPP; Quebec has QPP rules.

- [Canada.ca: when to start CPP](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/when-start.html)
- [Canada.ca: how much CPP you could receive](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/amount.html)
- [Canada.ca: when OAS can start](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/old-age-security/when-start.html)
## Made-up worked example

These saved engine results demonstrate the tool; they are not a plan for you. All amounts CAD. Starting inputs: province ON. Alex, born 1966-06-15, earns $90,000 a year before retirement. RRSP $550,000; RRIF $0; TFSA $100,000; non-registered $50,000 with cost basis $40,000; cash $10,000. CPP $12,000 a year at 65, starting at 65 in the baseline and 70 in the alternative. OAS starts at 65 in both versions, using 40 residence years. Retirement age: 65 in both versions. Yearly household spending after tax: $60,000 in both versions, in 2026 dollars, excluding contributions. CPP 65 in the baseline; 70 in the alternative. OAS 65 in both versions. No extra contributions. A negative after-tax position is an end-of-plan gap, not money left for family.

| Version | First projected shortfall | End-of-plan position after tax (2026 dollars) | Final year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Made-up Alex: CPP at 65 | 2055 | -251001 | 2061 |
| Made-up Alex: CPP at70 | 2055 | -217767 | 2061 |

The example uses a fixed assumed annual return, not a simulated path of market ups and downs. Benefit-age comparison holds each person's CPP/QPP amount at 65 and OAS residence years fixed. Extra contribution history and additional residence years are not inferred. This compares only the supplied start ages. It is not a search for a better start age. This made-up example compares CPP at 65 with CPP at 70. Retirement stays at 65. OAS stays at 65. A later calculation uses the engine and rules available at that time. Review your statement assumptions.

### Assumptions and source evidence

- A first projection for one or two Canadian adults: employment, a defined-benefit pension, CPP/QPP, OAS, RRSP/RRIF, TFSA, non-registered investments and cash. No corporations, property, debts, children, benefit-entitlement history, LIRA/LIF or planned extra contributions. GIS, Allowance and refundable benefit payments (including Ontario GAINS and Trillium) are not included; missing benefits can make a projected shortfall look larger. Review eligibility and payment history before changing spending. Quebec employment requires explicit confirmation of Quebec payroll contributions; cross-province employment is outside this first-calculation scope. Excluded situations need additional facts and supported-case review. One optional alternative can change retirement ages, household spending, or explicit CPP/QPP and OAS start ages. A benefit-age comparison holds the CPP/QPP amount at 65 and OAS residence years fixed; extra contribution history and additional residence years are not inferred. It is a fixed-input comparison, not a broader search for a better start age.
- Inflation 2.1%; invested return 5.0% nominal each year; uninvested cash 2%. These are assumptions, not forecasts. Invested accounts use 40% fixed income and 60% equity for tax treatment. Pension splitting and the standard withdrawal/contribution order are enabled. No extra contributions were supplied; surplus uses that order and the stated contribution room.
- Alex: OAS uses 40 years of residence; opening TFSA room 0 CAD and RRSP room 0 CAD.
- Benefit-age comparison holds each person's CPP/QPP amount at 65 and OAS residence years fixed. Extra contribution history and additional residence years are not inferred. This compares only the supplied start ages. It is not a search for a better start age.

Engine version: a5245196fe9c440cac227184b300f58f54e073958c8bd49c259815cd391dec13
Tax-rate fingerprint: cf34ad9e08777f2c1f6b0429a2842c2db35669bccffda07886ee8a3081fc868f
Calculation input fingerprint: 9e3dd565a768a9f48253e9c385171d3aeca4414f2bf21d1e0c67790db21a1686


Canonical page: https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/guides/cpp-at-65-or-70-canada

## Steps

1. Keep the starting point the same. Use the same income, savings, spending, retirement age and OAS details in both versions.
2. Change only the CPP start age. Compare CPP at 65 with CPP at 70. Retirement and OAS stay at 65. See how savings cover the years before CPP starts at 70.
3. Read every year. Check spending coverage, any shortfall years and the end-of-plan position after tax. Open the annual detail before drawing a conclusion.

## Facts needed

- Birth date and province or territory
- Retirement age and employment income
- Your CPP estimate at 65, from My Service Canada Account
- The two CPP start ages to compare
- OAS start age and residence years
- Savings by account type and owner
- Annual after-tax spending, return and inflation assumptions

## Access

Read this example or use the basic calculator without an account. Review and confirm the inputs and assumptions before calculating. Nothing runs on its own. Saved plans and advanced tools have their own access.

## Limits

- This first calculation excludes property, debts, corporations, children, LIRA/LIF and planned extra contributions.
- GIS, Allowance and refundable benefit payments are excluded. Missing benefits can make a projected shortfall look larger.
- Returns and inflation are assumptions. A projection is not a promise or a personal recommendation.
- The CPP-at-65 estimate is held as entered. The tool does not rebuild contribution history or add contribution years.
- It compares the start ages you choose. It does not search for or recommend a claiming age.
- This example uses Ontario and CPP. For Quebec, read the QPP rules.
## Made-up input template

https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/guides/cpp-at-65-or-70-canada/template.json

This is a glacier-calculator-v1 input artifact with assumptionsAccepted:false. Review the inputs and obtain explicit confirmation before calculating. It is not a saved private plan or a result.

## Continue

Open this made-up example: https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/calculate?guide=cpp-at-65-or-70-canada

## Message for an AI assistant

Help me compare starting CPP at 65 and at 70, with retirement and OAS held at 65 and 65 in Canada using Glacier Planner. First read https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/guides/cpp-at-65-or-70-canada/index.md and https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/docs/agents/skill.md. The guide’s example is made up, not my plan. Ask whether I want that demonstration or my own numbers. Read the current public calculator contract at https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/api/calculate. Ask for missing facts, check the supported scope and get my explicit confirmation of assumptions before calculating; never accept them for me. Explain that Benefit-age comparison holds each person's CPP/QPP amount at 65 and OAS residence years fixed. Extra contribution history and additional residence years are not inferred. This compares only the supplied start ages. It is not a search for a better start age. The made-up example compares CPP at 65 with CPP at 70. Retirement stays at 65 and OAS stays at 65 in both versions. Do not rebuild contribution history or search for a better start age. Use the current public calculator and keep the engine version it returns with the answer. For the demonstration, the input template is https://planner.glacierfinancial.ca/guides/cpp-at-65-or-70-canada/template.json. Show the returned spending coverage, shortfall year, after-tax estate and assumptions. Keep this line with the answer: projections and education, not personalized investment advice. Give me the returned input artifact to keep. Do not sign me up, enable payment or make a saved-plan connection without my approval.

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The software does not include personal advice. Opening this guide does not send financial details or enrol anyone in marketing.

Projections and education, not personalized investment advice.