A move, new phone number, marriage or change in banking details can leave your Old Age Security (OAS) record out of date. Most changes can now be submitted through My Service Canada Account, while some situations still require direct contact with Service Canada. Before you can update personal information online, you need to activate notifications and alerts for your OAS account once by calling 1-800-277-9914 or visiting a Service Canada location. After activation, sign in to MSCA, open your OAS dashboard and select Profile.
Which OAS Information Can You Change Online?
The Profile page has separate options for different types of information. Choose the one that matches the change you need to make:
- Address: Select Manage address information.
- Email address: Select Manage email addresses.
- Phone number: Select Manage My Phone Number.
- Marital status: Select Manage marital relationship.
- Living apart for reasons beyond your control: Select the option with that name.
- Authorized person: Select Manage my authorized person.
- Manually reported income: Select Manage my income.
- Voluntary tax deductions: Select Manage voluntary income tax deductions.
- Communication preferences: Select Update communication preferences.
After an online change is confirmed, the updated information appears in the corresponding section of your Profile. You can also open Previous changes submitted online to review earlier submissions, although that screen cannot be used to edit them.
Marital and certain income-related changes may require supporting documents. Check Follow up item(s) on your OAS dashboard after submitting the change to see whether anything else is required.
Changing Your OAS Banking Information
Banking information uses a different Profile option called Manage my payment destination. Once the change is confirmed, the new account details appear under Payment details.
A banking change can take up to 30 days in 2026 to take effect. Submit new banking information at least 30 days before the relevant payment date if you want the next deposit directed to the new account. Our OAS direct deposit guide covers this process in more detail.
People receiving both OAS and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits can choose to share their direct-deposit information between the two programs.
Changes You Need to Report to Service Canada
Some changes affect more than the contact details displayed on your account. You need to report changes such as getting married, entering a common-law relationship, divorcing or separating, the death of your spouse or common-law partner, the death of a beneficiary, or a significant change in income.
Income changes can matter particularly when you receive an income-tested OAS benefit. When a lower annual income results from retirement or a reduction or end to other pension income, Service Canada may be able to use an estimate of current-year income rather than the previous year’s amount. That situation is worth reporting instead of waiting for the next regular reassessment.
You can also update information outside MSCA by using the eServiceCanada request form or contacting the OAS program directly. Our OAS contact guide explains the available contact options.
Changing OAS Information While Living Outside Canada
Online options are more limited when you live abroad. The current OAS receiving-pension instructions require people living outside Canada to contact the OAS program to update their address or banking details.
An extended absence from Canada can also affect some OAS benefits, so a move abroad may involve more than changing the address attached to your account. The rules for continuing payments are covered separately in our guide to receiving OAS outside Canada.
Other Questions About Changing Your OAS Information
Can another person change your OAS information for you?
An authorized person can have your consent to communicate with Service Canada about your OAS account, but that authorization does not allow the person to change your payment address or request or change tax withholding. Different procedures apply when a trustee or other administrator has legal authority to manage someone’s benefits.
Does changing your address for OAS automatically update every Government of Canada program?
Government account information is not automatically shared across all departments and services. However, when changing an OAS residential address through MSCA, the address can also be applied to CPP benefits. Do not assume the same update has changed records held by unrelated government programs.
What should you do if you submitted the wrong information online?
Return to the OAS Profile and use the appropriate information-management option to submit the correct details. The Previous changes submitted online page lets you view an earlier submission, but it does not let you modify that submission directly.
