Did you know? There survivor’s pension is not automaticlike antibiotics… “ It’s a pretty striking paradox.comments Laure Moudenc, general director of Ombello. It’s a essential rightwhich concerns millions of French people. However, between 8 and 10% of potential beneficiaries never apply”. Even more so in a particular moment of life, the death of the spouse, during which this request is not necessarily the priority, or even sometimes identified. “ For some people, it is even a question of a certain form of modesty or even embarrassment in the process of requesting a share of their deceased spouse’s pension.she adds.
One of the obstacles to applying for survivor’s pensions is also the complexity of the procedure. As it depends on several regimes, there are different rules: rates, resource conditions, minimum age… “ Many people are not aware of the multi-diet course and are aimed only at the main diet without looking for possible supplementsalerts the expert. However, this often corresponds to careers which take several forms today”. Often, the deceased has also contributed to several funds: the general scheme, the Agirc-Arrco and possibly a civil service or liberal profession scheme.
Key figures and false calculations
A mistake not to make? Not reporting the correct amounts of financial resources for fear of exceeding the ceiling, by under-declaring or, on the contrary, by inflating the figures and integrating excluded income such as family allowances, AAH, APL and daily allowances. “ It’s more technical but ultimately commondeclares Laure Moudenc. THE calculation rules are complex : some income is taken into account, others not. In both cases, this can penalize unnecessarily”.
Also be careful do not delay in making the request because the survivor’s pension is only paid from the following month. If each month of delay is definitively lost, there is a possible retroactivity but regulated and depending on the regimes: “ In most cases, retroactive payment to the date of death is possible if the request occurs within 12 months of the death. After a period of one year, each month not requested is permanently lost »she specifies. It is better to take the process quickly even if you have any doubts because this allows you to at least secure the departure date of the rights.
Continuous declaration and single window
Failing to notify pension funds of changes in financial resources is also a mistake to avoid. In fact, the survivor’s pension is not fixed and varies with income, personal situation and especially regulatory developments: “ For example, few people know that the supplementary pension (Agirc-arrco) allows a survivor’s pension without age conditions regardless of the date of death if the spouse or ex-spouse has 2 dependent children at the time of death or if he or she is disabled. », Warns Laure Moudenc.
Especially since the errors are not not necessarily easily identifiable. “ How the cash registers work can be difficult to understand and the amounts difficult to verify.she warns. Policyholders do not always have elements of comparison “. This is notably one of the reasons why the Retirement Orientation Council (COR) is piloting a structural reform of the survivor’s pension which could disrupt the system from 2027. First step, since March 2026, the information has now been centralized and it is possible to make, via the Public Service website, a single request for a survivor’s pension from all pension schemes.
