What happens to CPP credits after a separation or divorce

Dear reader,

When a marriage or common-law relationship ends, the house, the savings and the workplace pensions are usually argued over by lawyers. The Canada Pension Plan is handled differently. The CPP credits both partners earned while they lived together can be added up and split equally between them, through Service Canada, with rules of its own. The official name is a credit split, and it is permanent.¹

This letter sets out what is split, when it happens, the time limits that differ between married and common-law couples, and the effect a split can have years later, including on survivor benefits.

What exactly is split

The split covers the CPP contributions made during the time a couple lived together. The pensionable earnings of both partners for those years are pooled and divided equally, and credits can be divided even if one of the two never contributed at all.¹

Some periods are excluded: any time before either person turned 18 or after either turned 70, and any months in which either was receiving a CPP retirement or disability pension.¹

The government’s own example

Service Canada illustrates the split with a couple it calls John and Maria, who lived together from 1985 and separated in 1997. Their earnings from 1985 to 1996 are pooled and divided equally; the year of separation is not included.¹

Two years from the official example

Year	John earned	Maria earned	Each after the split
1985	$23,400	$14,200	$18,800
1996	$18,300	$35,400	$26,850

Figures as published by the Government of Canada. The split moves in whichever direction the earnings were higher in that year, which is why it is done year by year rather than as one lump.

The example shows something people often miss. A credit split does not always favour the partner who earned less overall. In years when that partner out-earned the other, credits move the other way.

When it happens, and the time limits

Conditions by situation, for relationships that ended on or after 1 January 1987

Situation	Lived together	Time limit
Divorce or annulment	At least 12 consecutive months	None; either former spouse notifies Service Canada
Legally married, separated	12 consecutive months together, then 12 apart	None, unless the spouse dies: then within 36 months of the death
Common-law relationship ended	12 consecutive months together, then 12 apart	Within 48 months of starting to live apart, unless the former partner agrees in writing to waive it

Summarized from the Government of Canada’s credit-split page. Older divorces, from 1978 to 1986, have different conditions; divorces before 1978 are not eligible.¹

For divorces, the practical point is that the split is not a favour the other spouse can refuse. Once Service Canada is notified and has the information it needs, the credits are divided, and there is no deadline for doing so.

Can an agreement stop it?

Generally, no: a spousal agreement does not prevent a credit split. There are two exceptions. Agreements made before 4 June 1986 can prevent one. And in Quebec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta, an agreement can prevent a split where provincial law allows couples to agree not to divide CPP credits.¹ Whether a particular agreement meets the provincial conditions is a legal question for a family lawyer in that province.

Important

A separated legal spouse whose credit split was approved in January 2025 or later is not eligible for a survivor’s pension from the same contributor, unless the couple reunited and lived together for 12 months or more immediately before the death.¹

How much difference it makes

Service Canada’s honest answer is that the impact can vary considerably. Two features soften it: the general drop-out, which ignores a share of the lowest-earning years, and the child-rearing provision, if they overlap with the years the couple lived together.¹ The split appears on each person’s Statement of Contributions as a CS code against the affected years; how to read that record is explained in what your CPP Statement of Contributions is really telling you.

How to apply

Online, use the CPP Credit Split form in My Service Canada Account; on paper, form ISP1901, by mail. A representative such as a lawyer can act for you by mail or by phone, but not online.¹

A couple who are still living together and both receiving CPP have a different, reversible option, covered in how CPP pension sharing between spouses actually works. Sharing ends with a divorce; a credit split is what may come after.

What to have ready

The form asks about the relationship rather than the money: the dates you began and stopped living together, the date of the marriage and of the divorce or separation, and supporting documents such as the divorce certificate. Service Canada works out the earnings itself from both contribution records. If you are not sure of the exact dates, old leases, tax returns showing a shared address, or the separation agreement itself usually settle them.

Who should look into it

• Anyone divorced since 1987 who has never checked for a CS code on their statement.
• Former common-law partners approaching the 48-month limit.
• Separated but still-married spouses, especially where the other spouse’s health is poor.
• Anyone with a separation agreement in Quebec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia or Alberta.

The takeaway

A credit split divides the CPP years a couple shared, permanently and year by year. For divorced couples there is no deadline; for common-law couples there usually is. Keep the decision letter with your separation papers in the folder, because it will matter again when either of you applies for a pension.

P.S. The next letter goes out on Tuesday. If it does not reach you yet, the reply card is below.