Thanatologist
As a thanatologist, funeral director, or an employee of a funeral home, your tasks include supporting your grieving clients and perhaps even assisting them in their steps with Retraite Québec.
An updated section to better guide you
The information in our Death section applies to both professionals in the funeral industry and citizens so that everyone can benefit from the same information to guide them in the event of death.
First steps to be taken in the event of death briefly shows the first steps to be taken in the event of death in Québec and outside Québec. This subdivision specifies the role of the physician and funeral home. In addition, it indicates in which cases it is important to notify Retraite Québec of a person's death.
Pensions and benefits for spouses, children and heirs contains a wealth of information on pensions and benefits paid under all the retirement programs and plans that are supervised or administered by Retraite Québec. There is even a tool to help create a personalized list of the pensions and benefits to which family members could be entitled based on their personal situation.
The liquidator of the estate shows the responsibilities of the person designated by the deceased to take on the role.
Death benefit and receipt for funeral expenses
The form entitled Reçu pour frais funéraires acquittés (Receipt for funeral expenses paid; French only) allows funeral homes to provide Retraite Québec with proof that the funeral expenses have been paid by the person who applied for the death benefit.
The death benefit is paid to the person or charity that paid the funeral expenses or to the heirs, if they file an application.
- If an application and proof of payment are filed with us within 60 days of the death, priority is given to the person or charity that paid the funeral expenses.
- After 60 days, if no application has been filed with proof of payment of the funeral expenses, the death benefit can be paid to the heirs upon filing an application.
For more information on deadlines, accepted expenses and payment receipts, and to find out more on the special rules that apply if the payer of the funeral expenses has ties with the funeral home, consult the death benefit section.
How to send a receipt online
Here is how to send us a form online:
- Download the Reçu pour frais funéraires acquittés (Receipt for funeral expenses paid; French only) form on your computer.
- Open the file in PDF format and complete it onscreen.
- Save the information in the form.
- Access the Sending a document online service to send us the form.
Surviving spouse's pension
The Surviving spouse's pension section presents the conditions that must be met for a person to be recognized as the deceased's spouse.
Documents provided as proof
When applying for a surviving spouse's pension, certain documents may be required for a de facto spouse to be recognized, which allows for the processing of the application for benefits. Since each situation is unique, the documents required may be different from one situation to another.
However, in order to speed up the processing of your application, we strongly recommend that you send us the following additional documents:
Other documents may also be useful for the processing of your application:
- proof of cohabitation (municipal and school taxes notices, insurance contract, notarized contracts, Notice of Assessment, both of the spouses' driver's licences, etc.);
- Other proof (joint bank account statement, joint credit card statement, mortgage contract, etc.).
A document provided as proof is accepted if the name of the deceased person and the name of the person recognized as the spouse are indicated on it, as well as the date it is issued. If the document only shows one name, each spouse must provide separate proof.
Forms and online services related to death
The In the Event of Death: Online Services and Forms section presents all the online services useful in the event of a death in Québec, as well as downloadable PDF versions of the forms.