Surviving spous's pension and child allowance

The fund member’s children and adopted children, are entitled to payments for surviving children until they reach 18 years of age (longer at some pension funds). A pension for surviving children is paid if the fund member paid into the fund for at least 24 of the last 36 months, or for six of the last 12 months, prior to the member’s death, has been receiving an old-age or a disability pension at death or obtained the right to extrapolation.

Stepchildren and foster children will be entitled if they have verifiably been supported by the fund member.

In general, the amount of the payments to the surviving children is not dependent on the fund member’s wages, rather being a fixed amount, which will change in keeping with the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The amount of the pension for the surviving children will be higher due to the fund member’s death than if he/she loses the capacity to work.

No. The amount of the pension for the surviving spouse depends on the rights which the fund member has acquired before death, including other rights he/she has accumulated at the fund if he/she has been making contributions up to the age of 65 or 67 (extrapolated calculation).

So as to accumulate the right to extrapolated calculation, the fund member will have to have kept making contributions to the pension fund for at least 24 months in the past 36 months, or 6 months in the past 12 months, before death.

If there are children living in the home, the surviving spouse will be paid a full surviving spouse’s pension until the youngest child turns 18 (for a longer period for some funds).

Likewise, a child allowance will be paid if the fund member has been making contributions for at least 24 of the past 36 months, or 6 of the past 12 months, was entitled to an old-age or disability pension at the time of death, or has obtained the right to extrapolation.

Stepchildren or foster children may have a right to a child allowance if the fund member has provably supported.

Full pension for the living spouse shall be paid for at least two years. Any extension depends on the conditions in the home and the regulations of the pension fund in question. Some pension funds pay a full or reduced pension to the surviving spouse for the rest of his/her life. However, this will be cancelled in the event the spouse remarries or becomes a cohabitant anew.

Your spouse may assign to you up to half of his/her pension rights.

When the fund member dies, the surviving spouse’s pension will be paid, whether or not the rights were divided. The full pension for the surviving spouse will be paid for at least two years. If the surviving spouse has children under 18 to support, the full surviving spouse pension will continue until the youngest child turns 18.  Some pension funds continue paying the pension for the surviving spouse.

If the surviving spouse is an invalid when the fund member dies, and is under 67, the pension for the surviving spouse will continue for the duration of the disability.

The pension for the surviving spouse will be cancelled if the spouse remarries or begins cohabiting.

Yes. A pension to the surviving spouse is paid to the surviving spouse upon the death of the fund member. A full pension for the surviving spouse will be paid for at least two years. If the surviving spouse has children under 18 years of age, a full pension for the surviving spouse will be paid until the youngest child has reached 18 years of age (longer for some funds). If the surviving spouse is an invalid at the death of the fund member, and is under 67 years of age, the full pension for the surviving spouse will be paid during the period of the disability.

Some pension funds pay a full pension or a reduced pension for the surviving spouse, even for the rest of his/her life. However, it will be cancelled if the spouse marries someone or becomes a cohabitant. Please note that the surviving spouse is entitled to use the deceased’s tax card for 9 months as of the month of death.

Yes, spouses may share out their pension rights. The division must be mutual and equal. This means that a married couple or cohabitants shall transfer to the other party an equal portion of his/her rights.

The authorization may cover up to one half of the pension rights. However, the division of pension rights between a married couple shall only cover the rights they have accumulated during the period they have been married or cohabiting.

Here are the options for dividing pension rights:

First, people may divide the pension payments already in progress.

Second, they may divide accumulated pension rights can be divided, provided they do so before the fund member turns 65. 

Third, they may divide future rights, i.e., pension rights accumulating after the division has been agreed.

It is important to seek an adviser’s assistance at the pension fund prior to dividing the pensions to ensure that the gain from the division is clear beforehand.