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The surviving spouse's pension

The surviving spouse's pension under the Québec pension plan

Eligibility

The surviving spouse's pension under the Québec pension Plan ensures a basic income to the surviving spouse of a person who has sufficiently contributed to the Plan in accordance with the Act respecting the Québec Pension Plan.

A person is eligible for a surviving spouse's pension under the Québec Pension Plan if:

we deem him or her to be the spouse of the deceased AND
the deceased made sufficient contributions to the Québec Pension Plan.

Married, in a civil union, legally separated or in a de facto (common law) union

If the deceased person was married or in a civil union, the surviving spouse's pension will be paid to the spouse if there was no legal seperation.
If the death occurs in the first year of marriage or civil union, certain rules apply.
If the deceased person was not married or in a civil union, or was legally separated, the pension is paid to the person deemed to be his or her de facto (common law) spouse.

Note that...

The deceased's spouse will continue to receive his or her surviving spouse's pension even if he or she later remarries or enters into a civil union.

Recognition of de facto (common law) spouses

A de facto (common law) spouse may qualify as a surviving spouse if he or she lived with the deceased person for at least 3 years preceding the death.
Only one year of cohabitation is required if a child was born or is to be born of their union, if they adopted a child or if one of the spouses adopted the other one's child.
For deaths occurring on or after 4 April 1985, same-sex spouses can also apply for a surviving spouse's pension.

Note that...

A de facto (common law) spouse is not entitled to a surviving spouse's pension if the deceased person was married to or in a civil union with another person.

Amount and payments

The surviving spouse's pension is payable for life, as of the month following the death. It is paid on the last working day of each month. The surviving spouse's pension can be paid for a maximum retroactive period of 12 months, except in exceptional circumstances.

The amount of your surviving spouse's pension under the Québec Pension Plan varies according to the following factors:

the contributions entered in your spouse's file under the Québec Pension Plan and the Canada Pension Plan;
the deceased's retirement pension supplement, if he or she was receiving one;
your age;
whether you support dependent children of the deceased person;
whether you were deemed to be disabled by Retraite Québec, if applicable;
whether you are already receiving a retirement or a disability pension under the Québec Pension Plan or the Canada Pension Plan, if applicable.

The following table shows the amounts paid per month. The amounts are valid until 31 December 2024.

Monthly payments
Age of the surviving spouse	Situation of the surviving spouse	Maximum amount
under 45	without any dependent children	$668.91
under 45	with one or more dependent children	$1061.12
under 45	disabled, with or without dependent children	$1102.80
between 45 and 64	all situations	$1102.80
65 or over	the surviving spouse does not receive a retirement pension	$822.14

Payment terms

Maximum retirement pension

As of age 65, if you are receiving the maximum retirement pension granted for a year, your surviving spouse's pension will be $0 for the base plan. If the deceased contributed to the additional plan, the surviving spouse will receive 50% of the retirement pension that the deceased accrued under the plan.

Combined pension

In addition to the surviving spouse's pension, you can receive a retirement pension, a disability pension or both. In such a case, we pay the pensions in a single payment per month. This is known as a combined pension, and it is subject to a maximum amount determined by law, which varies depending on your situation. That amount is not necessarily equal to the sum of both pensions. As a result, the amount of your surviving spouse's pension could be reduced.

Moreover, if an additional amount for disability is added to your retirement pension, it is taken into account in the calculation of the combined pension amount. As a result, your surviving spouse's pension could be further reduced.

If you are receiving an income replacement indemnity from the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) due to a disability and we deem you to be disabled for the same reason, your surviving spouse's pension could be reduced.

Make sure you file your application for a surviving spouse's pension as soon as possible. Payments can be made retroactively for a maximum of 12 months.