How does a credit split affect my Canada Pension Plan benefits?
When you become eligible for a Canada Pension Plan pension or benefit (or if you already are receiving one), the actual impact of a credit split could be large or small. Here is an example where the impact would be large. Christine and Daniel were married for 20 years. During the entire time, Christine stayed home to raise their three children. They divorced last year. Because she had no earnings, Christine had not paid into the Canada Pension Plan and she would not have been entitled to any Canada Pension Plan benefits. However, Christine asked Canada Pension Plan to split the pension credits. Canada Pension Plan divided the credits Daniel had earned during their marriage, equally between them. Christine now has a Canada Pension Plan account with her own credits. When she reaches retirement age and applies for her retirement pension, she will be entitled to one. If she becomes disabled, she may also be entitled to a Canada Pension Plan disability pension provided she meets all the eli
