The Allowance for a spouse aged 60 to 64
The Allowance pays a monthly, tax-free benefit to the younger spouse of a low-income pensioner, before that spouse can claim Old Age Security.
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The Allowance pays up to $1,448.06 a month from October to December 2026 to a person aged 60 to 64 whose spouse or common-law partner receives Old Age Security and is eligible for the Guaranteed Income Supplement. It ends when the couple’s combined annual income, without OAS and after the employment exemption, reaches $42,768. That maximum is the full OAS pension of $762.50 plus the couple rate of the GIS, $685.56, so the younger partner receives roughly what an OAS and GIS pensioner would. Service Canada sets the other conditions on its eligibility page: being a Canadian citizen or legal resident, having lived in Canada for at least 10 years since age 18, and neither partner being under a sponsorship agreement. The benefit is not automatic: the spouse applies online or with form ISP3008. Payments are tax-free but depend on filing a tax return by April 30 each year, and the amount on the Service Canada letter is the one paid.
Allowance for a spouse aged 60 to 64
Allowance per month
$648.06
| Pensioner’s GIS | $635.56 |
| Allowance + GIS for the couple | $1,283.62 |
| Income counted / cut-off | $12,000 / $42,768 |
October to December 2026, pensioner’s OAS not included. Model fitted to ESDC’s published maximum and thresholds.
What the Allowance is for
A pensioner on a low income often has a younger spouse who has no pension yet. Without help, the household would live on one OAS pension and one GIS for several years. The Allowance closes that gap from age 60: it pays the younger partner an amount built like an OAS pension plus a GIS, until the age when OAS can be claimed. The maximum, about $1,448 a month, is close to what a pensioner with no other income receives in OAS and GIS combined. Common-law partners are covered on the same terms as married spouses, and the deposit follows the federal benefit calendar, so it lands on the same day as the pensioner’s own OAS and GIS.
The six conditions
Service Canada lists them on its Allowance eligibility page. All must be met at once.
- You are 60 to 64 years old.
- Your spouse or common-law partner receives the OAS pension and is eligible for the GIS.
- You are a Canadian citizen or a legal resident.
- You have lived in Canada for at least 10 years since age 18.
- Your combined annual income is under $42,768.
- Neither of you is currently under a sponsorship agreement.
The income test uses the previous year’s income of both partners, OAS excluded, after each partner’s employment exemption explained in the work exemption guide.
How much, by combined income
| Combined income | Allowance per month | Pensioner’s GIS | Allowance + GIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $1,448.06 | $685.56 | $2,133.62 |
| $6,000 | $1,052.23 | $664.73 | $1,716.96 |
| $12,000 | $648.06 | $635.56 | $1,283.62 |
| $20,000 | $474.33 | $474.33 | $948.66 |
| $30,000 | $266.00 | $266.00 | $532.00 |
| $40,000 | $57.67 | $57.67 | $115.34 |
As the table shows, the Allowance falls much faster than the GIS as income rises: the younger partner absorbs most of the effect while the pensioner’s GIS stays close to its ceiling of $685.56. The amounts between two published thresholds come from a model fitted to the ESDC grid, exact at the maximum and at the cut-offs, within about a dollar a month in between.
Allowance for a spouse aged 60 to 64
Allowance per month
$648.06
| Pensioner’s GIS | $635.56 |
| Allowance + GIS for the couple | $1,283.62 |
| Income counted / cut-off | $12,000 / $42,768 |
October to December 2026, pensioner’s OAS not included. Model fitted to ESDC’s published maximum and thresholds.
A worked example
Take a pensioner aged 68 with a CPP pension of $9,000 a year and a wife of 61 with no income. Their combined income is $9,000. From October to December 2026, the model gives her an Allowance of $835.56 a month, while he receives $635.56 of GIS on top of his OAS pension of $762.50. With his CPP, the household lives on about $2,984 a month, of which only the CPP and OAS are taxable. Without the Allowance, she would bring nothing in until her own OAS at 65, which is why the application is worth making as soon as the conditions are met. The figures come from the model, exact at the published maximum and thresholds.
Four quarters in 2026
| Quarter | Maximum per month | Combined income cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| January to March | $1,409.72 | $41,616 |
| April to June | $1,411.13 | $41,664 |
| July to September | $1,428.06 | $42,144 |
| October to December | $1,448.06 | $42,768 |
The amounts follow the cost of living each quarter, published in the ESDC quarterly table.
Applying
The Allowance must be claimed by the younger partner. Online, the application goes through My Service Canada Account, which is open to people living in Canada who have not already applied and whose account is not managed by a third party. On paper, Service Canada asks for form ISP3008, the income statement ISP3026 and the information sheet ISP3008A (Service Canada, apply for the Allowance).
While you receive it
The benefit is tax-free, and it is reviewed each year from the federal tax return, which must be filed by April 30. Changes of address, income or marital status must be reported, and an absence from Canada of more than 6 months stops payment (Service Canada, receiving the Allowance). If the partners live apart for reasons beyond their control, such as long-term care, the amount may be higher. If income falls during the year, an estimate of current income can be used instead of last year’s (Service Canada, Allowance amount).
When the situation changes
If the pensioner dies, Service Canada converts the Allowance automatically to the Allowance for the Survivor (Service Canada, Allowance). If the couple’s income rises, the amount is recalculated at the next yearly review, and payments stop once the cut-off is reached. Because the age condition ends at 64, the Allowance is a bridge: from 65, the younger partner turns to the OAS pension and the GIS, each with its own rules. The couples guide compares the household with and without the Allowance.