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The surviving spouse's pension

  • You may be entitled to a surviving spouse's pension if your spouse has contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan.
  • If the deceased left a spouse, the surviving spouse could be entitled to a surviving spouse's pension. To be deemed to be the surviving spouse, certain rules apply
  • If your spouse was married to, or in a civil union with another person and was living with you in a de facto union without having obtained a legal separation, divorce or dissolution or annulment of civil union, you will not be entitled to a surviving spouse's pension following that spouse's death.
  • The amount of the surviving spouse's pension is based on several factors, in particular your age and whether or not you have any dependent children of the deceased person. The maximum is 716,31 $ in 2006.
  • The surviving spouse's pension is subject to income tax.
  • If you are already receiving a retirement or a disability pension from the Régie at the time when your spouse dies, you may also be eligible for a surviving spouse's pension. Both pensions will then be combined.
  • If your spouse was receiving a retirement pension at the time of death, the pension will stop.
  • You will continue to be entitled to your surviving spouse's pension even if you remarry or enter into a civil union.

To find out more... 


Other useful link...

  • The section What to do in the event of death (French only)on the Québec government portal tells you what you need to do following the death of a family member.

Did you know that?

The surviving spouse's pension can provide a basic income for widowed spouses and widowed de facto spouses.