Eligibility for survivors' benefits

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

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

• for 10 years OR

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

  Consider, for example, the case of a person who died at age 29. His or her contributory period is 12 years and corresponds to the period during which the person was between ages 18 and 29. 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).

A deceased persons 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.

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 (date on which the Québec Pension Plan came into effect) 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 Québec Pension 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), any 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.

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 or the Canada Pension Plan, possibly granting entitlement to survivors' benefits.

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.