Survivor’s pension: the 5 most common mistakes

The famous survivor’s pension corresponds to part of the pension of a deceased person who is transferred to their spouse, ex-spouse and/or their children. The amount of this monthly payment is 54% of the pension that the deceased person would have received. In order to qualify, certain conditions must be met. The first and most important condition is that of marriage between the person claiming the pension and the deceased individual, according to service-public.fr.

In the event of divorce prior to death, the ex-spouse may also claim at least a portion of this pension: it will be calculated in proportion to the duration of the marriage. Another non-negligible condition: be at least 55 years old. However, this condition is canceled in the event that the beneficiary has 2 dependent children at the time of death, or if he is in a situation of disability.

The marriage condition is very rigid: cohabitation or even a PACS are not enough! This is where posthumous marriage comes into play. Although very rare, it is a legal procedure in France. However, it can only be authorized by the President of the Republic in person. For the request to be successful, it will be necessary to be able to provide evidence attesting to the ante-mortem intention of the deceased person to marry, as franceinfo reports.

If the procedure is initiated, and the marriage takes place, it will be legally dated on the eve of the death of the deceased spouse. Apart from the fact that this can provide a form of psychological help to the widowed person, it could also allow them to receive the survivor’s pension due to them!

In any case, you must not make a mistake in the process, under penalty of serious consequences. Find below how to avoid the 5 most common mistakes in the context of the survivor’s pension scheme.