Here is a stack worth picturing: maximum OAS plus maximum GIS is roughly $1,900 a month, before CPP enters the picture at all. The Guaranteed Income Supplement is how Canada keeps its poorest seniors afloat, and it is chronically under-claimed by people who assume their income is “too high” or that it arrives automatically in every case. Both assumptions cost real money.
The amounts: October to December 2026
GIS rates are set quarterly. The maximum you can receive depends on your household:
| Your situation | Max GIS / month | Income must be below |
|---|---|---|
| Single, widowed, or divorced | $1,138.90 | $23,112 |
| Your spouse receives the full OAS pension | $685.56 (each) | $30,528 combined |
| Your spouse receives the Allowance | $685.56 | $42,768 combined |
| Your spouse receives neither OAS nor the Allowance | $1,138.90 | $55,392 combined |
The income test deliberately excludes some things: your OAS pension itself doesn’t count, and neither do TFSA withdrawals — one reason the TFSA punches far above its weight in low-income retirement. Employment income gets a generous exemption too: the first $5,000 you earn from a job doesn’t count at all, and only half of the next $10,000 counts.
The rules that surprise people
No OAS, no GIS. You must actually be receiving the OAS pension. Deferring OAS to grow it — a smart move for many — means zero GIS during the deferral years, and waiting does not increase GIS later. For low-income households this routinely flips the CPP and OAS timing math.
It resets every July. Service Canada recalculates your GIS each July using last year’s tax return. Miss the April 30 filing deadline and payments can suspend; report a one-time income spike (a big RRIF withdrawal, a capital gain) and next year’s GIS drops for a full twelve months. If your income has dropped — you just retired, say — you can ask Service Canada to estimate your GIS from this year’s lower income instead of waiting for the tax cycle to catch up.
Applying is usually, but not always, automatic. Many seniors are enrolled for GIS along with OAS and never fill in a form. If your first OAS payment arrives without GIS and you think your income qualifies, apply — the worst outcome is a letter saying no. Payments can be made retroactively up to 11 months, and not a month further, so delay has a hard price.