Spousal benefits renunciation (or waiver)

When a supplemental pension plan member or beneficiary dies, the spouse can renounce the amounts payable to him or her by sending a written notice to the plan administrator. The written notice must include the following:

• the name and address of the member or beneficiary
• the name and address of the spouse
• the name of the plan and the number assigned to it by Retraite Québec
• the name of the member's employer
• a list of each benefit that the spouse wishes to renounce:
  • the lump‑sum benefit that is payable if the member dies before receiving a refund or a pension
  • the joint and survivor pension that is payable when a person receiving a pension dies
  • the joint and survivor pension that is payable when a member dies, if the deceased had reached the normal retirement age but had not yet started to receive a pension.
• the date of the notice
• the signature of the spouse renouncing the benefits payables to him or her.

The spouse can revoke the renunciation if he or she notifies the plan administrator in writing before the member or beneficiary's death. In the case of a joint and survivor pension, he or she must notify the administrator before the member starts receiving a pension.

The spouse's renunciation only affects the amounts payable to him or her because of his or her status (as spouse). It does not apply to the amounts he or she could receive as the deceased's designated beneficiary or heir.

Three sections to consult following the death of a family member

First steps

Pensions and benefits

Online services and forms

Other useful link

• The Death  section on Québec.ca indicates the steps to take following a person's death.