Fill Out Form ISP-1000 Online
Application for a Canada Pension Plan Retirement Pension
Employment and Social Development Canada
Paper application for the Canada Pension Plan retirement pension for people aged 60 or older.
Reviewed July 2026
How it works
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Open the form. The official PDF loads straight into the editor, no download needed first.
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Fill it out in the editor. Click anywhere to type, add checkmarks and place your signature.
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Download your PDF. Save the completed form, ready to print or submit.
Form ISP-1000 is the paper application for the Canada Pension Plan retirement pension. It is issued by Employment and Social Development Canada and processed by Service Canada. The CPP retirement pension is not automatic, so contributors need to apply, and this 14-page kit is the standard way to do that on paper. You can start your pension as early as age 60 or delay it past 65 for a larger monthly amount.
You can fill out ISP-1000 directly in the Universal PDF editor. Open the form, type your answers into each field, review your entries, then download the completed PDF to print and sign before sending it to Service Canada.
What is Form ISP-1000 used for
ISP-1000 starts your Canada Pension Plan retirement pension. The pension is a monthly, taxable benefit based on the contributions you made during your working years. Because you must apply to receive it, the form collects the details Service Canada needs to confirm your identity, calculate your entitlement, and set up payment.
The form also lets you choose when your pension begins. You can take it as early as the month after your 60th birthday at a reduced rate, at the standard age of 65, or as late as 70 with a permanent increase. Current payment figures are published on canada.ca.
Who applies with Form ISP-1000
Anyone who has made at least one valid contribution to the Canada Pension Plan and is at least one month past their 59th birthday can apply. That includes people still working, people already retired, and people living outside Canada who contributed while working here.
If you contributed only to the Quebec Pension Plan, you apply to Retraite Quebec instead. If you contributed to both plans, you generally apply to the plan of the province where you live. Service Canada also offers an online application through My Service Canada Account, so the paper form is mainly for people who prefer to apply by mail or cannot use the online service.
How to fill out Form ISP-1000
The kit pairs an information sheet with the application itself. Read the information sheet first, then work through the application section by section:
- Enter your Social Insurance Number, full legal name, date of birth, and contact details exactly as they appear in official records.
- Choose the month you want your pension to start, either a specific date or the earliest month you qualify.
- Provide your banking details if you want direct deposit, which is how Service Canada prefers to pay benefits.
- Complete the child-rearing section if you stopped working or reduced your hours to care for children under age 7, since those years can raise your payment.
- Answer the questions about other pension plans, including the Quebec Pension Plan and foreign pensions, if they apply to you.
- Sign and date the declaration. Unsigned applications are returned, which delays processing.
How to submit it
Mail the signed application to the Service Canada office for your province or territory. The mailing addresses are listed in the kit and on canada.ca. If you live outside Canada, send it to the office serving the province where you last resided. You can also bring the completed form to a Service Canada office in person.
If you would rather skip paper entirely, you can apply online through My Service Canada Account. Do not use both routes for the same application.
Frequently asked questions
Service Canada recommends applying several months before you want payments to begin, since the application must be reviewed and your contribution record confirmed before the first payment goes out.
You can submit the application shortly before your 60th birthday, but the earliest a retirement pension can start is the month after you turn 60. Taking it before 65 permanently reduces the monthly amount.
No. You can receive the pension while working. If you work while receiving it and are under 70, you may keep contributing and earn the CPP post-retirement benefit, which adds to your income the following year.
The amount depends on how much and how long you contributed and the age you start. Check current maximum and average amounts on canada.ca, or view your personal estimate in My Service Canada Account.
If you contributed only to the Quebec Pension Plan, apply to Retraite Quebec. If you contributed to both the CPP and QPP, you normally apply based on where you live now, and the plans coordinate your record.
Yes. My Service Canada Account offers an online CPP retirement application for most applicants. ISP-1000 is the equivalent paper route.
Related forms
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