Procedures in the event of death

In the event of the death of a retired family member, you must complete certain procedures with your regional fund.

Reporting a death

In the event of the death of a retired family member, you must inform his/her regional fund by post, stating:

  • their social security number;
  • their surname and first names;
  • the date and place of their death.  

This letter allows us to stop paying the pension in due time.

Please note

If the death occurs abroad, you must also attach a death certificate to your letter. 

The pension for the month of death is paid in full, regardless of the date of death. Monthly instalments paid after the month of death will be reclaimed.

If sums remain due at the time of death, they may be paid to heirs (descendants, ascendants, collateral relatives, non-divorced surviving spouses) upon presentation of supporting documents.

Did you know?

It is also important to inform the other bodies to which the deceased pensioner was affiliated. Find all these procedures on the service-public.fr website.

If the person was your spouse, you may entitled to part of his or her pension, which is known as a survivor’s pension.

Bodies to be informed in the event of death

Town Hall and Department

The death certificate is necessary to initiate all administrative procedures. This deed must be requested from the town hall, in several copies.

The surviving spouse may be entitled to receive certain social assistance allowances and also the earned income supplement (RSA - revenu de solidarité active), subject to your income threshold from the municipal or inter-municipal social action centre (CCAS - Centre communal d’action sociale) of their town hall or the departmental social action department (service départemental d’action sociale).

Notary

To organise the inheritance:

  • if the estate is for an amount greater than €5,000: to request a notarial deed, proving the status of heir;
  • if the estate is less than €5,000: the status of heir may be established by a signed certificate from all heirs. This certificate replaces the certificate of inheritance, still issued by some town halls.

Banks or savings banks

To obtain the release of funds from bank and/or savings accounts. The following must be presented:

  • a notarised deed, in the event of an inheritance of more than €5,000;
  • a certificate signed by the heirs in the event of an inheritance of less than €5,000.

Social Action Information and Coordination Centres (Cicas - Centres d’information et de coordination de l’action sociale)

To receive assistance for procedures with supplementary pension funds.

Supplementary pension funds for employees

To request the payment of supplementary survivor’s pensions if the spouse was an employee.

Family Allowance Fund (CAF - Caisse d’allocations familiales)

The surviving spouse may request benefits from the Family Allowance Fund (CAF) which are income-based:

  • Housing assistance;
  • Earned income supplement (RSA - Revenu de solidarité active);
  • if there is at least one dependent child, the Family Support Allowance (FSA - Allocation de soutien familial) and scholarships;
  • activity bonus (prime d'activité).

Tax Office

  • To submit the inheritance declaration within 6 months of the death. If the death does not take place in mainland France, the period is one year;
  • to prepare the income tax return;
  • to settle property and housing taxes;
  • etc.

Credit institutions

To check whether there is life insurance for outstanding loans.

Mutual insurance companies and provident organisations, life insurance

To request the payment of the death benefit or an annuity if the spouse had subscribed to a contract of this type, or to request assistance.

For the home: who to contact?

  • Energy suppliers (such as EDF or Engie);
  • Telecom providers;
  • Water company;
  • Insurance companies (car, home, etc.);
  • Credit institutions;
  • Landlord in the case of a lease.
Travailleurs indépendants

If your spouse was self-employed

Chartered accountant, management centre

  • To provide a complete statement of the activity of the deceased spouse’s business;
  • to prepare the various tax declarations (VAT, earnings declaration, etc.).

Business Formalities Centre (CFE - Centre de formalités des entreprises)

To request the cancellation or provisional maintenance of registration in the trade register or the trade and companies register if currently in operation.

Requesting a survivor’s pension

Subject to conditions, you may be entitled to part of the pension of your deceased spouse.

If you apply for your survivor's pension within 12 months of death, you can set the start date to the first day of the month following death. After this period, you may indicate, at the earliest, the first day of the month following the submission of your application.

The start date of your survivor’s pension must always be set on the first day of the month and cannot be before your 55th birthday (51 years if the death occurred before 2009 or if your spouse disappeared before 2008).

If you live in France

You can apply for your survivor's pension online. How do you do it? It’s very simple: just log in to your personal area and click on “Apply for a survivor’s pension”. Explore the “Apply for a survivor’s pension” service.

Did you know?

If you are applying for a survivor’s pension online, your application is valid for all plans into which your deceased spouse contributed.

If you wish, you can apply for your survivor’s pension by post. You must:

If you live abroad

If your country of residence has signed a social security agreement with France

If your country of residence has signed a social security agreement with France: contact the local social security fund of your country of residence, it will provide you with a form to complete and sign, which you will then have to return to it. They will take care of passing it on to us.

If your country of residence has not signed a social security agreement with France

If your spouse was a pensioner under the general scheme, send your application to the regional fund that paid the pension. Otherwise, send it to the regional fund linked to their most recent professional activity.

To find out more about the survivor’s pension (terms, calculation), please visit our “My rights” page.

Travailleurs indépendants

In the event of the death of a pensioner who was self-employed

The surviving spouse may request:  

  • payment of a survivor’s pension from the basic scheme from all schemes to which the spouse contributed. A single application to the last scheme to which the deceased spouse contributed is sufficient;
  • payment of a survivor’s pension under the supplementary scheme for the self-employed (régime complémentaire des indépendants);
  • payment of death benefit within a maximum period of 2 years following the death, subject to conditions;
  • information on entitlement to health insurance (assurance maladie);
  • health and social action benefit (aide au titre de l'action sanitaire et sociale).

 

Please note

Did your spouse engage in paid work, whether agricultural, craftsperson or tradesperson? Only one application is required. Return it to the pension fund of your choice, preferably the one for the last activity of your deceased spouse (agricultural, craftsperson, etc.). They will pass on the information to the other pension schemes. Note: this application does not apply to supplementary pension schemes or special schemes.

 

Travailleurs indépendants

If you are worked for your spouse or the deceased was self-employed

If you worked for your spouse or if the deceased was self-employed, you may also apply for:

  • payment of a survivor’s pension under the supplementary scheme for the self-employed;
  • payment of death benefit within a maximum period of 2 years following the death, subject to conditions;
  • information on entitlement to health insurance (assurance maladie);
  • social welfare assistance (aide au titre de l’action sociale): Assistance for the surviving spouse.

The status of employee spouse is lost upon the death of the business head. However, it is possible to make voluntary contributions to the retirement-disability-death scheme, provided that you do not carry out any professional activity.

The application must be made within 6 months of the death of the business head and to his/her regional fund.

All the relevant information can be found on the “My rights” page.