Death Capital in the Public Service
Verified 01 April 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
The death capital is a financial assistance granted, under certain conditions, at the death of a public official in active employment, to persons who were his dependants. We present you the information to know according to whether the public official who dies is a civil servant or contract and according to his public service of belonging (State - FPE, territorial - FPT, hospital - FPH).
EPF
What are the conditions to be met to be entitled to a death benefit?
A staff member's family member may receive a death benefit if the staff member's death occurs while he or she is in one of the following situations:
- In activity position
- On secondment to a public administration or establishment of the Government or to a public company or public interest group
- On secondment to hold an elected public office or trade union office
- In automatic availability for health reasons
- In parental leave.
The death benefit may be granted regardless of the origin, time or place of death.
The grievor's relatives, called rights holderswho may benefit from the death benefit are the following:
- Spouse not legally separated or divorced from deceased official or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent not dissolved prior to the grievor's death
- Children of the staff member, at the date of death, under 21 years of age
- Children of staff member who are infirm and not subject to income tax
- Children in the employee's household, aged, at the date of death, under 21 years of age or infirm, not taxable for income tax and dependent on the employee at the time of death
- Ascendants of the staff member in his or her care at the time of death in the absence of spouses, partners of Civil partnerships and children.
Warning
When the deceased staff member was a trainee, his successors in title are entitled to the death benefit under the same conditions as a contract holder.
How to apply for death benefit?
The administration of the employee's employer on the day of his or her death shall inform the declared dependants of the deceased employee of their rights to the death benefit.
The dependants of the deceased employee submit their death benefit application to the employee's employer on the day of his or her death.
The employer's administration indicates to them the supporting documents to be provided according to their situation.
What is the amount of the death benefit?
The amount of the death benefit is equal to gross remuneration of staff member who died in the last 12 months.
The gross remuneration taken into account includes the following elements:
- Index treatment corresponding to the index held by the staff member on the day of his death
- Residence allowance
- Family Treatment Supplement
- Premiums and allowances.
The gross remuneration taken into account is at least equal to €16,036.
If the staff member was on leave for health reasons or on parental leave at the time of his death, the amount of the death benefit shall be calculated on the basis of the annual index salary that he would have received if he had been in employment.
The amount of death benefit is tripled where the employee's death occurs as a result of any of the following:
- Accident on duty or occupational disease
- Attack
- Attack in connection with the service or because of the function
- Act of devotion in the public interest or to save the life of one or more persons.
Where the deceased official did not complete one year of service on the day of his death, the remuneration taken into account for the calculation of the death benefit shall be the remuneration to which he would have been entitled if he had completed one year of service.
In addition, each child receives an increase equal to €884.33.
This increase is tripled when the grievor's death occurs as a result of one of the following events:
- Accident on duty or occupational disease
- Attack
- Attack in connection with the service or because of the function
- Act of devotion in the public interest or to save the life of one or more persons.
Only that increase is granted to a child born within 300 days of the employee's death.
How is the death capital distributed among the different beneficiaries?
The death capital is distributed among the various beneficiaries as follows:
- A third party to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner
- Two thirds to the children, divided equally between them.
In the absence of a child, the death benefit is paid in full to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner.
In the absence of a Civil partnership or partner, the death benefit is paid in full to the children and divided equally between them.
In the absence of a spouse or partner of Civil partnerships and children, the death benefit shall be paid in the ascending line or distributed among the ascending lines of the staff member who were dependent on him at the time of death.
How is the death benefit paid?
The death benefit is paid in one installment by the employee's employer on the day of his death.
What are the conditions to be met to be entitled to a death benefit?
The relatives of a member of the contract staff may benefit from a death benefit if the member of the contract staff dies in one of the following situations:
- In operation
- In parental leave
- On unpaid sick leave in the event of temporary incapacity and in the absence of entitlement to paid sick leave
- On unpaid sick leave at the end of sick leave or sick leave entitlements
- In parental attendance leave
- In caregiver leave
- On unpaid leave for family reasons
- On leave to perform a mission as a reservist
- On leave to serve as a member of the Government or as a member of the National Assembly, Senate or European Parliament.
The death benefit may be granted regardless of the origin, time or place of death.
