It is one of those benefits that retirees forget to apply for. Of course, this is not really a case comparable to the Solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa), but the survivor’s pension also seems to belong to the category of forgotten rights. In any case, this is what Renaud Villard, director of the National Old Age Insurance Fund (Cnav), says in the columns of Capital. He describes several worrying situations of non-recourse in that they sometimes lead to complex financial situations; particularly when the deceased leaves behind several widows (it is women, more than 80% who benefit from survivors’ pensions).

But what is reversion, originally? “The survivor’s pension corresponds to part of the pension which the deceased insured person (employee or civil servant) benefited from or could have benefited from. It is paid if certain conditions are met, to the surviving spouse (and / or ex-spouse), ”informs the French administration on the public service site. This is an important mechanism, in that it makes it possible to partially compensate for the significant income inequalities that still affect women once they reach retirement age. Moreover, not everyone can claim it: you must necessarily have been married to your partner and not exceed certain resource limits. You also have to be old enough.

Strict conditions apply to reversions from basic schemes: it is necessary, informs La Retraite en Clair, not to receive more than 21,985.60 euros per year when the beneficiary lives alone. If he is in a relationship, on the other hand, this amount rises to 35,176.96 euros per year.

We must also take into account the age constraint: below the age of 55, it is not possible to claim any survivor’s pension. In theory… In practice, informs Pleine-Vie magazine on its website, there are a few exceptions. Summary.

In fact, two exceptions may apply and make it possible to receive the reversion – or, at the very least, part of the latter – before reaching 55 years of age. It should also be noted that, in certain specific cases, it is possible to lower the bar to 50 years in the event of disability. Agirc-Arrco agrees to pay it earlier.

That being said, the first condition canceling the obligation to reach any age does not concern the state of health of the beneficiary: it is based on the soul charge. Having brought up two children, aged at least 18 at the time of the application, allows you to benefit from a survivor’s pension with Ircantec and Agirc-Arrco. If they are students, apprentices or unemployed, these same children must be at least 25 years old.

If, however, they are disabled, there is no constraint based on their age.

Moreover, continues La Retraite en Clair, we must not lose sight of the fact that some children can benefit from reversion… Long before they reach 55 years old. This time it’s about orphans.

Orphans, specifies the specialized site, can receive up to 10% of the survivor’s pension of a deceased parent, as long as they are under 21 years old. Be careful, however, the exact amount remains limited and cannot exceed the total pension that the deceased parent could have received.

In case of invalidity of the orphan, the age limit is once again lifted.