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Death of an employee as a result of an accident at work or on the way: compensation for beneficiaries
Verified 01 January 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
You are right holder an employee who has died as a result of an accident or a journey? A sum of money paid periodically called annuity may be granted to you by your social security organization (CPAM: titleContent or MSA: titleContent), under certain conditions. What are the criteria and procedures to benefit from it? We present you the information to know.
What applies to you ?
Your rights vary depending on you lived as a couple with the deceased person or are the former spouse, his child or a ascending.
You lived as a couple
The rules vary depending on whether you and the deceased had at least one child:
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You had at least one child with the deceased
If you had at least 1 child with if the employee has died, you can apply for the pension.
However, if you have been convicted for a family reason, you will not be entitled to the pension. This may be the case due to family abandonment, non-payment of maintenance or total withdrawal of parental authority.
You have no children with the deceased
You can claim the pension if you are in one of the following cases:
- You were married, partners of Civil partnerships or registered cohabiting partner(s) before the date of the trip
- You were in a relationship, partner of Civil partnerships or cohabiting partner with the deceased at least 2 years before the date of his death.
No, the beneficiary's pension is not automatically assigned to you.
It's up to you to request it.
You must send an application, by free mail, to the health insurance fund of the deceased employee.
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The deceased depended on the general regime
You must forward the request to the CPAM: titleContent.
The deceased depended on the farm system
You must forward the request to the MSA: titleContent.
The amount of the pension differs according to your situation:
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General case
The amount shall be fixed at 40% the deceased's annual salary.
You are 55 years of age or at least 50% incapacitated
If you meet one of these 2 conditions, you can apply for an additional pension 20%.
The pension will be increased to 60% of the annual salary of the deceased employee.
You have remarried or passed away
You do not have a child with the deceased
You are not entitled to an annuity.
It shall be replaced by one-time payment an amount equal to 3 times the annual amount of the pension to which you would have been entitled if you had stayed with the employee before his or her death.
If you become a widower following your new union or if it ends (separation, divorce), you can receive the pension again. It will eventually be reduced by the amount of capital already paid in.
You have had children with the deceased
You retain the right to the pension for as long as your child benefits from it.
The deceased had remarried or passed away
As a previous spouse, your pension cannot be less than half of the 40% pension received by the new spouse.
As a result, your pension will be at least 20%.
When several rights holders receive an annuity, the total amount of the annuities paid may not exceed 85% the annual salary of the deceased employee.
If this ceiling is exceeded, the amount of the pension paid to each beneficiary is reduced in proportion to the excess.
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General case
The pension is paid from the day after death.
However, you must apply for it, as the payment is not automatic.
It is paid every quarter (every 3 months).
Deceased beneficiary of a PPI pension
When the deceased received a permanent incapacity for work (PPI) pension, the beneficiary's pension is paid from 1er the day of the month following the month in which the death occurred.
However, you must apply for it, as the payment is not automatic.
The annuity is paid every quarter (every 3 months).
The amounts collected for the annuity are fully exempt Generalized social contribution (CSG) and social debt repayment contribution (CRDS).
They are not taken into account in the calculation of income tax.
The funeral expenses of the deceased victim shall be borne by the CPAM: titleContent or the AMM, up to €2,003.
The CPAM or MSA also covers the cost of transporting the body to the burial site (only in France), at the request of the family, in one the following cases:
- The death occurred during a business trip
- The deceased had left his/her residence at the request of his/her employer to be hired (specifically, the employee came to sign his/her employment contract at the request of his/her employer).
The rights holders of the deceased may also collect, subject to conditions, death capital.
You are the ex-spouse
You can claim the pension if, at the time of the accident, you met the following 2 conditions:
- You were divorced, legally separated or had broken your civil pact of solidarity (Civil partnerships) with the deceased
- The deceased had to pay you child support or financial assistance.
No, the beneficiary's pension is not automatically assigned to you.
It's up to you to request it.
To get it, you must make a request, by free mail, to the health insurance fund of the deceased employee.
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The deceased depended on the general scheme
You must forward the request to the CPAM: titleContent.
The deceased depended on the agricultural system
You must forward the request to the MSA: titleContent.
The amount of the pension is equal to the amount of support or financial assistance that the deceased had to pay you before his/her accident.
This amount may not exceed 20% the deceased's annual salary.
Example :
If the reference annual salary of the deceased employee is €30,000, the overall pension ceiling is therefore €30,000 × 20% or €6,000 per year.
If the amount of maintenance paid to the ex-spouse was €5,000 per year, the amount of the ex-spouse's pension will therefore be €5,000 per year (because this amount corresponds to the maintenance he/she received before death and does not exceed 20% of the annual salary).
If maintenance had been 7 000 € per year, the pension would be limited to 6 000 € per year (20 % of the annual salary of 30 000 €), as this ceiling cannot be exceeded.
When several rights holders receive an annuity, the total amount of the annuities paid may not exceed 85% the annual salary of the deceased employee.
If this ceiling is exceeded, the amount of the pension paid to each beneficiary is reduced in proportion to the excess.
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General case
The pension is paid from the day after death.
However, you must apply for it, as the payment is not automatic.
It is paid every quarter (every 3 months).
Deceased beneficiary of a permanent incapacity for work pension
When the deceased received a permanent incapacity for work (PPI) pension, the beneficiary's pension is paid from 1er the day of the month following the month in which the death occurred.
However, you must apply for it because the pension is not paid automatically.
The annuity is paid every quarter (every 3 months).
