Widow's allowance

Verified 05 January 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Upon the death of your spouse, you may, under certain conditions related to your age and resources, receive a widow's allowance. You want to know if you can benefit from it, when and how to apply, what is the amount of the allowance? We present you the information to know.

The widowhood allowance is a sum of money allocated to the surviving spouse of an employee, who cannot claim the survivor's pension.

The widow's allowance is granted on a temporary basis.

Your spouse must have been insured for old-age insurance at least 3 months, whether continuous or not, during the year preceding his death.

The conditions that you must meet in order to receive the widow's allowance are related to the following:

  • your age,
  • your residence,
  • your family situation,
  • and your resources.

Age

You must have under 55.

FYI  

If you are 55 years of age or older, you can apply for a survivor's pension.

Residence

You must reside in France.

However, there are exceptions. You can ask for information from the Pension Insurance or the MSA: titleContent or pension fund concerned.

Who shall I contact

  • 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

Family situation

You must be:

  • widower or widow,
  • not be divorced from the deceased
  • and not living as a couple (remarriage, cohabitation, Civil partnerships: titleContent).

Resources

Your resources from the 3 calendar months prior to your application must not exceed €2,698.43, or €899.48 per month.

Within 2 years of 1er the day of the month of death.

If you apply within 12 months of death, you can receive the allowance from the 1ster the day of the month in which the death occurred.

If you apply beyond 12 months after death, you are entitled to the allowance from 1er day of the month of your request.

The file to be compiled is related to the plan on which you depend:

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General Social Security Scheme

Application for widowhood allowance from Cnav

Agricultural Social Mutuality (MSA)

Application for widow's allowance from the MSA

You must address your request, as a priority, to the last workplace fund of your deceased spouse. However, you can also send your application to another caisse (for example, the one in your home).

The net amount of the widow's allowance is €719.58 per month.

The amount can be reduced depending on your resources.

Starting point

The starting point of your allowance depends on when you apply for it:

  • At 1er day of the month in which the death occurred if you make your request within 12 months following the death (and if the applicant meets the conditions of award on the date of death),
  • At 1er day of the month of your request if you make your request beyond 12 months following death.

Frequency

The allowance is paid every month.

Duration

You receive the widow's allowance:

  • as long as you meet the conditions,
  • for a maximum of 2 years (or up to age 55 if you were 50 at the date of your spouse's death).

Please note

You must inform your caisse of any change in situation (resources, family situation,...).

In the event of paid training or resumption of a professional activity, you can accumulate the income received with the widowhood allowance within a certain limit and for a certain time.

You can ask for information from the Pension Insurance or the pension fund concerned.

Who shall I contact

  • 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

The widow's allowance is not subject to the following contributions:

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    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

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