Québec Pension Plan

If you work in Québec and have income over $3500 a year, you probably contribute to the Québec Pension Plan, which is a compulsory public insurance plan. It provides persons who currently work or who previously worked in Québec, as well as their families, with basic financial protection in the event of retirement, death or disability.

The retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan is income that:

• is guaranteed until death;
• increases each year because it is readjusted to the cost of living, that is, indexed.

Your retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan (QPP) is calculated based on:

• the employment earnings entered in your file under the QPP. Higher earnings will give you a higher pension;
• the age at which you apply for your pension. If you apply for your pension before age 65, you will receive a lower pension for life. If you begin receiving it after age 65, it will be higher for life. It will stop increasing at age 72.

Have you worked elsewhere in Canada? Retraite Québec takes into account your contributions to the Canada Pension Plan to calculate your retirement pension.

Do you live elsewhere in Canada? You will still receive your retirement pension. It will be paid by the Canada Pension Plan if you have contributed to it.

For more information, consult the  Can you receive a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan? page on Retraite Québec’s website.

Age at which to apply for your pension

The normal age to receive your retirement pension under the QPP is 65. If you apply for your pension at that age, you will receive 100% of the expected amounts each month. If you apply for your pension after age 65, you will receive a higher pension for life. However, if you apply for your pension before age 65, you will receive a lower pension for life. 

Choosing the age at which you will apply for your retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan (QPP) is part of the financial planning for your retirement. This decision is very important because the pension amount you will receive for life depends on it.

Before applying for a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan, you must ask yourself some questions to make sure that your income will be sufficient during your entire retirement. For example, you must think about your state of health, your life expectancy, your savings and the effects of taxes on your income. All these factors could justify applying for your pension earlier or at a later time.

File your application

You can apply for your retirement pension up to12 months before the time you would like to receive your first payment. Learn more about the conditions of payment of the retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan.

Are you already receiving or expecting to receive benefits from a public or private agency (insurance company)? Please contact that agency for more information. Your retirement pension under the QPP may reduce the amounts payable from that agency.

If you are over age 65 and have not yet applied for your pension, the amount will be 8.4% higher per year. You can also choose to receive your pension retroactively, but the amount will be lower for life. Therefore, you will receive a single payment equal to the pension you would have received had you applied up to 12 months earlier. The retroactive pension can only begin after your 65th birthday.

Once you have decided to apply for your pension, do so from My Account. You will have access to a pre-filled form in a personalized environment. You can also learn more about the Application for a Retirement Pension.