The survivor’s pension is systematically paid to married people. This advantage allows you to receive income after the death of your spouse, while benefiting from part of your retirement rights. The amount corresponds to a percentage of the retirement pension that the deceased could have received or what he received during his lifetime.
Depending on the spouse’s plan, the percentage may vary. For basic private plans, it amounts to 54%. For private supplementary schemes, it amounts to 60% and for those of civil servants, it rises to 50%.
Since December 30, 2019, if the surviving spouse has been convicted of domestic violence against the deceased spouse or ex-spouse, he or she is no longer entitled to a survivor’s pension.
Is it possible to receive your ex-husband’s survivor’s pension?
Divorce has no effect on the survivor’s pension while remarriage can have an impact on the amount of its payment. “It is entirely possible to receive your ex-husband’s survivor’s pension but it will be calculated in proportion to the length of the marriage,” explains Manon R, account manager at Neovia, specialist in legal expertise for executive retirement. and liberal professions.
In fact, you will receive the amount of the survivor’s pension in full if you were the only wife or pro rata if your ex-spouse has remarried. Please note, civil partnerships or cohabitation do not entitle you to this system.
To be entitled to your ex-spouse’s survivor’s pension, you must first apply for it. Indeed, affiliation is not automatic. “Payment of the survivor’s pension is subject to personal resources. You must have income below the minimum wage, i.e. 24,232 euros gross per year, on January 1, 2024,” explains the expert.
As for civil servants, they do not need to respect specific resource conditions. On the other hand, they must have had one or more children from the marriage with the deceased, they must have been married for at least four years or be married at least two years before the deceased retired.
Age is also a criterion to respect. “To be entitled to this advantage, you must be at least 55 years old”, underlines Manon R. A criterion which can be revised downwards under certain conditions.
It is possible to receive the survivor’s pension before the age of 55, under certain conditions. “If the person is disabled or has at least two dependent children, they will be able to apply for retirement pension before,” indicates the expert.
Also, civil servants have no age restriction. They can apply for retirement pension at any time in their life, provided they respect the conditions mentioned above in the article.