Q&A: Collecting OAS While Abroad

Gordon Pape | January 28th, 2013

Question: How long can one collect OAS while traveling or living abroad? – Trudy Q.

Gordon Pape answers: You can live abroad indefinitely and continue to collect Old Age Security as long as you resided in Canada for at least 20 years after reaching the age of 18.

If you don’t meet that qualification, payment will be made for the month you leave and for six months thereafter. If you have not returned to Canada by then, the payments will be suspended.

You can learn more at http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/isp/oas/oasoverview.shtml

Do you have a money question you’d like to ask Gordon? Find out how to submit it here and then check out our Money section regularly to see if it was chosen for a response. Sorry, we cannot send personal answers.