What retirement benefits are available to survivors after the death of a spouse, common-law partner, or parent?
If the deceased contributed to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), survivors may qualify for benefits, including the CPP Death benefit, Survivor’s pension, and Children’s benefits.
A surviving spouse may also qualify for Old Age Security (OAS) payments in the form of a benefit referred to as Allowance for the Survivor.
Key Takeaways
- The CPP death benefit is a single payment of $2,500 to the deceased’s estate.
- The maximum CPP survivor’s pension for individuals who are 65+ is $818.76, while the amount for those under 65 is $739.31.
- The maximum child benefit under the CPP program is $294.12.
- Seniors who qualify for the Allowance Benefit under the OAS receive up to $1,626.20 monthly.
1. CPP Death Benefit
The CPP Death Benefit is a one-time, lump-sum payment to the deceased’s estate.
If an estate exists, the executor of the will or administrator appointed by the Court can apply for the death benefit. In a case where no estate exists, payment of the death benefit can be made directly to the following individuals in order of priority:
- The person or institution responsible for funeral expenses
- The surviving spouse or common-law partner
- The next-of-kin of the deceased
Eligibility and CPP Death Benefit Amount
To be eligible for the death benefit, the deceased must have made contributions to the CPP for the lesser of one-third of the calendar years in their contributory period or ten calendar years.
The amount received depends on how much and for how long the deceased contributed to the CPP. Starting in 2020, a flat rate of $2,500 is paid as a death benefit to all beneficiaries, irrespective of the CPP contributions made by the deceased.
2. CPP Survivor’s Pension
The CPP Survivor’s benefit is paid to the legal surviving spouse or common-law partner of the deceased.
If the deceased’s legal spouse is separated and the deceased had no other cohabiting common-law partner, the surviving spouse may be eligible for the survivor’s pension.
Survivor’s Pension Amount
The amount you will eventually receive depends on many factors and Service Canada’s complicated calculations. Generally, the survivor’s benefit will depend on:
- Whether you’re receiving other pension or disability benefit
- Age of surviving spouse
- Deceased spouse’s contribution to the CPP
Example 1: If the survivor is 65 years or older and not receiving any other CPP benefits, their survivor’s pension is 60% of the deceased contributor’s pension at age 65.
As of January 2024, the average monthly amount paid as survivor’s pension to new beneficiaries who are 65 years and older was $326.87. The maximum payment amount for 2024 is $818.76.
Example 2: If the surviving spouse is between 45-64 years of age and not receiving any other CPP benefits, they will receive 37.5% of the deceased contributor’s retirement pension plus a “flat rate portion.”
As of January 2024, the average monthly survivor’s pension paid to new beneficiaries who are younger than 65 years was $524.68. The maximum payment amount for 2024 is $739.31.
These are just two examples from a myriad of possible scenarios. If unsure how to proceed or what to expect, contact Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 (TTY: 1-800-255-4786).
Other Points to Note for the Survivor’s Pension:
- You can only receive one survivor’s pension, even if you survive many spouses. You will be paid whichever benefit is the largest.
- You will not lose your survivor’s benefit if you re-marry.
- If you already receive other CPP benefits, all your pension benefits are combined and paid in one single monthly payment.
- The maximum total benefit you can get if receiving both the survivor’s pension and other CPP benefits is the maximum retirement pension, which is $1,306.57 for 2023.
3. CPP Surviving Child’s Benefits
The CPP Children’s Benefit is a monthly payment available to the dependent children of a deceased CPP contributor. To be eligible, the child must be under 18 years of age or, if enrolled in school, between the ages of 18 and 25.
The child could be the natural or adopted child of the deceased.
The average monthly children’s benefit paid to new beneficiaries as of January 2024 was $294.12. The maximum benefit in 2024 is $294.12.
4. OAS Allowance for the Survivor
The Allowance for the Survivor is a benefit available to surviving spouses or common-law partners who are aged between 60 and 64 years and have a low income.
To qualify for this benefit, you must earn $29,328 or less. The maximum monthly payment for the allowance for the survivor benefit is $1,626.20 for the July to September 2024 quarter.