Relatives of the contractor, called rights holderswho may benefit from the death benefit are the following:
- Spouse not legally separated or divorced from deceased contract staff member or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent not dissolved before the death of the contract staff member
- Children of the staff member who were under 21 years of age on the date of death
- Children of the agent who are infirm and not taxable for income tax
- Children taken into care at the home of the agent, aged, at the date of death, under 21 years of age or infirm, not taxable for income tax and dependent on the agent at the time of death
- Ascendants of the contract staff member who was his or her dependent at the time of death in the absence of spouses, partners of Civil partnerships and children.
How to apply for death benefit?
The employer's administration of the contract staff member on the day of his death informs the declared beneficiaries of the deceased contract staff member of their rights to the death benefit.
The successors of the deceased staff member shall send their application for death benefit to the administration of the contractor's employer on the day of his death.
The employer's administration indicates to them the supporting documents to be provided according to their situation.
It shall forward the relevant information to the bodies responsible for examining the application, determining the amount of the death benefit and paying it.
What is the amount of the death benefit?
The death benefit shall be equal to the amount of the last 12 months' gross remuneration of the deceased member of the contract staff.
The amount of death benefit is tripled where the death of the contract staff member occurs as a result of any of the following events:
- Accident on duty or occupational disease
- Attack
- Attack in connection with the service or because of the function
- Act of devotion in the public interest or to save the life of one or more persons.
Where the deceased member of the contract staff has not completed one year's service on the day of his death, the remuneration taken into account for the calculation of the death benefit shall be equal to the sum of the remuneration to which he would have been entitled if he had completed one year's service.
How is the death capital distributed among the different beneficiaries?
The death capital is distributed among the various beneficiaries as follows:
- A third party to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner
- Two thirds to the children, divided equally between them.
In the absence of a child, the death benefit is paid in full to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner.
In the absence of a Civil partnership or partner, the death benefit is paid in full to the children and divided equally between them.
In the absence of a spouse or partner of Civil partnerships and children, the death benefit shall be paid to the ascendant or shared between the ascendants of the member of the contract staff who were dependent on him at the time of death.
How is the death benefit paid?
The amount of the death benefit is paid to the beneficiaries by the following organizations:
- By the CPAM: titleContent within the limit of €4,009
- By theIrcantec: titleContent for the part of the death capital equal to 75% of the last 12 months of gross remuneration of the deceased contract employee
- By the employer administration for the part of the death benefit equal to 25% of the last 12 months of gross remuneration of the deceased contractor reduced by €4,009.
Where the death of the member of the contract staff occurs as a result of one of the following events, the employer's administration shall pay the supplement up to 3 times the gross annual remuneration:
- Accident on duty or occupational disease
- Attack
- Attack in connection with the service or because of the function
- Act of devotion in the public interest or to save the life of one or more persons.
FPT
The conditions for awarding death benefit vary depending on whether the deceased agent is in one of the following situations:
- Public servant holder of which the working hours is equal to or greater than 28 hours per week
- Or civil servant holder of which the working hours is less than 28 hours per week or official intern or contractor.
What are the conditions to be met to be entitled to a death benefit?
Relatives of a staff member with a working time of 28 hours or more per week may benefit from a death benefit if the employee's death occurs when he or she is in one of the following situations:
- In activity position
- On secondment to another community or institution in the territorial public service
- On secondment to hold an elected public office or trade union office
- In automatic availability for health reasons.
The death benefit may be granted regardless of the origin, time or place of death.
The grievor's relatives, called rights holderswho may benefit from the death benefit are the following:
- Spouse not legally separated or divorced from deceased official or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent not dissolved before the grievor's death and concluded more than 2 years before the grievor's death
- Children of the staff member, at the date of death, under 21 years of age
- Children of staff member who are infirm and not subject to income tax
- Children in the employee's household, aged, at the date of death, under 21 years of age or infirm, not taxable for income tax and dependent on the employee at the time of death
- Ascendants of the staff member in his or her care at the time of death in the absence of spouses, partners of Civil partnerships and children.
How to apply for death benefit?
The grievor's successors must apply to the grievor's community or employer institution at the time of his or her death.
If the staff member was seconded to the territorial civil service, the request for death benefit must be submitted to the local authority or the secondment institution.
If the employee was seconded to serve in an elective public service or union mandate, the request for death benefit must be made to the employee's home community or institution.
The employer's administration indicates to the beneficiaries the supporting documents to be provided according to their situation.
What is the amount of the death benefit?
The amount of the death benefit varies depending on whether the deceased official has reached or not the minimum retirement age.
If the death occurs when he has reached the minimum retirement age, his beneficiaries can benefit from the death benefit if he was still in business.
