Widowhood allowance: Conditions and request

Widowhood allowance is a monthly financial assistance paid to the surviving spouse of an employee who cannot claim a survivor’s pension. It is intended to compensate for the late payment of the latter. What are the conditions to benefit from it? What is the amount of widowhood allowance in 2025? Explanations!

What is widowhood allowance?

Social Security widowhood: definition

The widowhood allowance is a social service paid by social security or the agricultural social mutual (MSA) to people who have lost their husbands (SE) and who cannot touch a survivor’s pension.

Payment

The allowance is paid every monthand this For two years maximum Or up to 55 years if the surviving spouse is 50 years old on the date of death. According to the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics, early widowhood concerns more women and people from modest social backgrounds.

Who is entitled to widowhood allowance or widower pension?

Conditions related to the deceased spouse

The only condition concerning the deceased husband is that he contributed at least three monthscontinuously or not, old age insuranceyear preceding his death. He may have contributed as:

• private employee;
• unarmed public agent (contractual);
• agricultural employee;
• AGRICULTURAL NO SAILD (NSA);
• Job seeker, even if he was in maternity, disability or in work accident.

The widowhood allowance is reserved only for married spouses. Aid is not paid to divorced, remarried, PACS spouses or living in cohabitation.

Minimum age

The allowance is generally awarded to people under 55. If the person is 55 years old or over, they may not be eligible, as other reversion retirement services may apply in this case.

Resource conditions

The applicant’s resources must not exceed a certain ceiling, which varies depending on the family situation and income. In 2025, the resources of the surviving spouse of the last three calendar months before the request must not be greater than 2,674.39 euroseither 891.46 euros per month.

Conditions related to the widow or widowed

To obtain the allowance, the surviving spouse must also reside in France (If the surviving spouse is of foreign nationality, he can live in another country if he has signed a social security agreement with France) and be single.

What are the resources to declare to obtain widowhood allowance?

Resource ceiling not to be exceeded

There is a resource ceiling for the payment of widowhood allowance. In 2025, this ceiling amounts to 2,674.39 euros per quarter, or 891.46 euros per month. If your resources exceed this amount, you will not be able to benefit from it. The resource threshold can be adjusted according to your family situation and the existence or not of dependent children.

List of income to declare

The types of income taken into account for the calculation of the widowhood allowance are as follows:

• salary, treatment, vacations and commissions;
• Professional income from non-employees;
• compensation paid by the health insurance fund;
• unemployment benefits;
• pension;
• additional retirement;
• allowances;
• real estate;
• movable property.

How to make your widowhood allowance request file?

Fill out the Cerfa application form

To make your valve allocation request, the CERFA form n ° 12098*05 should be completed. You must complete a widowhood allowance form. This form is available:

• On your CNAV website if you are affiliated with the general regime.
• On the MSA (Mutualité Social Agricole) site if you are the agricultural regime.
• In your personal space on the retirement insurance site if you have already registered.

You can submit your file online via dedicated platforms or send it by registered mail to the address of your retirement insurance fund.

Bring together the supporting documents

To build your widowhood allowance request file, you will need to provide a number of documents. Here is a list of the necessary documents requested:

• Act of death of the spouse.
• Extract from the marriage certificate to prove your matrimonial link.
• Proof of address: a recent invoice (electricity, gas, telephone, etc.).
• Identity documents: identity card, passport, etc.
• Banking identity statement (RIB) for the payment of the allowance.
• Salary bulletins or tax notice to prove your resources, because widowhood allowance is subject to a income ceiling.

Request

Once you have submitted your complete file, the competent organization takes a few weeks to examine your request and pay you the allowance. It is therefore preferable to submit the request as soon as possible after death to avoid any delay.

Receive the allowance

The payment of widowhood allocation begins approximately A month after validation of your file. The amount is paid directly to your bank account, unless otherwise indicated. You will also receive a Payment notice every month.

When to ask for widowhood allowance?

Widowhood allowance must be requested within two years of death of your spouse. This period begins from the day of death and not from the date of the death finding.

As soon as possible after death

It is recommended to make the request as soon as you are sure to fulfill the eligibility conditions, because the widowhood allowance is a temporary aid that supports you during the transition period after the loss of your spouse.

Within two years of death

You must submit your request within this period to be entitled to the allowance. After this period, you will no longer be able to benefit from widowhood allowance, but you can access other aids, such as the survivor’s pension, if you are over 55 years old.

What is the amount of widowhood allowance in 2025?

Net amount per month

The net amount of widowhood allowance is fixed, but can be reduced according to the resources of the surviving spouse. In 2025, he was 713.17 euros net per month.

Calculation of the amount of the allowance according to the situation

When the addition of the widowhood allowance and other resources of the applicant exceeds the resource ceiling, the amount of the allowance is planed so that the total does not exceed the maximum authorized. In the event of remunerated activity or the resumption of remunerated training, the cumulation of income with widowhood allowance is possible. This situation must be immediately reported to CAF or MSA.

Aid subject to tax

Widowhood allowance is integrated into taxable income and is subject to income tax, depending on the progressive tax scale. It must be declared as a pension on the income declaration, in the section of pensions and life annuities. However, widowhood allowance is exempt from social contributions.

When is the widowhood allowance by social security paid?

The conditions under which the death of the spouse did not interfere with the allocation of widowhood allowance. The allowance of the allowance depends on the date on which the beneficiary made his request. Either :

• On the first day of the month during which the death occurred if the request was made within 12 months of the event;
• On the first day of the month of the request if it is made more than 12 months after the death.

What is the difference between a survivor’s pension and a widowhood for a widower or a widow?

The survivor’s pension and the widowhood pension are two services intended to support surviving spouses after the death of a husband or a wife:

• The survivor’s pension is part of the pension system and depends on theHistory of contributions from the deceased spouse. The conditions, amounts and conditions of eligibility may vary depending on the pension plans.
• Widowhood allowance is a distinct social service, independent of its history of contributions.

What are the other aids for a widow or a widower?

In addition to the survivor’s pension and widowhood allowance, several other aids can be accessible to widows and widowers, depending on their financial, family and personal situation.

Social assistance and family benefits

Widows or widowers with dependent children can benefit from certain family and social aid services:

• If you have dependent children, you can receive family allowances (including the service of reception of young children – PAJE).
• If your resources are below the threshold set for the RSA (active solidarity income), you can claim this aid.
• If your income is low, you can benefit from the activity premium, additional aid intended to support modest workers.

Personalized housing assistance (APL)

The CAF grants the APL (personalized housing aid) to widows and widowers, depending on their financial situation and their income, to help them pay their rent or royalty if their accommodation is agreed. The aid is calculated according to the income, the amount of the rent and the composition of the household.

Resistance to respite for caregivers

If you were the caregiver of your husband or deceased wife, you can be eligible for aid for respite and psychological support. These aids can be offered by associations or public services.

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