Seniors -> CPP child rearing drop-out

Did you stay home to raise young children?  Make sure you apply for the Child Rearing Drop-out when you apply for any CPP benefits.

If your children were born after December 31, 1958, and your CPP contributions were reduced while you stayed home or reduced your hours of work to be the primary caregiver for the children, you may be eligible to have the child rearing drop-out (CRDO) provision applied to your account when you apply for a CPP benefit (such as retirement or disability pension, or death or survivor benefits).  The CRDO applies for years when you were caring for your children who were under the age of 7 years.  Application of the CRDO will increase your monthly CPP benefit.

The CPP Child Rearing Drop-out application must be completed at the same time as you apply for any CPP benefit.  If you are already collecting a CPP benefit and did not know about the CRDO, contact Service Canada to apply to get your benefits increased retroactively.

For more information, see Child Rearing Drop-out Provision on the Service Canada web site.  This web page also has contact information.

Revised: July 19, 2010