How to Request CPP Child-Rearing Provisions to Protect Your Pension

Who can use the CPP child-rearing provisions?

The provisions are intended for CPP contributors whose pension record contains periods of low or no earnings because they were raising a young child. Service Canada says the provisions may apply when all of the following are relevant:

• you were the primary caregiver of a dependent child under age 7;
• the child was born after December 31, 1958;
• you had low earnings or did not work during the child-rearing period; and
• you or your current or former spouse or common-law partner received Family Allowance payments or were eligible for the Canada Child Benefit.

For CPP purposes, the primary caregiver is the person most responsible for the child's day-to-day needs. Service Canada gives examples such as supervising the child, preparing meals, attending school meetings and taking the child to medical appointments.

Only one person can be the primary caregiver for the same child and the same period. The same child-rearing period cannot be applied to both parents' CPP records.

How the child-rearing provisions can protect your CPP pension

The CPP uses two related mechanisms when calculating eligible benefits.

Child-rearing drop-out for the base CPP

For the base component of CPP, eligible months in which you had low or no earnings while acting as the primary caregiver of a child under age 7 can be excluded from the contributory calculation when doing so increases your benefit.

This may increase a CPP retirement pension and can also help a person meet contributory requirements for certain other CPP benefits, including disability benefits. In some circumstances, it can also affect eligibility for benefits payable to an estate or survivors after the contributor dies.

Child-rearing drop-in for the enhanced CPP

For the enhanced CPP component, Service Canada can provide pension credits for qualifying years in which your earnings were reduced because of child rearing. These credits are based on your enhanced CPP contributions in the 5 years before you became the primary caregiver and are used when they are higher than your actual earnings.

The enhanced child-rearing credits apply to eligible low- or no-earning periods after January 1, 2019.

What information and documents do you need?

For each child, Service Canada asks for the child's:

• full name;
• date of birth;
• Social Insurance Number, if available; and
• date of entry into Canada if the child was born outside Canada.

If you do not provide the child's SIN, Service Canada may require a copy of the child's birth certificate or other proof of birth. For a child born outside Canada, Service Canada may request evidence of the child's date of birth and entry into Canada, such as immigration documentation or a passport.

Service Canada advises applicants to send copies rather than original documents whenever supporting documents are required. Copies must be readable and complete.

How to request the provision through My Service Canada Account

If you have applied for or are receiving a CPP retirement pension or CPP disability benefits, you can use My Service Canada Account (MSCA). On the CPP section of your account, Service Canada provides a "View or request my child-rearing provision" service.

The online route is also useful for managing your CPP file and submitting supporting documents when Service Canada requests them.

When to use Form ISP1640

Form ISP1640, Request for a Child Rearing Provision, is the dedicated Service Canada form for this request. It can be used if you have applied for or are already receiving a CPP retirement pension or disability benefit, and it is also used separately with other CPP benefit claims where the child-rearing information is required.

The form asks for your personal details, information about each child, Family Allowance and Canada Child Benefit history, periods when you were or were not the primary caregiver, and any applicable waiver information.

The PDF is available as a paper or fillable form. Service Canada specifically states that although the fillable version can be saved on your computer, the fillable PDF itself cannot be submitted electronically. A completed paper application can be mailed or dropped off at a Service Canada office using the instructions and addresses provided with the form.

Can you request it when applying for CPP retirement or disability?

Yes. Service Canada allows the child-rearing provisions to be requested as part of a CPP benefit application. For the CPP retirement pension, the child-rearing information is included in sections 11A and 11B of application form ISP1000. The CPP disability application also includes the option to request the provision.

You do not need to wait until retirement to establish that a child-rearing period may matter. However, the practical effect is determined when Service Canada calculates an applicable CPP benefit.

Can you request it after you are already receiving CPP?

Yes. Service Canada states that a person already receiving a CPP benefit can still ask for the child-rearing provisions. You can request them through MSCA when the service is available for your benefit or submit Form ISP1640.

There is no general application deadline published on the current Service Canada child-rearing page for a living contributor who is already receiving a CPP retirement or disability benefit. Because the provision can affect benefit calculations, it is sensible to submit the request as soon as you identify an eligible child-rearing period.

What if your spouse received the child benefit but you were the caregiver?

Older child-rearing periods can require special attention because Family Allowance payments were often issued to one spouse even when the other spouse stayed home as the primary caregiver.

Form ISP1640 provides a waiver of rights process for certain Family Allowance situations. If your current or former spouse or common-law partner received Family Allowance but you were actually the primary caregiver, that person may be able to waive their rights in your favour. The form states that such a waiver cannot be reversed.

For periods involving Canada Child Benefit eligibility after 1993, if your spouse received the benefit but you were actually the primary caregiver, Service Canada says you may still be considered. In some cases, a letter from the Canada Revenue Agency confirming that you would have been eligible for the child benefit may be required.

What happens after you submit the request?

Service Canada reviews the child-rearing periods against your CPP contribution record and the information you provide. The provision is applied only where the applicable calculation rules allow it and, for the drop-out calculation, where excluding the low-earning period improves your benefit.

Your Statement of Contributions can also reflect child-rearing adjustments. Service Canada explains that the letter "E" in the pensionable earnings information can indicate earnings credited through the child-rearing drop-in provision.

Service Canada does not publish a specific processing-time standard for a standalone ISP1640 request. The timing can therefore depend on the CPP benefit involved, whether you are already receiving benefits and whether additional evidence is required.

Common mistakes and important limits

• Do not assume that simply having a child is enough. You must have been the primary caregiver during the period being claimed.
• Do not claim a period for a child who was already age 7 or older.
• Do not claim the same child-rearing period on both parents' CPP accounts.
• Do not leave out a child's birth information or entry-to-Canada information when it applies.
• If you use the paper ISP1640 form, make sure all required sections are completed and signed.
• Do not send an incomplete or unreadable document copy if Service Canada asks for supporting evidence.

Does this CPP procedure apply in Quebec?

The Canada Pension Plan covers employed and self-employed workers throughout Canada except Quebec, which operates the Quebec Pension Plan. If your pensionable employment was covered by the QPP rather than CPP, the federal CPP child-rearing procedure described here may not be the correct route.

Related situations that use different procedures

The child-rearing provision changes how qualifying parenting periods are treated in a CPP calculation; it is not a child support, custody or family-law process. If your concern instead involves changing support because family circumstances changed, see how to change child support in Ontario after an income or family change.

If a family separation involves support across provincial or international borders, the process is also separate. See how to apply for or change child or spousal support when the other person lives elsewhere.