Canadians can now access improved Service Canada tools to support and plan for retirement

GATINEAU, QC, Oct. 1, 2023 /CNW/ - Accessing services is the most frequent and important way Canadians interact with the government. To help mark National Seniors Day, Minister of Citizens' Services Terry Beech highlighted new services for seniors, and all Canadians, in planning for a secure and dignified retirement.     

Canadians considering retirement can now take advantage of new and improved tools to help make informed decisions regarding retirement planning, and retire with confidence and peace of mind. 

Service Canada launched the Retirement Hub – a new, user-friendly, online tool that provides a simple and improved experience for Canadians planning their retirement. It will help Canadians with planning, applying for and receiving retirement income benefits like the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

A key feature of this online tool is the Retirement Ready Quiz. By answering a series of questions, the quiz gives users a personalized checklist to help them prepare for retirement.  

Canadians also now have access to an improved version of the Old Age Security Benefits Estimator on Canada.ca. This version introduces new features, including spousal estimates, the partial Old Age Security pension and the additional Guaranteed Income Supplement. 

In a few easy steps, users can find out if they are eligible and get an estimate of how much they may be entitled to, based on their personal circumstances, for Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance and the Allowance for the Survivor. The OAS Benefits Estimator improves the user experience by providing an automated estimate instead of asking clients to navigate and interpret a series of OAS tables manually. 

Quotes 

"Canadians looking for information on government services should have a stress-free, uncomplicated experience. At Service Canada, we are working to improve accessibility to government benefits and services. The Retirement Hub and the OAS Estimator are just two of the online services we now use to make access as convenient as possible for seniors and all Canadians across the country."

– Minister of Citizens' Services, Terry Beech 

"Going online is a great way for seniors to find out about the benefits they're owed and how they can access them. But there's still too many barriers, and some find it overwhelming or sometimes incomprehensible. I'm glad we've listened to seniors and are improving things."

– Minister for Seniors, Seamus O'Regan Jr 

Quick Facts 

• Since its release this summer, more than 60,000 Canadians have made use of the Retirement Hub.
• Nearly 200,000 unique visitors have used the OAS Benefits Estimator since its release this summer.
• In 2021-22, there were an average of 6.4 million CPP recipients, and 6.9 million OAS recipients. Overall, the Government of Canada paid $52.9 billion in CPP benefits and $60.8 billion in OAS benefits.

Associated links 

Service standards and performance for CPP

Service standards and performance for OAS 

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada