Starting your Canada Pension Plan (CPP) retirement pension does not necessarily end your CPP contributions. If you keep working while collecting CPP and continue contributing, those new contributions can create an additional monthly benefit called the CPP Post-Retirement Benefit (PRB).
The CPP Post-Retirement Benefit is a lifetime monthly benefit earned by people under 70 who work and contribute to CPP while already receiving a CPP or Quebec Pension Plan retirement pension. Each year of eligible contributions can create a new PRB, which is automatically added to your CPP payments the following year.
How the CPP Post-Retirement Benefit Works
The CPP Post-Retirement Benefit allows contributions made after you start your retirement pension to increase your future CPP income. Instead of recalculating the retirement pension you already receive, each eligible year of new contributions generates a separate PRB.
That matters because you can earn more than one PRB. For example, someone who works and contributes at ages 63, 64 and 65 can generate a new benefit from each year of eligible contributions. Those amounts accumulate and are added to the CPP retirement income already being received. Each PRB is payable for life.
You also do not need to stop working to collect your regular CPP pension. Working does not reduce the CPP retirement pension itself, and eligible contributions made while receiving it are directed toward the PRB. This is different from delaying CPP, where you postpone starting the retirement pension in exchange for a larger starting amount.
Who Contributes to the PRB?
From age 60 to 64, someone working outside Quebec while receiving CPP must generally continue making CPP contributions on pensionable employment or self-employment earnings. Those contributions can generate Post-Retirement Benefits. An employer contributes its share as usual, while a self-employed worker pays both the employee and employer portions.
The rules change once you reach 65. From age 65 to 69, you can continue contributing and earn additional PRBs, or you can elect to stop CPP contributions. An employee who wants to stop generally uses Form CPT30 and provides a copy to each employer as well as the Canada Revenue Agency. Different procedures apply when you have only self-employment income.
CPP contributions stop at age 70, even if you continue working. You cannot build new PRBs from CPP contributions after that point. The broader rules on when CPP contributions stop cover the age-based contribution requirements separately.
How Much Is the CPP Post-Retirement Benefit in 2026?
There is no single PRB amount. Each year’s benefit depends on how much you earned and contributed during the previous year and your age on January 1 of the year the PRB begins.
For a new PRB beginning at age 65, the maximum monthly amount in January 2026 is $54.69. The average amount for new beneficiaries at age 65 in April 2026 was $25.76 per month. The 2026 CPP benefit amounts show these separately from the regular retirement pension.
The maximum PRB generated from one year of contributions equals 1/40th, or 2.5%, of the maximum CPP retirement pension, adjusted for age. You need sufficient earnings and contributions to generate the maximum. Someone contributing at a lower level receives a proportionately smaller PRB.
One year’s benefit may look modest on its own, but the cumulative effect is more useful to understand. Every additional eligible contribution year can create another PRB, so someone who works and contributes for several years after starting CPP can eventually receive several PRBs alongside the original retirement pension.
When Do You Start Receiving Your PRB?
You normally do not have to submit a separate application. After an eligible year of CPP contributions, the new PRB is automatically paid the following year. Service Canada may contact you if additional information is required.
For example, eligible CPP contributions made while receiving your retirement pension in 2026 can generate a new PRB beginning in 2027. Contributions in another eligible year can create another benefit after that. This continues until you stop contributing or reach the age when CPP contributions end.
The PRB is then paid for life along with your other CPP income. Like other CPP benefits, PRB payments are also adjusted for changes in the cost of living. The annual adjustment is explained separately in how CPP inflation indexing works.
Is It Worth Continuing CPP Contributions After 65?
From 65 to 69, the choice is not simply between paying CPP and getting nothing back or stopping contributions. Continuing to contribute can create another lifetime PRB for each eligible year, while opting out leaves more of your current employment or self-employment income available now.
The value of continuing therefore depends on factors such as your earnings, age and how much you would contribute. Before making the choice, compare the contributions you would pay with the additional lifetime benefit those contributions can generate. You can also use the Canadian Retirement Income Calculator to estimate retirement income using your own information.
For workers under 65 who are already collecting CPP, there generally is no equivalent choice to opt out simply because they are receiving a retirement pension. That difference between the under-65 and 65-to-69 rules is worth checking before deciding when to take CPP while continuing to work.
Other Questions About the CPP Post-Retirement Benefit
Can you receive several Post-Retirement Benefits at once?
Yes. Each eligible year of contributions while receiving a CPP retirement pension can generate another PRB. Those benefits can accumulate and be paid alongside your regular CPP pension.
Can you earn a PRB while receiving a QPP retirement pension?
Yes, if you work outside Quebec, contribute to CPP and otherwise meet the PRB requirements while receiving a CPP or QPP retirement pension. Work performed in Quebec is generally subject to QPP rules instead.
Does a self-employed person qualify for the PRB?
Yes. Eligible self-employed workers can earn Post-Retirement Benefits, although they pay both the employee and employer portions of their CPP contributions. The contribution structure is covered in how CPP works for self-employed Canadians.
Can you cancel a PRB after it starts?
The PRB is a lifetime benefit once earned. However, between ages 65 and 69, you can choose to stop making future CPP contributions so that you do not continue generating additional PRBs.
