The agreement with Canada includes a main agreement, which applies to Canada's Old Age Security program and the Canada Pension Plan, and an additional understanding that extends the agreement to the provincial- level Quebec Pension Plan. The agreement with Canada, including the understanding with Quebec, became effective August 1, 1984. A supplementary agreement, which revises several provisions of the original agreement, became effective October 1, 1997.

Periods of U.S. and Canadian Social Security coverage a worker earned prior to August 1, 1984, may be used to establish entitlement to U.S. or Canadian Totalization benefits. However, the earliest possible month of entitlement to such benefits is August 1984.