Turning 65 soon? Watch out for these changing credits and benefits: Christopher Liew

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Christopher Liew is a CFP®, CFA Charterholder and former financial advisor. He writes personal finance tips for thousands of daily Canadian readers at Blueprint Financial.

Hitting 65 used to feel like a finish line. Now it’s more like a starting gun. A whole new layer of credits, benefits, and tax rules kicks in the moment you blow out the candles. Some show up automatically, some you have to claim, and a couple just got more generous for 2026.

Most Canadians know the broad strokes. The details are where the real money hides, and the system isn’t designed to make any of it easy to find.

Why this matters right now

The age-65 milestone matters more in 2026 than it has in years. The federal government lowered the lowest tax bracket to 14 per cent for 2026, down from a blended 14.5 per cent in 2025. That changes the value of every non-refundable credit, including the ones tied to age 65.

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At the same time, Old Age Security (OAS) clawback thresholds keep climbing, the age amount got bumped, and there’s growing political pressure to reform senior benefits altogether. A recent BNNBloomberg.ca opinion piece covered a Generation Squeeze poll showing 73 per cent of Canadians support lowering the OAS threshold so high-income seniors receive less. Whatever shakes out of that debate, the rules in place today are worth understanding cold.

1. The age amount tax credit

This is the most overlooked one, and it’s automatic only if you actually file a return. Based on the 2026 federal indexation figures, the age amount maxes out at $9,208 if you’re 65 or older at the end of the year and your net income is $46,432 or less.

At the 14 per cent federal rate for 2026, that works out to about $1,289 in federal tax savings, plus a matching provincial credit on top. It phases out gradually and disappears entirely once your net income tops roughly $112,200.

Here’s the part most people miss: if your income is too low to fully use the credit, you can transfer the unused portion to your spouse. A lot of couples leave money on the table simply because they don’t know about the transfer.

2. The pension income amount

If you’ve reported eligible pension income, you can claim up to $2,000 under the pension income amount on line 31400. It’s worth around $280 federally at the new rate, plus a provincial match.

The key change at 65 is what counts as “eligible.” Under 65, it’s really only employer pension annuity payments. At 65, the door opens up to include Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) withdrawals, Life Income Funds (LIF) income, and annuity payments from a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP).

That’s why a lot of planners suggest converting a small slice of your RRSP to a RRIF the year you turn 65 and pulling out exactly $2,000 a year. You capture the credit every year, and the math compounds across spouses if you both qualify.

3. CPP, OAS and GIS

OAS officially starts at 65, with a max of $743.05 per month for ages 65 to 74 in the April to June 2026 quarter, according to Service Canada. At 75, it jumps another 10 per cent permanently. But OAS gets clawed back starting at $95,323 of net income for 2026, and disappears entirely above roughly $154,750.

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is a different beast. You can start as early as 60 or delay to 70, but 65 is the “standard” age. The maximum CPP retirement pension is a lot higher than what most new beneficiaries actually receive, and the gap between the two is wider than most people expect. I broke down why in a recent Blueprint Financial video.

The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) is the one I find most underused. It’s a non-taxable top-up of up to $1,109.85 per month for low-income single seniors who already receive OAS. Many eligible Canadians don’t claim it every year. If your income is modest and you’re 65 or over, check eligibility. The application is straightforward, and you can be paid retroactively for up to 11 months.

4. Pension income splitting

At 65, you unlock the ability to split up to 50 per cent of eligible pension income with your spouse or common-law partner, including RRIF and LIF income. Under 65, splitting is restricted mostly to employer pension annuities, which leaves a lot of retirees on the sidelines.

This isn’t just a tax-rate play. By shifting income from the higher earner to the lower earner, you can also potentially dodge the OAS clawback altogether. I’ve seen couples save several thousand dollars a year just by filing form T1032 with their return.

Both spouses have to agree, both have to sign, and you elect annually. It’s one of the easiest planning moves in the Canadian tax code.

5. The home accessibility tax credit and a 2026 catch

The Home Accessibility Tax Credit (HATC) lets you claim up to $20,000 in eligible renovation expenses if you’re 65 or older. Think grab bars, ramps, walk-in tubs, widened doorways, stair lifts: anything that improves accessibility or reduces injury risk. You don’t need to qualify for the disability tax credit.

Here’s the 2026 catch: in previous years, you could “stack” the same expense under both the HATC and the Medical Expense Tax Credit. Starting with the 2026 tax year, that double dip is gone. You now have to pick one credit per expense.

Final thoughts

Turning 65 isn’t just about pulling the trigger on OAS and CPP. It’s about activating a stack of credits and rules that can quietly add thousands of dollars to your annual tax position if you’re paying attention. File a return every year even if you owe nothing, transfer unused credits between spouses, and don’t assume any of this happens automatically.

Read more from Christopher Liew:

• Don’t wait for renewal. How to rewrite your mortgage without breaking it
• Practical moves you can make to absorb the squeeze of rising oil prices
• Delayed retirement is on the rise. Here’s how to make the most of it
• How to prepare amid the mortgage renewal wave
• How to talk to your aging parents about money before it’s too late