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Death before the minimum age of retirement
The death capital is equal to the last annual gross remuneration of the deceased official.
The gross remuneration taken into account includes the following elements:
- Index treatment corresponding to the index held by the staff member on the day of his death
- Residence allowance
- Family Treatment Supplement
- Premiums and allowances.
Each child receives an increase equal to €884.33.
Only that increase is granted to a child born within 300 days of the employee's death.
Death after the minimum age of retirement
The amount of the death benefit is equal to quarter of last annual gross remuneration of the deceased official.
The gross remuneration taken into account includes the following elements:
- Index treatment corresponding to the index held by the staff member on the day of his death
- Residence allowance
- Family Treatment Supplement
- Premiums and allowances.
The amount of the death benefit shall be equal to the last annual gross remuneration of the deceased official when the death of the official occurs as a result of one of the following events:
- Accident on duty or occupational disease
- Attack
- Struggle in the performance of his duties
- Act of devotion in the public interest or to save the life of one or more persons.
Each child receives an increase equal to €884.33.
Only that increase is granted to a child born within 300 days of the employee's death.
How is the death capital distributed among the different beneficiaries?
The death capital is distributed among the various beneficiaries as follows:
- A third party to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner
- Two thirds to the children, divided equally between them.
In the absence of a child, the death benefit is paid in full to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner.
In the absence of a Civil partnership or partner, the death benefit is paid in full to the children and divided equally between them.
In the absence of a spouse or partner of Civil partnerships and children, the death benefit shall be paid to the staff member's ascendants or shared between the staff member's ascendants who were dependent on him at the time of his death.
What are the conditions to be met to be entitled to a death benefit?
The relatives of a public official may, upon the death of the official, benefit from death capital of the Social Security Death Insurance if the following conditions are met:
- The officer who died probationary official or staff member whose working hours are less than 28 hours per week or contractor
- And the death occurs while the agent is active.
Whether the public official is a regular or contract official, his relatives can also benefit from a additional death capital from theIrcantec: titleContent if the following conditions are met:
- The staff member died before being entitled to a full pension
- He has served at least a year.
Warning
If you are a permanent civil servant seconded for probationary work, the conditions for awarding the death benefit are those applicable to the permanent civil servant.
The death benefit may be granted regardless of the origin, time or place of death.
The death capital of the Social Security shall be paid as a priority to people which were, on the day of death, the actual, total and permanent responsibility of the deceased staff member.
If no priority is invoked within one month of the death of the agent, the death benefit shall be allocated to the following persons:
- Spouse not separated de jure or de facto or Civil partnerships: titleContent
- In the absence of a Civil partnership's spouse or partner, descendants
- In the absence of a spouse or partner of Civil partnerships and descendants, ascendants.
If there are several beneficiaries of the same rank (for example, several children), the death benefit is shared between them.
The death capital of Ircantec shall be granted to the following persons:
- Spouse not separated from body, nor divorced from agent or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent not dissolved before the death of the agent and concluded more than 2 years before the death of the agent
- Children of the staff member who were under 21 years of age on the date of death
- Children of the agent who are infirm and not taxable for income tax
- Children taken into care at the home of the agent, aged, at the date of death, under 21 years of age or infirm, not taxable for income tax and dependent on the agent at the time of death
- Ascendants of the agent in his or her charge at the time of death in the absence of spouses, partners of Civil partnerships and children.
How to apply for death benefit?
The approach varies depending on whether you are:
- Trainee civil servant
- Or regular civil servant whose working hours are less than 28 hours per week or contract.
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Trainee civil servant
You must submit your death benefit application to the community or employer institution of the agent at the time of death.
Staff member with less than 28 hours of work per week or under contract
The request for death benefit must be made using the following form, accompanied by your bank identity statement (Rib), to the CPAM: titleContent on which the deceased officer depended:
Who shall I contact
The CPAM you notified his decision.
And you must also declare the death of the agent to Ircantec who will inform you about your possible rights and ask you to provide supporting documents if necessary:
Who shall I contact
By email
Access to contact forms
By phone
- Retired information: 02 41 05 25 25
Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. For information on regulations, procedures... - Voice server: 02 41 05 24 00
24/7. For any information regarding your pension (date of payment, monthly amount, terms of change of address or payment). - Registration and login help: 02 41 05 30 19
Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm
By post
24 Louis Gain Street
PO Box 80726
49939 ANGERS CEDEX 9
Indicate your references (Social Security number and/or contract number).