The amounts collected for the annuity are fully exempt Generalized social contribution (CSG) and social debt repayment contribution (CRDS).
They are not taken into account in the calculation of income tax.
The funeral expenses of the deceased victim shall be borne by the CPAM: titleContent or the AMM, up to €2,003.
The CPAM or MSA also covers the costs of transporting the body to the burial site (only in France), at the request of the family, in one the following cases:
- The death occurred during a business trip
- The deceased had left his/her residence at the request of his/her employer to be hired (specifically, the employee came to sign his/her employment contract at the request of his/her employer).
The rights holders of the deceased may also collect, subject to conditions, death capital.
You are the child
If you are a legitimate (i.e. born during marriage) or natural child whose parentage has been recognized or adopted, you are entitled to an annuity until your 20 years.
No, the beneficiary's pension is not automatically assigned to you.
It's up to you to request it.
To get it, you must make a request, by free mail, to the health insurance fund of the deceased employee.
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The deceased depended on the general scheme
You must forward the request to the CPAM: titleContent.
The deceased depended on the agricultural system
You must forward the request to the MSA: titleContent.
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General case
The amount shall be fixed at 25% the annual salary of the deceased per child, for the first 2 children.
The amount is then set at 20% the deceased's annual salary per child from the 3rd.
Orphan
The amount shall be fixed at 30% of the deceased's annual salary if you become an orphan of father and mother.
When several rights holders receive an annuity, the total amount of the annuities paid may not exceed 85% the annual salary of the deceased employee.
If this ceiling is exceeded, the amount of the pension paid to each beneficiary is reduced in proportion to the excess.
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General case
The pension is paid from the day after death.
However, you or the person in charge of you must request it because the payment is not automatic.
It is paid every quarter (every 3 months).
Deceased beneficiary of a PPI pension
When the deceased received a permanent incapacity for work (PPI) pension, the beneficiary's pension is paid from 1er the day of the month following the month in which the death occurred. To do this, you must apply for it.
The annuity is paid every quarter (every 3 months).
The amounts collected for the annuity are fully exempt Generalized social contribution (CSG) and social debt repayment contribution (CRDS).
They are not taken into account in the calculation of income tax.
The funeral expenses of the deceased victim shall be borne by the CPAM: titleContent or the AMM, up to €2,003.
The CPAM or MSA also covers the costs of transporting the body to the burial site (only in France), at the request of the family, in one the following cases:
- The death occurred during a business trip
- The deceased had left his/her residence at the request of his/her employer to be hired (specifically, the employee came to sign his/her employment contract at the request of his/her employer).
The rights holders of the deceased may also collect, subject to conditions, death capital.
You are an ascendant
You are entitled to an annuity if you fulfill one the following conditions:
- If the deceased lived as a couple or had at least 1 child, you must prove that you were dependent on him
- If the deceased did not live as a couple and did not have children, you must prove that you could have obtained child support from him
No, the beneficiary's pension is not automatically assigned to you.
It's up to you to request it.
To get it, you must make a request, by free mail, to the health insurance fund of the deceased employee.
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The deceased depended on the general scheme
You must forward the request to the CPAM: titleContent.
The deceased depended on the agricultural system
You must forward the request to the MSA: titleContent.
The amount shall be fixed at 10% the deceased's annual salary.
When several rights holders receive an annuity, the total amount of the annuities paid may not exceed 85% the annual salary of the deceased employee.
If this ceiling is exceeded, the amount of the pension paid to each beneficiary is reduced in proportion to the excess.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
General case
The pension is paid from the day after death.
However, you need to apply because the payment is not automatic.
It is paid every quarter (every 3 months).
Deceased beneficiary of a permanent incapacity for work pension
When the deceased received a permanent incapacity for work (PPI) pension, the beneficiary's pension is paid from 1er the day of the month following the month in which the death occurred. To do this, you must apply for it.
The annuity is paid every quarter (every 3 months).
The amounts collected for the annuity are fully exempt Generalized social contribution (CSG) and social debt repayment contribution (CRDS).
They are not taken into account in the calculation of income tax.
The funeral expenses of the deceased victim shall be borne by the CPAM: titleContent or the AMM, up to €2,003.
The CPAM or MSA also covers the costs of transporting the body to the burial site (only in France), at the request of the family, in one the following cases:
- The death occurred during a business trip
- The deceased had left his/her residence at the request of his/her employer to be hired (specifically, the employee came to sign his/her employment contract at the request of his/her employer).
The rights holders of the deceased may also collect, subject to conditions, death capital.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
For any additional information (in particular concerning the procedures to be carried out)
To obtain information about your rights and procedures, ask a question about your file, report a change in situation, consult your refunds or obtain a certificate of rights.
By phone
3646
Open Monday to Friday.
Careful : hours may vary depending on your department.
As a general rule, opening hours are at least from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.
Free service + price call, from a landline or mobile phone.
From Mayotte, call 02 69 61 91 91:
- Monday to Thursday from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm
- Friday from 7:30 am to 12 pm
From the foreigner: +33 1 84 90 36 46 (free service + price of a call).
To facilitate the answers and to identify you, think about getting your Vitale card before contacting the Health Insurance.
By video interpretation (you are deaf or hard of hearing)
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact a advisor by videointerpretation.
For any additional information (in particular concerning the procedures to be carried out)
Primary Health Insurance Fund (CPAM)If the deceased depended on the agricultural scheme
Agricultural Social Mutuality (MSA)
General principles
Funeral expenses
Amount and payment of the annuity
8°: taxation