Quebec Pension (QPP) Payment Dates [month] [year] (2024)

The Quebec Pension Plan is a CCP style pension program for the province of Quebec. This post covers the QPP benefit program for Quebec retirees.

We’ll start off with the QPP payment dates for 2024, its eligibility, how to apply, how much you can receive and how the amount is calculated.

Quebec Pension (QPP) Payment Dates 2024

The payments for the retirement pension, disability or death benefits are combined and paid on the same dates, usually the last business day of each month.

So the Quebec Pension Plan, QPP payment dates for 2024 are:

Like all other benefit payments, you may choose to receive the QPP payments as cheque or as direct deposit in your bank account.

Direct deposit is fast and secure, and ensures you’ll receive your retirement pension on the QPP payment dates above.

What is Quebec Pension Plan (QPP)?

The Quebec Pension Plan was started in 1966 with the aim of providing pension to those in retirement in the province. It is the equivalent of the federal pension program, Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

QPP payments can start as early as age 60, but those that wait till the normal retirement age of 65 will receive a higher amount. Also, the payments are guaranteed for life and inflation protected.

The available benefits under the Quebec Pension Plan include:

• Retirement Pension
• Disability benefits
• Survivors’ benefits
• Death Benefit

How Much QPP Can You Get?

Your monthly QPP payments is based on how much you have contributed to the plan and your age when you apply for it.

The earliest age to start receiving the QPP retirement pension is 60. But the longer you wait to apply, the higher the amount you’ll get.

For example, a retiree that applies at age 60 will only receive 64% of the maximum pension amount for someone aged 65.

On the other hand, if the retiree waits till 72 before they start receiving QPP, they can receive 158.8% of the maximum amount.

For 2024 payment period, the QPP maximum monthly amounts for retirement pension are shown in the table below:

To estimate how much you can receive, you can use the CompuPension tool here to simulate your retirement income. Another useful tool from the Quebec government is SimulR.

The Statement of Participation in the Quebec Pension Plan will also show you how much you have contributed to the plan and what you can expect to receive.

Here are a few things to note about your retirement pension:

• You can apply and start receiving your retirement pension the month after you turn 60. However, waiting till age 65 or after will increase your pension amount
• If you apply at age 65, you can expect the pension payment to replace 25-33% of your average monthly earnings for your contribution period. Months with low or nil income can be excluded from the average, meaning you’ll get a higher amount.
• If you’ve contributed to the plan and you’re over age 60, you can start receiving your pension even if you’re still working full-time or part-time

Is QPP Taxable?

The retirement pension amount is taxable. Your tax liability depends on your total income for the year that is made up of your retirement pension and income from all other sources.

However, you can reduce the tax payable on your QPP amount by sharing your pension with your spouse. Both spouses must be above age 60 for them to share the pension.

And if they’ve both contributed to QPP, then both of them must have started receiving their pension for the strategy to work.

QPP income sharing with a spouse is not automatic. You must apply to RetraiteQuébec to take advantage of the option. Check here for more information.

Additional QPP Benefits

There are a few other benefits available under the Quebec Pension plan in addition to the retirement income. These include:

Disability benefit

Persons below age 65 with a disability that have made sufficient contributions to the Quebec pension plan can receive disability benefits under QPP.

The benefit includes a disability pension for the QPP contributor, pension for their child and additional amount for disability.

Disability pension pays a maximum monthly benefit of $1606.75 and $93.39 for the disabled person’s child.

Finally, the additional amount for disability for retirement pension beneficiaries is capped at $583.29 per month in 2024.

Survivors’ benefit

The survivors’ benefit provides financial assistance to the family of a deceased QPP beneficiaries if they “contributed sufficiently to the Quebec Pension Plan”.

It includes a surviving spouse’s pension and an orphan’s pension.

The surviving spouse’ pension pays a monthly benefit of $668.91 to a beneficiary aged 45 and below with no dependent children and up to $1102.80 a month to beneficiaries aged 45 to 64.

Orphan’s pension on the other hand is a maximum monthly benefit of $294.12 that is paid until the child turns 18.

Death Benefit

This is a lump sum payment of a maximum $2,500 to the heirs of a QPP recipient or to someone or charity that paid the funeral expenses at their death.

The person that paid the funeral expenses is given the priority in determining who gets the benefit. If the actual funeral expenses are not up to $2,500, the difference can be paid to the heirs.

Note that the death benefit is taxable and must be included in the income of the estate.

Quebec Disability Pension Payment Dates 2024

The disability pension benefits are paid on the same day as QPP retirement income, usually the last business day of each month. For 2024, the Quebec disability pension payment dates are:

Like the retirement pension payments, you can enroll for direct deposit to have the benefits received in your bank account on the Quebec disability payment dates.

QPP Increase 2024

QPP benefit amounts are indexed to inflation so recipients will always see an increase each year.

The table below shows a summary of the QPP rates in 2023 vs 2024.

The maximum disability benefits also increased from $1,537.13 in 2023 to $1606.75 in 2024 – an increase of $69.2. The survivors’ benefit increased too but the lump-sum death benefit of $2,500 remain unchanged.

Besides the regular annual increase, there’s no any official announcement on QPP increase for 2024 yet.

However, the following changes were implemented on the QPP program starting January 1, 2024:

• You can stop contributing to QPP at the age of 65 or above while working. The previous law required every worker to contribute to the program.
• The maximum age you can defer or apply for the QPP has been increased to 72 from 70.
• There will be no more pension reduction for those with no/low income at age of 65.

QPP Contributions

To be eligible to receive retirement income under QPP at retirement, recipients would have to make contributions to the plan over the course of their careers.

Those earning less than $3,500 are exempted from contributing to the Quebec pension plan. The base contribution rate is 10.8% of earnings up to the Maximum Pensionable Earnings of $68,500 for the current contribution year.

Employees can only contribute half of this amount, while their employer contributes the other half. On the other hand, Self-employed workers will have to contribute the full amount themselves.

There’s an additional plan that allows a maximum contribution rate of 1% to 2% for those interested in contributing extra to QPP.

When Does QPP Payment End?

QPP is a guaranteed retirement income source for beneficiaries. It is paid for life and does not end until after the death of the retiree.

So what happens to QPP at death?

At death, the retiree’s survivors get a lump sum, one-time death benefit of $2,500. Also, the surviving spouse and the deceased’s children may qualify for the monthly Surviving spouse’ pension and Orphan’s pension.

Some FAQs: Quebec Pension Plan

At what age can you apply for QPP?

Application for QPP retirement income can start at age 60. But the longer you wait to apply, the higher the amount you’ll get. For example, a retiree that applies at the age of 60 will only receive 64% of the maximum pension amount for someone aged 65.

How much can you receive as disability in Quebec?

You can receive up to a maximum of $1606.75 monthly as a disability benefit under QPP. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can also get $583.29 as an additional amount, and $93.39 for each child.

Will QPP benefits increase in 2024?

QPP is indexed to inflation so there’s always an annual increase. For 2024, the QPP retirement income for a recipient aged 65 increased by $58.03 from $1306.57 in to $1364.60 in 2024. All other benefits also had slight increases.

What date is Quebec pension paid?

The Quebec pension benefits are paid on the last business day of each month.

Related: Quebec Family Allowance Dates