Canada Social Security Agreements Guide
the social security agreements in Canada. Canada has the social security agreements with 60+ countries — the "totalization agreements" that coordinate the CPP (the "Canada Pension Plan") and the OAS (the "Old Age Security") with the "foreign social security systems". The totalization allows the "individuals who worked in Canada and the agreement country to combine the contribution periods from both the countries to qualify for the CPP and the OAS benefits". The major agreement countries: the "United States", the "United Kingdom", the "Australia", the "France", the "Germany", the "Japan", the "Philippines", the "India", the "South Korea", the "Mexico", and the "50+ other countries". The US-Canada agreement is the "most used agreement" — the "totalization of the US Social Security and the Canada CPP" — the "US Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)" and the "Government Pension Offset (GPO)" affect the Canadians who receive the US Social Security. The OAS coordination — the "OAS residence requirement" can be met by the "combined residence in Canada and the agreement country" (the "OAS totalization").
Countries with Agreements
- Americas: The "United States", the "Mexico", the "Chile", the "Brazil", the "Uruguay", the "Peru".
- Europe: The "United Kingdom", the "France", the "Germany", the "Italy", the "Netherlands", the "Belgium", the "Switzerland", the "Sweden", the "Norway", the "Denmark", the "Finland", the "Iceland", the "Ireland", the "Luxembourg", the "Portugal", the "Spain", the "Greece", the "Austria", the "Croatia", the "Czech Republic", the "Estonia", the "Hungary", the "Latvia", the "Lithuania", the "Poland", the "Romania", the "Slovakia", the "Slovenia".
- Asia and the Pacific: The "Australia", the "Japan", the "South Korea", the "Philippines", the "India", the "Israel", the "Lebanon".
- Caribbean: The "Jamaica", the "Barbados", the "St. Lucia", the "Trinidad and Tobago", the "Antigua and Barbuda", the "Bahamas", the "Dominica", the "Grenada", the "St. Kitts and Nevis", the "St. Vincent and the Grenadines".
CPP Totalization
- CPP eligibility: The "CPP requires the minimum 1 valid contribution year". The "totalization allows the contributor to use the foreign contribution years to meet the CPP eligibility requirements" (the "combine the Canada contribution years with the agreement country contribution years").
- CPP calculation: The "CPP benefit is calculated based on the Canada earnings only" (the "foreign contributions are NOT used in the CPP calculation"). The foreign contribution periods are used ONLY to "qualify for the CPP" (the "eligibility totalization").
- CPP survivor and disability: The "survivor benefit and the disability benefit are also totalized under the agreements" (the "survivor can use the foreign contributions to qualify for the CPP survivor benefit").
US-Canada Agreement
- US Social Security and the CPP: The "totalization for the CPP and the US Social Security". The "combined contribution periods qualify the individual for the CPP and/or the US Social Security".
- Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP): The "US WEP reduces the US Social Security benefit for the individuals who receive the Canada CPP" (the "WEP applies to the individuals who have the less than 30 years of the substantial US earnings"). The "WEP reduction is up to $587 per month (2025)".
- Government Pension Offset (GPO): The "US GPO reduces the US spousal or the survivor benefit for the individuals who receive the Canada government pension" (the "CPP, the OAS, the QPP, the provincial government pension"). The "GPO reduction is 2/3 of the Canada government pension amount".
For the CPP details and the contribution rates, see our CPP Guide →. For the OAS and the GIS details, see our OAS & GIS Guide →. For the cross-border US-Canada tax rules, see our US Citizens Tax Guide →.