Cancelling Benefits Following the Death of a Pensioner/Beneficiary

When an Old Age Security (OAS) and/or Canada Pension Plan (CPP) pensioner/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:

• Old Age Security Pension, including
  • Allowance, and
  • Allowance for the survivor
• CPP retirement pension
• CPP disability benefits
• CPP survivor benefits

How to cancel OAS/CPP benefits

Does Service Canada require documentation to prove the pensioner/beneficiary’s date of death when cancelling OAS/CPP benefits?

How can I return outstanding payments that have been received after the pensioner/beneficiary’s death?

Additional information for survivors

How to cancel OAS/CPP benefits:

Please contact Service Canada to notify us of the date of death of the CPP/OAS pensioner/beneficiary as soon as possible by telephone or mail.

When contacting Service Canada by telephone, if possible, please have the person's Social Insurance Number (SIN) on hand when you call.

If you choose to notify Service Canada by mail, please ensure the following information is included in your letter:

The deceased pensioner/beneficiary's:

• 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), contact the Régie des rentes du Québec .

Does Service Canada require documentation to prove the pensioner/beneficiary's date of death when cancelling OAS/CPP benefits?

When the death occurs in Canada:

In most cases, if the pensioner/beneficiary's death occurs inside Canada, Service Canada does not require proof of death to cancel OAS/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.

When the death occurs outside Canada:

Yes. Service Canada requires proof of the pensioner/beneficiary's date of death when the death occurs outside of Canada.

The following lists common documents that will be accepted as proof of the date of death under the CPP and OAS program:

• 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
  • any other authorized person;
• 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;
• Certification of death by social security authorities in another country where an international agreement  on social security exists with that country;
• Official Notification from the Administrator of the Estate appointed by a court;
• Certified (by notary public) Copy of the Letters of Probate.

If you are unsure if the document you have obtained to prove the of date of death is acceptable, please contact us.

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;
• contain the following information
  • the name of the deceased individual;
  • the date and place of death;
  • the name and signature of a person authorized to issue the document.

How can I return outstanding payments that have been received after the pensioner/beneficiary's death?

The estate is entitled to the pensioner/beneficiary's payment 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.

• If the pensioner/beneficiary received their payments by cheque, please return any cheque(s) received after the month of death to:
  Cheque Redemption Control Directorate
  Returned Cheques
  PO Box 2000
  Matane, Quebec
  G4W 4N5
• If the pensioner/beneficiary received their 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/or CPP benefit(s).

Please make sure to include the following information/documentation:

• The name and address of the estate or the person responsible for handling the deceased's affairs (if known).
• If the pensioner/beneficiary death occurred outside of Canada, we require proof of the date of death (if not already submitted).

Additional information for survivors

In some cases, when a spouse or common-law partner dies, you may be eligible for additional benefits. Visit the sites listed below for more information.

• If you reside in Canada or return to reside in Canada, are between 60-64 years of age, have low income, and your spouse or common-law partner has died, and you have not remarried or entered into a new common-law relationship for more than 12 months, you may be eligible for the Allowance for the survivor.
• If the deceased person contributed to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), you may be eligible for:
  • the death benefit: a one-time payment to, or on behalf of, the estate of a deceased CPP contributor;
  • the survivor's pension: a monthly pension paid to the surviving spouse or common-law partner of a deceased CPP contributor;
  • the children's benefit: a monthly benefit for dependent children of a deceased CPP contributor.