Eligibility for survivors' benefits

If a deceased person made sufficient contributions to the Québec Pension Plan, his or her family is entitled to three types of survivors' benefits :

• death benefit 
• surviving spouse's pension 
• orphan's pension 

Did the deceased person make sufficient contributions to the Québec Pension Plan?

We take into account all the contributions made by the deceased person before and after he or she began receiving his or her retirement pension. Therefore, a person's death gives entitlement to survivors' benefits if the deceased contributed to the Québec Pension Plan:

• for at least one third of his or her contributory period, for a minimum of three years
  

  For example, if a person dies at age 29, his or her contributory period is 12 years, that is, from ages 18 to 29, the year of his or her death. Therefore, the deceased's family is entitled to survivors' benefits if the deceased contributed for at least one third of his or her contributory period, that is, 4 years (12 years x 1/3 = 4 years)

  or



• for 10 years.

A deceased person who had a severe impairment during his or her contributory period can give entitlement to survivors' benefits even if he or she did not accumulate enough years of contribution. However, the deceased must have met the following three conditions:

• having contributed for at least a quarter of his or her contributory period, for a minimum of three years.
• having received an Amount for a Severe and Prolonged Impairment in Mental or Physical Functions  (or an equivalent deduction).
• not have been receiving a retirement pension or a disability pension under the Québec Pension Plan or the Canada Pension Plan.

If the deceased did not contribute for the required number of years, a death benefit can still be paid if he or she:

• made contributions of at least $500 to the Plan
• did not receive a retirement pension or a disability pension under the Québec Pension Plan or the Canada Pension Plan.

The amount of the death benefit is equal to the contributions made, up to a maximum of $2500.

What is the contributory period?

Whether or not a person works, the contributory period begins in the month following his or her 18th birthday, or on 1 January 1966 if he or she turned 18 before that date.  

The contributory period used to calculate a benefit ends at the end of the first of the following months:  

• the month preceding the one during which payment of a retirement pension under the Plan began
• the month of his or her 72nd birthday
• the month of his or her death.

Certain months might not be taken into account when calculating the contributory period, which could give the contributor's family entitlement to a benefit or even increase the amount if they are:

• months during which the contributor received a disability pension under the Québec Pension Plan or the Canada Pension Plan or an unreduced income replacement indemnity from the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST);
• as of 1966 (the year in which the Québec Pension Plan came into effect), months during which the contributor received, in his or her name, family benefits paid by the Québec government or the Canadian government for a child under age 7. The period can be extended up to age 18 for the parent of a child requiring exceptional care receiving a benefit under the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care^{See Note 1} program.
  

Other eligible contributions

• If the deceased contributed to the Canada Pension Plan, we take those contributions into account when determining entitlement to benefits and calculating the amount of the pension.
• If the deceased already contributed to the pension plan of a country with which Québec has a social security agreement, those years of contribution can be added to his or her membership under the Québec Pension Plan, possibly granting entitlement to survivors' benefits.