On site
Only by appointment - Appointment request at 02 41 05 25 38
- In Angers: 21 rue Auguste Gautier, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm
- In Paris: 12 avenue Pierre-Mendès France, Paris XIII, Monday to Wednesday from 9am to 5pm
- Retired information: 02 41 05 25 25
What is the amount of the death benefit?
The amount of the death benefit paid by CPAM (or by the employing community or institution of the officer if the officer was a probationary officer) is equal to €4,009.
The amount of the death benefit paid by Ircantec shall be equal to the sum of the remuneration received by the staff member during the 12 months preceding the date of his death reduced by €4,009.
If the amount so calculated is less than 75% of the remuneration received by the staff member during the 12 months preceding the date of his death, that is that amount of 75% remuneration received during the 12 months preceding the date of death that is paid.
The death benefit is distributed among the various beneficiaries as follows:
- A third party to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner
- Two thirds to the children, divided equally between them.
In the absence of a child, the death benefit is paid in full to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner.
In the absence of a Civil partnership or partner, the death benefit is paid in full to the children and divided equally between them.
In the absence of a spouse or partner of Civil partnerships and children, the death benefit shall be paid to the ascendant or shared between the ascendants of the agent who were his dependants at the time of death.
FPH
The conditions for awarding death benefit vary depending on whether the deceased agent is in one of the following situations:
- Public servant holder of which the working hours is equal to or greater than 28 hours per week
- Or civil servant holder of which the working hours is less than 28 hours per week or official intern or contractor.
What are the conditions to be met to be entitled to a death benefit?
Relatives of a staff member with a working time of 28 hours or more per week may benefit from a death benefit if the employee's death occurs when he or she is in one of the following situations:
- In activity position
- On secondment to another community or institution in the territorial public service
- On secondment to hold an elected public office or trade union office
- In automatic availability for health reasons.
The death benefit may be granted regardless of the origin, time or place of death.
The grievor's relatives, called rights holderswho may benefit from the death benefit are the following:
- Spouse not legally separated or divorced from deceased official or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent not dissolved before the grievor's death and concluded more than 2 years before the grievor's death
- Children of the staff member, at the date of death, under 21 years of age
- Children of staff member who are infirm and not subject to income tax
- Children in the employee's household, aged, at the date of death, under 21 years of age or infirm, not taxable for income tax and dependent on the employee at the time of death
- Ascendants of the staff member in his or her care at the time of death in the absence of spouses, partners of Civil partnerships and children.
How to apply for death benefit?
The grievor's successors must apply to the grievor's community or employer institution at the time of his or her death.
If the staff member was seconded to the territorial civil service, the request for death benefit must be submitted to the local authority or the secondment institution.
If the employee was seconded to serve in an elective public service or union mandate, the request for death benefit must be made to the employee's home community or institution.
The employer's administration indicates to the beneficiaries the supporting documents to be provided according to their situation.
What is the amount of the death benefit?
The amount of the death benefit varies depending on whether the deceased official has reached or not the minimum retirement age.
If the death occurs when he has reached the minimum retirement age, his beneficiaries can benefit from the death benefit if he was still in business.
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Death before the minimum age of retirement
The death capital is equal to the last annual gross remuneration of the deceased official.
The gross remuneration taken into account includes the following elements:
- Index treatment corresponding to the index held by the staff member on the day of his death
- Residence allowance
- Family Treatment Supplement
- Premiums and allowances.
Each child receives an increase equal to €884.33.
Only that increase is granted to a child born within 300 days of the employee's death.
Death after the minimum age of retirement
The amount of the death benefit is equal to quarter of last annual gross remuneration of the deceased official.
The gross remuneration taken into account includes the following elements:
- Index treatment corresponding to the index held by the staff member on the day of his death
- Residence allowance
- Family Treatment Supplement
- Premiums and allowances.
The amount of the death benefit shall be equal to the last annual gross remuneration of the deceased official when the death of the official occurs as a result of one of the following events:
- Accident on duty or occupational disease
- Attack
- Struggle in the performance of his duties
- Act of devotion in the public interest or to save the life of one or more persons.
Each child receives an increase equal to €884.33.
Only that increase is granted to a child born within 300 days of the employee's death.
How is the death capital distributed among the different beneficiaries?
The death capital is distributed among the various beneficiaries as follows:
- A third party to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner
- Two thirds to the children, divided equally between them.
In the absence of a child, the death benefit is paid in full to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner.
In the absence of a Civil partnership or partner, the death benefit is paid in full to the children and divided equally between them.
