Maximum GIS payments
The table below is Service Canada's maximum-payment table for October to December 2026, for pensioners receiving a full OAS pension. "Maximum" means the amount at zero income other than OAS: as other income rises, the payment falls gradually to zero at the income limit. GIS amounts are re-indexed every quarter (January, April, July and October) in line with the Consumer Price Index, and they never decrease in a quarter when prices fall — the October figure is the one in force when this site was built, and the January figure will replace it.
| Your situation | Annual income other than OAS must be | Maximum GIS per month |
|---|---|---|
| Single, widowed or divorced | Less than $23,112 | $1,138.90 |
| Spouse or common-law partner receives the full OAS pension | Less than $30,528 (combined) | $685.56 |
| Spouse or common-law partner receives the Allowance | Less than $42,768 (combined) | $685.56 |
| Spouse or common-law partner does not receive an OAS pension or Allowance | Less than $55,392 (combined) | $1,138.90 |
What the maximums mean in practice
A single pensioner with no income besides OAS receives $1,138.90 a month in GIS on top of the OAS pension — $762.50 a month at ages 65 to 74, or $838.75 from age 75 — for a combined $1,901.40 a month at 65 to 74, or $1,977.65 from 75. A couple where both receive the full OAS pension and have no other income receives $685.56 each in GIS, or $1,371.12 combined, on top of two OAS pensions. These are the ceilings, not the typical payment: most GIS recipients have some CPP or other income, so most receive a partial amount. The exact partial amount for your income comes from Service Canada's tables or the OAS estimator on Canada.ca.
Why the spouse's situation changes your maximum
GIS is assessed on the household's income, but the ceiling reflects how many OAS pensions the household already receives. Where both partners receive OAS, the household already has two pensions, so each person's GIS ceiling is lower ($685.56). Where only one partner receives OAS, the single GIS recipient's ceiling stays at the single rate ($1,138.90) but the income limit is set on combined income, because the partner's income is still counted. Where the partner receives the Allowance instead, the ceiling is $685.56 and the combined limit is $42,768. The pattern to remember is: the ceiling follows who receives what, and the limit follows combined income for couples.
The previous quarter, for comparison only
For July to September 2026 the single maximum was $1,123.17 with a $22,800 limit, and the both-on-OAS maximum was $676.09 with a $30,096 combined limit. Those figures are superseded and are shown here only so that readers who saw them elsewhere can see they have been replaced. Do not use them for current planning.