Unlike CPP benefit payments, the allowance for the survivor benefit is non-taxable.
How to Apply for Survivor Benefits
You must notify the government immediately after the death of a person receiving CPP or OAS benefits. If not, any payments made to the deceased after the month of death will have to be repaid.
Send in your application for death and children’s benefits and the survivor’s pension as soon as possible after the contributor’s death. This will ensure you don’t lose out on benefits.
For the Allowance for the Survivor benefit, apply 6 to 11 months before your 60th birthday. A surviving spouse can receive a survivor’s pension as early as the month after the contributor’s death.
Forms
Some of the forms you may be required to complete include:
- Survivor’s pension: CPP survivor’s pension and children’s benefits application for (ISP-1300)
- Children’s benefits: Under 18 (ISP-1300) and Over 18 years (ISP-1400)
- Death benefit: ISP-1200 form
- Allowance for the Survivor: Form ISP-3008
After downloading and completing the forms, return or mail them to the nearest Service Canada Centre.
Other documentation/information required includes:
- The deceased’s social insurance number
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- Survivor’s social insurance number – spouse and children
- A certified copy of the marriage certificate – if you were married to the deceased
- A statutory declaration if you were living in a common-law relationship with the deceased.
Note: Remember to send certified photocopies of documents instead of originals. This way, you can avoid the risk of your precious documents getting lost in the mail. You can certify your documents for free at any Service Canada Centre.
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Thank you for your article! Appreciated it!
Just curious, will PRB (Post Retirement Benefit) go to my spouse if I passed away?
@Winci: Based on how I understand it, No. The PRB does not impact a survivor’s pension amount.
I wanted to ask about that “survivor benefits”, I was asked if I ever got my that for my 3 children who lost their father in 2015, and when I was asked if i ever applied for that, so for me when I was asked I was completely clueless to what I was being asked, so I started searching that up online, and now i am curious to know if my children were entitled to get that, I remember one time after a month of their father’s death their grandmother messaged me to tell me that she would be giving me something for my children which she never did and I actually stopped talking to her after I moved away. So again that question came up from a close friend of mine who had lost the father of her children and she received a lump sum of money after her husbands death. I don’t know where or who else to ask about this so i decided to post my question on here. hoping to get some answers on this question.
@JC: If your kids were under 18 when their dad died and he had contributed to the CPP, they may have been eligible for the monthly CPP Children’s benefit. Best to contact CPP directly (via My Service Canada) if you never received it.
Hi my common law spouse passed away March 31st, 2019, and I have just been told about these benefits that I may be entitled to. I’m 45 years old and have been with my common law spouse for 25 years and we have 2 children together one is 17 years old and the other is 19 years old and currently in university. Which benefits will I be able to apply for? My spouse has worked and contributed to CPP. Am I only entitled to the CPP survivor’s death benefit? Or is there anything else I could be entitled to receive,? Please let me know asap cause it’s already been 3 years that my spouse has been gone and I was just informed of these benefits
Hello :
I am receiving ODSP . Will this affected me to receive: CPP from my deseas husband
I am receiving a surivivors pension ..can I get a payout for the amount or will I have to keep getting the monthly chq sent to Australia.
Your article states the following “Starting in 2020, a flat-rate of $2,500 will be paid as a death benefit to all beneficiaries irrespective of the CPP contributions made by the deceased.”
My mother passed away last month and was denied the CPP death benefit as a result of not making enough CPP contirbutions. Where did you get this information?
@Bev: The same amount is paid out to the estate of an eligible deceased contributor regardless of how much they contributed. To be eligible, they must have made contributions to the CPP for at least:
“one-third of the calendar years in their contributory period for the base CPP, but no less than 3 calendar years; or
10 calendar years.”
Is CPP Survivor’s Benefit counted as income when they calculate OAS Survivor’s Allowance?
@TJ: I believe it is.
Hello, I receive CPP Survivor’s Benefit. I am unemployed and turning 60 soon so I will also be applying for the OAS Allowance for the Survivor. Is the CPP Survivor’s Benefit considered an income source which will be used to reduce the maximum OAS Allowance benefit?