In the absence of a spouse or partner of Civil partnerships and children, the death benefit shall be paid to the staff member's ascendants or shared between the staff member's ascendants who were dependent on him at the time of his death.
What are the conditions to be met to be entitled to a death benefit?
The relatives of a public official may, upon the death of the official, benefit from death capital of the Social Security Death Insurance if the following conditions are met:
- The officer who died probationary official or staff member whose working hours are less than 28 hours per week or contractor
- And the death occurs while the agent is active.
Whether the public official is a regular or contract official, his relatives can also benefit from a additional death capital from theIrcantec: titleContent if the following conditions are met:
- The staff member died before being entitled to a full pension
- He has served at least a year.
Warning
If you are a permanent civil servant seconded for probationary work, the conditions for awarding the death benefit are those applicable to the permanent civil servant.
The death benefit may be granted regardless of the origin, time or place of death.
The death capital of the Social Security shall be paid as a priority to people which were, on the day of death, the actual, total and permanent responsibility of the deceased staff member.
If no priority is invoked within one month of the death of the agent, the death benefit shall be allocated to the following persons:
- Spouse not separated de jure or de facto or Civil partnerships: titleContent
- In the absence of a Civil partnership's spouse or partner, descendants
- In the absence of a spouse or partner of Civil partnerships and descendants, ascendants.
If there are several beneficiaries of the same rank (for example, several children), the death benefit is shared between them.
The death capital of Ircantec shall be granted to the following persons:
- Spouse not separated from body, nor divorced from agent or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent not dissolved before the death of the agent and concluded more than 2 years before the death of the agent
- Children of the staff member who were under 21 years of age on the date of death
- Children of the agent who are infirm and not taxable for income tax
- Children taken into care at the home of the agent, aged, at the date of death, under 21 years of age or infirm, not taxable for income tax and dependent on the agent at the time of death
- Ascendants of the agent in his or her charge at the time of death in the absence of spouses, partners of Civil partnerships and children.
How to apply for death benefit?
The approach varies depending on whether you are:
- Trainee civil servant
- Or regular civil servant whose working hours are less than 28 hours per week or contract.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Trainee civil servant
You must submit your death benefit application to the community or employer institution of the agent at the time of death.
Staff member with less than 28 hours of work per week or under contract
The request for death benefit must be made using the following form, accompanied by your bank identity statement (Rib), to the CPAM: titleContent on which the deceased officer depended:
Who shall I contact
The CPAM you notified his decision.
And you must also declare the death of the agent to Ircantec who will inform you about your possible rights and ask you to provide supporting documents if necessary:
Who shall I contact
By email
Access to contact forms
By phone
- Retired information: 02 41 05 25 25
Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. For information on regulations, procedures... - Voice server: 02 41 05 24 00
24/7. For any information regarding your pension (date of payment, monthly amount, terms of change of address or payment). - Registration and login help: 02 41 05 30 19
Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm
By post
24 Louis Gain Street
PO Box 80726
49939 ANGERS CEDEX 9
Indicate your references (Social Security number and/or contract number).
On site
Only by appointment - Appointment request at 02 41 05 25 38
- In Angers: 21 rue Auguste Gautier, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm
- In Paris: 12 avenue Pierre-Mendès France, Paris XIII, Monday to Wednesday from 9am to 5pm
- Retired information: 02 41 05 25 25
What is the amount of the death benefit?
The amount of the death benefit paid by CPAM (or by the employing community or institution of the officer if the officer was a probationary officer) is equal to €4,009.
The amount of the death benefit paid by Ircantec shall be equal to the sum of the remuneration received by the staff member during the 12 months preceding the date of his death reduced by €4,009.
If the amount so calculated is less than 75% of the remuneration received by the staff member during the 12 months preceding the date of his death, that is that amount of 75% remuneration received during the 12 months preceding the date of death that is paid.
The death benefit is distributed among the various beneficiaries as follows:
- A third party to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner
- Two thirds to the children, divided equally between them.
In the absence of a child, the death benefit is paid in full to the Civil partnership's spouse or partner.
In the absence of a Civil partnership or partner, the death benefit is paid in full to the children and divided equally between them.
In the absence of a spouse or partner of Civil partnerships and children, the death benefit shall be paid to the ascendant or shared between the ascendants of the agent who were his dependants at the time of death.
Death benefits
Death Capital
Ministry responsible for the civil service
National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam)
Supplementary pension institution for non-permanent civil servants (Ircantec)