Retirement pension

Verified 01 January 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

On the death of your spouse, you can, under certain conditions, collect a part of his retirement pension, called survivor's pension, from the Social Security Retirement Insurance if your spouse received or could have received a basic pension from the Pension Insurance. We present you the information to know.

Warning  

This page presents the conditions for awarding a survivor's pension by the Social Security Retirement Insurance.

If the deceased received or could have received one or more retirement pensions one or more other pension schemes (basic or supplementary), you can use a simulator that allows you to assess your entitlement to a survivor's pension from these other pension plans.

Reversion Right Simulator

Whatever pension plan(s) the deceased was under, you must must have been married with that person in order to be entitled to a survivor's pension.

Condition related to the deceased person

In order for a survivor's pension to be granted to you by the Social Security Retirement Insurance, the deceased person has benefited or may have benefited in retirement of a pension from the Retirement Insurance. That's the case if it was employee in the private sector or self-employed or public service contractor or artist-author.

FYI  

A survivor's pension may also be granted as a result of disappearance of a person for more than one year without claiming his or her retirement pension.

Condition relating to the applicant for the survivor's pension

Marriage condition

You must having been married with the deceased. The Civil partnerships: titleContent and cohabitation does not allow for a survivor's pension.

The divorced husband is treated as a surviving spouse.

The divorced spouse of the deceased person may receive the survivor's pension even if he lives in a relationship again on the death of her ex-husband.

Age condition

You must be at least 55 years of age.

Resource Condition

Your resources gross yearly shall be less than:

  • €25,001.60 if you live alone
  • €40,002.56 if you live as a couple.

The resources taken into account in the calculation of your gross annual resources are listed in the leaflet attached to single application form for basic reversion pension (pages 3 and 4).

If you have business income, it is only taken into account up to 70% of their amount.

The resources taken into account when applying for a survivor's pension are those of the 3 calendar months prior to the date on which the survivor's pension is awarded. Where they exceed one quarter of the applicable resources ceiling, the resources of the 12 calendar months preceding the date of the grant of the survivor's pension shall be taken into account.

You can apply for a survivor's pension on the official website Retirement Info from your retirement account.

This online service allows you to perform a one and only application valid for all basic and supplementary pension schemes to which your spouse or former spouse has contributed.

Apply for a Reversion Pension

Before starting your online process, the help tool called My supporting documents allows you to get the list of the main supporting documents you will need to attach at your request.

Obtain a list of supporting documents to attach to a retirement or reversion application

Once submitted to the relevant pension plans, you can track the status of your application for a survivor's pension at any time in your retirement account from the service Follow my requests.

If you don't have internet, you can apply using the following form:

Single application for basic reversion pension

Please note

This paper form is valid for several basic pension plans listed on page 1.

If your spouse or former spouse was receiving a retirement pension from one or more pension funds not included in this list (includingAgirc-Arrco: titleContent), you must apply for an additional survivor's pension from this fund or these various pension funds.

When applying for a survivor's pension, you must indicate the date from which you wish to receive the survivor's pension. You must comply with the following conditions:

  • This date must must be the 1er day of a month
  • It cannot be earlier than 1er day of the month following the month in which you reach the age of 55
  • It cannot be made before your application is filed.

However, the earliest date for the start of payment of the survivor's pension may be 1er day of the month following death, if you file the application within one year of death.

Failure to respond for more than 4 months to a request for a survivor's pension is a refusal decision.

Basic amount of survivor's pension

The survivor's pension is equal to 54% the basic retirement pension which the deceased was or could have been entitled to.

The amount of the survivor's pension cannot be inferior à per year (either # Survivor's pension - minimum monthly amount # per month) if the deceased had at least 15 years of age (60 quarters) of pension insurance to the general scheme.

If the deceased had less than 15 years of pension insurance, this minimum amount is divided into 60es and the minimum review pension is equal to as much as 60my that the deceased had quarters of insurance.

This minimum amount is revalued to 1er January of each year, based on the average change in consumer prices excluding tobacco.

When the amount of your survivor's pension and resources exceeds €25,001.60 if you live alone or €40,002.56 if you live as a coupleHowever, your survivor's pension is reduced so that this ceiling is not exceeded.

The survivor's pension is subject to the following contributions:

Where the deceased was in receipt of a second retirement pension following a employment-retirement accumulationHowever, this second retirement pension also entitles to a survivor's pension under the same conditions.

Increase in the survivor's pension according to the age and resources of the beneficiary

The survivor's pension shall be increased by 11.1% where the following conditions are met:

  • You are at least 67 years old
  • And the sum of all your retirement pensions (basic and supplementary) and all your survivor's pensions does not exceed €3,020.08 by quarter.

When the sum of your retirement pensions, survivor's pensions and the increase exceeds €3,020.08 per quarter, the mark-up shall be reduced so as not to exceed the ceiling.

Increase for children in the amount of the survivor's pension

The amount of the survivor's pension shall be increased by 10% if you have had at least 3 children.

If you are not divorced from the deceased, the amount of this increase cannot be less than 10e the minimum amount of the survivor's pension.

The amount of the survivor's pension is also increased if you meet the following conditions on the death of your spouse or former spouse:

  • You do not receive a retirement pension
  • You are under the age of 67
  • You have one or more dependent children.

The children considered to be dependent are:

  • Minor child
  • Child under 21 years of age continuing his studies
  • A child under the age of 21 who, as a result of invalidity or chronic illness, is permanently unable to engage in paid work.

The amount of the surcharge shall be 113.59 per child per month.

This amount is revalued to 1er January of each year, based on the average change in consumer prices excluding tobacco.

The lump-sum increase for dependent children ceases when you receive a retirement pension or when the child for whom it is granted is no longer your dependent.

When the amount of your survivor's pension, lump sum increase and resources exceeds €25,001.60 if you live alone or €40,002.56 if you live as a coupleHowever, the lump-sum increase for dependent children is reduced to the same extent as your survivor's pension so that this ceiling is not exceeded.

The survivor's pension is paid from the date you requested. It is paid every month, term expired.

The survivor's pension is revisable in case of change in the amount of your resources.

You must inform your Carsat: titleContent of any change in income.

Your survivor's pension may be revised upwards or downwards (or suspended) in the event of a change in your resources.

However, your survivor's pension can no longer be revised in the following cases :

  • After 3 months from the date you receive your basic and supplementary retirement pensions
  • On the date you reach the minimum retirement age when you do not receive retirement pensions.

When the deceased was remarried, the survivor's pension shall be divided between his surviving spouse and the previous divorced spouse or spouses in proportion to the respective duration of each marriage.

The duration of each marriage is determined from date to date and rounded to the lesser number of months.

If the surviving spouse and the previous divorced spouse or spouses do not all meet the conditions for the grant of the survivor's pension on the same date, the respective survivor's pension shares due to them shall be determined when calculating the rights of 1er of those who request it.

These survivor's pension shares are then paid out as the beneficiaries meet the conditions to receive them.

On the death of one of the beneficiaries, his share shall increase the share of the other or, where appropriate, of the other beneficiaries.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • To inform you about your situation, ask a question about your file, access personal information (file tracking, latest payments, etc.).

    By phone

    39.60 (or 09 71 10 39 60 from a mobile, a box or the foreigner)

    Free service + call price

    Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm

  • Pension and Occupational Health Insurance Fund (Carsat)