Death benefit paid for the death of a private sector employee

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

The death benefit is a financial aid paid by the Social Security to cover the costs related to the death and to financially support the persons who were dependent on the deceased. The rights holders (spouse), partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent, child...) of a deceased employee are entitled to it, subject to conditions. We present you the useful information.

FYI  

As a surviving spouse, you are also entitled to a widow's pension under conditions (be disabled and under 55 years of age).

Less than 3 months before his death, the deceased must have been in theone of the following situations :

FYI  

The death benefit may be paid if the deceased, at the time of his death, was in a situation of retention of right.

Priority beneficiaries

You are priority beneficiary if you were in the actual, total and permanent charge of the deceased on the day of his death. This is the case, for example, if you are not working.

In the presence of several priority beneficiaries, the death benefit is paid in the following order of preference:

  1. Spouse or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent
  2. Children
  3. Ascendants.

If there are several beneficiaries of the same rank (for example, several children), the death benefit is shared between them.

In the absence of a priority beneficiary

If no priority beneficiary has requested the capital in the month of death, the death benefit shall be paid in the following order:

  1. Unseparated spouse, or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent
  2. Descendants
  3. Ascendants.

If there are several beneficiaries of the same rank (for example several children or ascendants), the death benefit is shared between them.

Date of application

The deadline for claiming the death benefit differs depending on whether you are a priority beneficiary or not:

  • If you are not a priority beneficiary, you are 2 years old from the date of death.
  • If you are a priority beneficiary, you have a maximum of one month from the date of death. After this period, you lose your right of priority, but you can come forward within 2 years like the other beneficiaries.

Application Package

You must complete the cerfa death benefit application form:

Application for death benefit

The documents to be attached are indicated in the form notice.

Where to send the request?

You must send the request to the social security body (CPAM: titleContent or MSA: titleContent) on which the deceased depended at the time of death.

Who shall I contact

In addition to getting closer to the sickness regime (CPAM: titleContent, MSA: titleContent) on which your deceased spouse depended, you can obtain information from their employer.

The amount of the death benefit is lump sum.

It is equal to €4,009.

This amount is identical regardless of the salary of the deceased.

No. death benefit is not subject to income tax.

It is not subject to social security contributions.

Yes. death benefit can be combined with other benefits.

For example, it can be combined with a survivor's pension or certain social benefits.

This is a one-off aid, which does not prevent the opening of other rights.

Yes, depending on your situation, you can benefit from other support such as:

Some collective agreements also provide for a supplementary death benefit paid by the employer or a pension organization.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • If the deceased depended on the general plan

    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.

  • If the deceased depended on the farm system

    Agricultural Social Mutuality (MSA)