The conditions for access to the survivor’s pension may differ depending on the pension schemes. Under the general Social Security scheme, reversion is subject to resource conditions while under the Agirc-Arrco supplementary scheme, it is subject to conditions of non-remarriage. At Agirc-Arrco, the surviving spouse can receive 60% of retirement rights acquired by the deceased person. “As soon as the deceased received an Agirc-Arrco pension, the surviving spouse is always entitled to a reversion, provided they have not remarried. It is not means tested, unlike the basic regime. You really need to have the Agirc-Arrco reflex. A request for reversion to the basic regime must be supplemented by a request to Agirc-Arrco. warns Frédéric Roullier, Agirc-Arrco retirement product director. Result: some people refuse to file an application because they consider their income too high even though they could benefit from this pension. However, the real risk is to ask too late and waiting can be expensive.
Agirc-Arrco survivor’s pension: pay attention to deadlines
As soon as the conditions are met to benefit from an Agirc-Arrco survivor’s pension, you must apply for it. “ In principle, we go back one year. If a person asks us twenty years later, we do not make up for the twenty years », specifies the director. In other words, a person who discovers his right several years after the death of her spouse risks permanently losing a significant part of the sums to which she could have been entitled.
Ex-spouses may also be affected
Another point often ignored, the right to survivorship does not only concern the spouse at the time of death. When a person has been married several times, the former spouses who have not remarried can also benefit from a share of the reversion. This is then distributed pro rata of the duration of different marriages. A mechanism which explains why Agirc-Arrco is now seeking to better identify potential beneficiaries, particularly when there are several successive unions.
Who can benefit from the survivor’s pension?
To open a right to reversion Agirc-Arrcoseveral conditions must be met. You must have been married with the deceased person; not to be remarried; be at least 55 years old at the time of application. However, certain exceptions exist. “ The surviving spouse can receive the reversion before age 55 when he or she has at least two dependent children or when he or she is recognized as disabled. And a person who is not yet 55 years old and who does not have a dependent child is entitled to reversion but they will have to wait until they are 55 to be able to receive it. ». This situation particularly concerns certain people whose spouse died while still working.
A single approach now makes it possible to query all plans
To simplify procedures, all of the retirement plans has developed a common portal accessible via FranceConnect on Info-Retraite. The interest is major: “ a single request allows you to request all of the funds simultaneously » likely to pay a reversion. “The easiest way is to apply for a reversion online. In one go, all the diets are questioned, and we are sure not to forget a diet.” Today, between 35% and 40% of Agirc-Arrco requests are already made this way.
Agirc-Arrco is now trying to identify rights holders
Faced with the number of unclaimed files, the supplementary scheme has initiated several projects to simplification. For several years, a letter has been sent to the deceased’s home to inform a possible surviving spouse of their rights. The organization is also developing new data exploitation tools to better identify potential beneficiaries. “ When a person dies, we do not have information about their marriage. Then we write to the deceased’s home, for the attention of a possible surviving spouse. The same name, the same address and the same bank details are already clues”explains Frédéric Roullier. The simplest files – those concerning a single marriage – are now processed automatically, which significantly speeds up payment times.
Survivor’s pension: the first obstacle remains information
“The real problem with reversion is first and foremost information. People don’t know how to go about it, or what they are entitled to. » They can get answers from the 600 Agirc-Arrco reception points spread across the entire territory to support the potential beneficiaries in their actions. Agirc-Arrco also makes information webinars available on its site. Furthermore, other organizations including OCIRP provide the “Mourning and Solidarity” system intended for people facing widowhood. In this area, the most profitable reflex often remains the simplest: Make an appointment with an Agirc-Arrco advisor in an agency, by telephone (0 970 660 660) or via your Agirc-Arrco personal space, to check your rights and submit a request without delay.
