To receive a survivor’s pension, a number of conditions must be fulfilled, which differ according to pension plans. A large reform planned for 2026 could rebatter the cards.
On the death of her husband or wife, the surviving spouse may, under certain conditions, receive part of his retirement pension. Its amount is equal to 54 % of the basic retirement pension which benefited or could have benefited from the deceased, and this also concerns divorced couples, including when the surviving spouse lives again with someone. But it can reach up to 60% in certain additional regimes. Different increases are also possible and linked to the age of the surviving spouse, but also to the number of children. If the deceased was married several times, then the survivor’s pension is shared between her surviving husband and the previous spouse or divorced spouses in proportion to the respective duration of each marriage.
The objective of the survivor’s pension is to compensate for the loss of income that the surviving spouse undergoes the death of her husband. But this system has been under the fire of criticism for many years, judged by some as deeply unequal. As part of the pension reform, and thanks to the analyzes of the pension orientation council (COR), the survivor’s pension will experience major modifications in 2026. Changes that will make it accessible to many more people.
The first change could relate to the amount of the survivor’s pension in order to limit the difference between the pension funds and to reach a single rate, which would be between 50 and 60 % and would therefore be the same for everyone. If it is for the time being only a thinking track, a single amount pension, based on the retirement of the deceased and the revenues of the surviving spouse is also under study. The other major reform concerns the conditions of access to the survivor’s pension. In the general regime, it is necessary to be 55 years old to benefit from it (even if the death occurred 10 years earlier), while this age limit does not exist in certain additional funds. It could therefore be deleted. The question of the resource ceiling is also debated. While only the general regime imposes it, the horn reflects either to completely delete it for everyone, or to apply the same ceiling to all diets. Finally, and this would be a major advance, the survivor’s pension could open up to PACS and cohabiting partners, however, by imposing a minimum duration of common life.
For the moment, these reforms have not yet been confirmed and the pension orientation council continues its reflection and these consultations. But significant advances are expected next year. A new measure which should undoubtedly change the lives of many French people, by increasing their income, especially for those who currently have a small retirement!
