Financial assistance for a person who has dependent children: the orphan's pension
Are you eligible?
The person who supports a minor child of the deceased person is entitled, if the latter contributed sufficiently to the Plan, to be paid an orphan's pension until the child turns 18.
Good to know...
The "child of the deceased" is:
- his or her biological or adopted child
- a child under age 18 who had been living with the deceased for at least one year, if the deceased served as mother or father to him or her.
The child is not considered to be the child of the deceased if he or she was placed in that person's home and the deceased was receiving amounts for his or her care.
Conditions of payment
When does the orphan's pension start being paid?
The orphan's pension is paid as of the month following the month of death. The orphan's pension ends when the child turns 18.
A fixed monthly amount for each child
Since 1 January 2012, the allowance granted to orphans has increased. The increase also applies to orphans' pensions already being paid. In 2012, the amount of the orphan's pension is 224,62$ a month for each child. The pension is taxable and must be reported in the child's income. It is indexed every year.
How is the pension paid?
The orphan's pension is paid either by cheque or direct deposit on the last working day of each month. If you are receiving a surviving spouse's pension, this pension and the orphan's pension is paid in a single monthly amount.
Apply for your pension quickly!
The orphan's pension can be paid retroactively for only up to 12 months, except in rare cases.
Take advantage of direct deposit
Sign up for Direct Deposit online.
Also see...
Filing an application...
Application for Survivors' Benefits