Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security deposits land across most of the country on Wednesday, July 29. Quebec retirees expecting the same timing for their provincial pension will be waiting two more days: the Quebec Pension Plan pays on Friday, July 31, 2026.
QPP is administered by Retraite Québec, not Service Canada, and it runs on an entirely separate calendar. The two plans do not share a single payment date in 2026, and the gap between them shifts from month to month. If you have family in Ontario comparing deposit days, that is why their money moved first.
QPP Payment Dates 2026: The Full Schedule
Retraite Québec publishes all twelve dates a year ahead. One calendar covers every QPP benefit: the retirement pension, the disability pension, the surviving spouse’s pension and the orphan’s pension all pay on the same day.
| Month | 2026 QPP payment date |
|---|---|
| January | Friday, January 30 |
| February | Friday, February 27 |
| March | Tuesday, March 31 |
| April | Thursday, April 30 |
| May | Friday, May 29 |
| June | Tuesday, June 30 |
| July | Friday, July 31 |
| August | Monday, August 31 |
| September | Tuesday, September 29 |
| October | Friday, October 30 |
| November | Monday, November 30 |
| December | Wednesday, December 30 |
Direct deposit arrives on the listed date. Cheques sent by mail take longer and are exposed to postal delays, which is why Retraite Québec pushes direct deposit for every benefit it pays.
The Rule: Last Working Day, Every Month
QPP pays on the last working day of the month. CPP pays earlier, on roughly the third-to-last business day. Both rules float against weekends and statutory holidays, so the size of the gap between the two plans changes constantly. In July 2026 it is two days. In September it is four: CPP pays September 25, QPP pays September 29.
December is where the two calendars diverge most sharply. Service Canada moves the December CPP and OAS payment up to December 22 so the money clears before the holiday bank closures. Retraite Québec makes no such adjustment — QPP pays December 30, right on schedule. Quebec retirees who budget around a mid-December federal deposit are working from the wrong calendar.
Quebec Seniors Still Receive OAS on July 29
This is the detail that causes the most confusion. Old Age Security is a federal program paid in Quebec exactly as it is everywhere else. Quebec residents do not receive CPP, but they absolutely do receive OAS — and it lands July 29, on the federal calendar.
So a typical Quebec household aged 65 or over sees two separate deposits two days apart: OAS from Service Canada on Wednesday, then QPP from Retraite Québec on Friday. Add the Guaranteed Income Supplement and it arrives inside the Wednesday OAS deposit, not with QPP.
The July OAS payment is also the first at the new quarterly rate — up 1.2 percent to a maximum of $751.97 a month for ages 65 to 74 and $827.17 for those 75 and over. We covered what that adds to the deposit in our breakdown of the July 2026 OAS increase and CPP payment date.
2026 QPP Maximum Monthly Amounts
All QPP benefits rose 2.0 percent on January 1, 2026, and hold at that level until January 2027. These are ceilings, not typical payments — your amount depends on your contributory earnings and the age you started.
| Benefit | 2026 maximum monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Retirement pension at 65 (100%) | $1,507.65 |
| Retirement pension at 60 (64%) | $964.90 |
| Retirement pension at 72 (158.8%) | $2,394.15 |
| Disability pension, ages 18 to 59 | $1,737.67 |
| Disability pension, ages 60 to 65 | $610.43 |
| Pension for a disabled contributor’s child | $97.74 |
| Orphan’s pension | $307.81 |
| Surviving spouse, under 45, no dependent children | $719.50 |
| Surviving spouse, under 45, with dependent children | $1,129.95 |
| Surviving spouse, ages 45 to 64 | $1,173.58 |
| Surviving spouse, 65 or over | $881.48 |
| Death benefit (one-time) | $2,500.00 |
One footnote worth knowing: of that $1,507.65 maximum at 65, $1,441.25 comes from the base plan. The remainder is the additional plan introduced in 2019, and it will keep growing for decades as workers accumulate contributions under it.
Five Real Differences Between QPP and CPP
The two plans are designed to mirror each other closely enough that a career split between Quebec and the rest of Canada still produces one coherent pension. But the differences that remain are not trivial.
