Split CPP/QPP benefits with your spouse

Zoomer | January 1st, 2006

You may direct up to 50% of your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits to your spouse, provided that both of you are over 60.

If either of you chooses this option, a portion of the other spouse’s CPP is automatically assigned back to the first spouse.

If both of you are eligible for maximum CPP benefits, assignment will not change anything, since each of you will assign half of the maximum to the other.

But if, for example, you have high CPP benefits and are in a high tax bracket, and your spouse has low benefits or none, the assignment can effectively transfer up to half of the CPP income. The attribution rules do not apply to such an assignment.