Cancel Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan benefits

Benefits must be cancelled after a death

When an Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) beneficiary dies, their benefits must be cancelled. Benefits are payable for the month in which the death occurs; benefits received after that will have to be repaid. This includes the following benefits:

OAS pension, including
- Guaranteed Income Supplement
- Allowance
- Allowance for the Survivor
CPP retirement pension
CPP disability benefits
CPP children's benefits
CPP survivor benefits

How to cancel benefits

Please contact Service Canada as soon as possible to notify us of the date of death of the OAS and CPP beneficiary.

If you contact Service Canada by telephone, have the person's Social Insurance Number (SIN) on hand when you call.

If you notify Service Canada by mail, please include the following information about the deceased beneficiary:

full name
date of birth
date of death
Social Insurance Number (if known)
previous address
name and address of the estate or the person responsible for handling the deceased's affairs (if known).

Note

If the deceased was receiving a benefit from the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), also contact Retraite Québec.

Proof of death requirements

You might need documentation to prove the beneficiary's date of death when cancelling OAS and CPP benefits.

If the death occurred in Canada:

In most cases, Service Canada does not require proof of death to cancel OAS and CPP benefits. In situations where proof of the date of death is required, Service Canada will notify the estate or the person responsible for handling the deceased's affairs.

If the death occurred outside Canada:

Service Canada requires proof of the beneficiary's date of death to cancel OAS and CPP benefits.

The following are common documents that will be accepted as proof of the date of death:

Official death certificate issued under the authority of some level of government (domestic or foreign) where the death occurred
A document issued by a level of domestic or foreign government (federal, provincial/state/territorial, municipal, etc.) indicating the date of death (for example, Japanese Family Register, Portuguese Cédula Pessoal, etc.)
Funeral home burial or death certificate issued:
- in accordance with the custom of any religious denomination by an ordained religious leader; or
- by the funeral director; or
- by any person who is authorized to issue such documents through the funeral home (this may vary from province to province).
Medical certificate of death issued by the attending doctor or coroner
Statement by a doctor last in attendance, a coroner or a funeral director using stationery with the appropriate identifying letterhead
Registration of death under a provincial or territorial authority
Certification of death by social security authorities in another country where an international agreement on social security exists with that country
Memorandum of Notification of Death issued by the Chief of National Defence Staff, Department of National Defence Canada, where the death of a member of the Canadian Forces occurs outside Canada
Statement of Verification of Death from the Department of Veterans Affairs Canada written on the letterhead of the Department
Official notification from the Administrator of the Estate appointed by a court
Certified (by notary public) copy of the Letters of Probate
Life or group insurance claim provided it includes a statement signed by a medical doctor
An official notification written on the letterhead of a Provincial Public Trustee or Administrator of Estates

To be acceptable as a proof of death, a document must:

be an original or certified copy;
be on official letterhead or contain a seal;
be dated, readable and not altered; and
contain the following information:
- the name of the deceased individual;
- the date and place of death; and
- the name and signature of a person authorized to issue the document.

Please contact Service Canada if you need to verify that a document is acceptable as proof of the date of death.

Returning benefit payments

The estate is entitled to the beneficiary's OAS and CPP payments for the month of death. All payments issued after the month of death must be returned. If the payments have been redeemed, they must be repaid.

Repayment method for payments received by direct deposit

If the beneficiary received payments by direct deposit, please have the bank return any payments deposited after the date of death to the originator, or send a cheque in Canadian funds made payable to the Receiver General for Canada to the office responsible for paying the deceased's OAS and CPP benefits.

Repayment method for payments received by cheque

If the beneficiary received payments by cheque, please return any cheques received after the month of death to:

Cheque Redemption Control Directorate
Returned Cheques
PO Box 2000
Matane QC G4W 4N5

Please make sure to include the name and address of the estate or the person responsible for handling the deceased's affairs (if known).

If the beneficiary's death occurred outside Canada, we require proof of the date of death (if not already submitted).

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