1. The maximum retirement pension is identical
Both plans top out at $1,507.65 a month at age 65 in 2026, because both use the same $74,600 maximum pensionable earnings ceiling and the same $85,000 additional ceiling. Anyone telling you QPP pays less at the maximum is wrong.
2. Quebec lets you wait until 72
CPP stops rewarding deferral at age 70, where the pension reaches 142 percent of the age-65 amount — roughly $2,141 a month at the maximum. QPP keeps going to 72, reaching 158.8 percent, or $2,394.15. That is about $253 a month more than the best CPP can offer, available only in Quebec.
3. Quebec workers pay more for it
The QPP employee rate in 2026 is 6.3 percent on earnings between $3,500 and $74,600 — a 5.3 percent base contribution plus 1 percent for the additional plan — against 5.95 percent for CPP. Add the 4 percent second-tier contribution both plans charge between $74,600 and $85,000 and a Quebec employee at the ceiling pays $4,895.30 for the year, versus $4,646.45 under CPP. That is $248.85 more out of a Quebec paycheque. Self-employed workers pay both halves: $9,790.60 in Quebec against $9,292.90 federally.
Our QPP contribution rates page has the full breakdown, including the base rate reduction that took effect this year. For the federal side, see the Canada Pension Plan guide or find out when CPP contributions max out in 2026.
4. Survivor benefits are structured by age, and can be far larger
This is the biggest gap between the plans. A surviving spouse aged 45 to 64 receives up to $1,173.58 a month under QPP. The equivalent CPP survivor’s pension for someone under 65 maxes out at $803.54 — a difference of roughly $370 a month. Above 65 the advantage flips, modestly: CPP pays up to $904.59 against QPP’s $881.48.
5. Contributions stop at different ages
QPP contributions end at 72. Quebec workers aged 65 and over can also elect to stop contributing while continuing to work, which CPP handles differently. If you are still on payroll while collecting, run the numbers through our payroll calculator to see the effect on your net pay.
If Your July 31 Payment Does Not Arrive
Check My Account with Retraite Québec first — it shows both paid and estimated amounts, and confirms which bank account is on file. Most missed deposits trace back to a stale account number after a bank switch, or a change of address that never reached the agency.
QPP is taxable income, and unlike some benefits it is not automatically taxed at source unless you request it. If you are paying an unwelcome balance each April, ask Retraite Québec to withhold tax from your monthly pension. Where that income lands is set out in our guide to the 2026 federal tax brackets, and Quebec’s provincial brackets apply on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the next QPP payment?
The next QPP payment is Friday, July 31, 2026. QPP is paid on the last working day of each month, so the following payment is Monday, August 31, 2026.
Why is QPP paid on a different day than CPP?
QPP is administered by Retraite Québec and pays on the last working day of the month. CPP is administered by Service Canada and pays around the third-to-last business day. They are separate programs on separate calendars and never share a payment date.
Do Quebec residents get CPP and OAS?
Quebec workers contribute to QPP instead of CPP, so they receive QPP rather than CPP. Old Age Security is federal and is paid in Quebec on the standard national schedule — July 29 this month, two days before QPP.
How much is the maximum QPP payment in 2026?
The maximum QPP retirement pension at age 65 is $1,507.65 per month in 2026, identical to CPP. Starting at 60 reduces it to $964.90; waiting until 72 raises it to $2,394.15.
Did QPP go up in July 2026?
No. QPP is indexed once a year, each January, and rose 2.0 percent on January 1, 2026. Only OAS and the Guaranteed Income Supplement adjust quarterly, which is why the July 29 federal deposit changed and the July 31 QPP deposit did not.
Is QPP paid early in December like CPP?
No. Service Canada advances the December CPP and OAS payment to December 22 ahead of the holidays. Retraite Québec does not — QPP pays December 30, 2026.
Payment dates and benefit amounts verified against the Retraite Québec 2026 payment calendar and 2026 benefit amounts and key data. Federal figures verified against Service Canada rate tables for the July to September 2026 quarter. Last updated: July 2026.