Attention cyber seniors: go on-line to check your government benefits

(The federal government has information about most of its programs and services on-line, including the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS), which are the two most relevant programs for seniors.

Here are some of the features of on-line services for seniors: • They're safe and secure. Before using some of the Service Canada on-line services, you have to apply for a Personal Access Code, which takes between 5 to10 business days to receive. You can apply for a Personal Access Code either by going to servicecanada.gc.ca and applying for one on-line, or by calling Service Canada at 1 877 454-4051. • They're convenient. You can apply for your CPP Retirement Pension on-line. In most cases, it's no longer necessary to provide birth evidence with your application. Once your pension has been approved, you can use your Personal Access Code to access on-line services and monitor your benefits. If you want to change your address, phone number, or direct deposit banking information, you can also do this on-line through Service Canada. • They're helpful for tax planning. At tax time, you can download your CPP and OAS Tax Information Slips from the Web. This service allows you to view and print copies of your tax information slips (T4 and NR4) as early as February 1 during tax season. • They're helpful for retirement planning. If you're thinking of retirement, there are a number of planning tools available, including the CPP Statement of Contributions on-line service, or the Canadian Retirement Income Calculator, which is available to everyone. • One-on-one contact is as close as your phone. If you want information on Canada's public pensions and prefer one-on-one contact, you can call Service Canada at 1 800 277-9914 for service in English, or 1 800 277-9915 for service in French (TTY: 1 800 255-4786). You can also visit one of the 320 Service Canada Centres across Canada.

For more information about Service Canada's programs and services, visit their Web site at servicecanada.gc.ca.