Rates verified Oct 2026 · Sources: CRA, Service Canada
ExampleCPP $1,433/mo at 65 · compare age 60 vs age 70 · life expectancy 87 · 0% discount
CPP break-even · age 60 vs age 70
Monthly at 60
$917
CPP adjusted amount
Monthly at 70
$2,035
CPP adjusted amount
Break-even age
Age 78
when the later start pays off
Total by age 87
$439,560
Age 70 ahead
Total CPP received from age 60, comparing starting at 60 vs 70
The age you'd need to live past for the later start age to pay more in total, at your estimated CPP amount.
| Comparison | 0% discount | 2% discount | 4% discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPP at 60 vs 65 | Age 73 | Age 75 | Age 77 |
| CPP at 60 vs 70 | Age 78 | Age 79 | Age 82 |
| CPP at 65 vs 70 | Age 81 | Age 84 | Age 88 |
CPP factors: −0.6%/month before 65, +0.7%/month after 65 (max +42% at 70). Source: canada.ca. Check My Service Canada Account for your personal CPP estimate. This compares CPP timing only; it does not include OAS, taxes, or investment returns on the money itself. Not financial advice.
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Delaying CPP pays a higher monthly amount for the rest of your life - but only if you live long enough to make up for the payments you skipped. This calculator shows the exact break-even age between any two CPP start ages (60 to 70), with a timeline chart and a static table of break-even ages at 0%, 2%, and 4% real discount rates.
CPP is reduced 0.6% per month (7.2%/year) for each month taken before 65, and increased 0.7% per month (8.4%/year) for each month deferred after 65, up to age 70. The calculator projects annual payments for each start age from the earlier age to 100, optionally discounted at a real rate, and finds the first age where the later start's cumulative total exceeds the earlier start's.
In today's dollars (0% discount), CPP at 60 vs 65 breaks even around age 74; 60 vs 70 around age 78; 65 vs 70 around age 82-83. Statistics Canada life tables put average life expectancy at 65 around 84 (men) and 87 (women) - meaning most Canadians who reach 65 in reasonable health will live past the 65-vs-70 break-even age.
The CPP break-even age is the age you'd need to live past for a later CPP start age to pay more in total lifetime income than an earlier start age, even though the later start pays a higher monthly amount from day one. For age 60 vs 65, the break-even is roughly age 74; for 60 vs 70, roughly age 78; for 65 vs 70, roughly age 82-83 - the exact age depends on your CPP amount and whether you apply a discount rate.
The break-even age between any two start ages is almost the same for everyone, because it depends only on the CPP adjustment factors (−0.6%/month early, +0.7%/month late) - not on the dollar amount of your pension. A higher or lower CPP amount changes the dollars at stake but not the age at which the later start overtakes the earlier one in undiscounted (0%) terms.
Use 0% (today's dollars) if you'd spend the CPP payments as you receive them - CPP is already indexed to inflation, so 0% is a fair real-dollar comparison. Use 2-4% if you'd invest the earlier payments instead of spending them; a higher discount rate makes the earlier start look relatively better and pushes the break-even age later.
Statistics Canada life tables put average life expectancy at 65 around age 84 for men and age 87 for women, and roughly half of 65-year-olds will live past that average. If you're in good health with longevity in your family, planning to at least your mid-to-late 80s is reasonable before deciding whether to defer CPP.