Death of a parent of a minor child

Following the death of a parent of a minor child, the Régie des rentes du Québec is one of the organizations that should be contacted.

Child assistance

• The Registrar of Civil Status informs us automatically of the death of a parent or a spouse.
• If the deceased was receiving payments for child assistance or the supplement for handicapped children, those payments will stop. The child's new caregiver must make a new Application for Child Assistance Payments.
• If a beneficiary's spouse dies, the child assistance payments will be recalculated to take into account the new situation (single-parent family). You can use the simulation tool CalculAide to get an estimate of the new amounts that could be paid.

The minor children of a deceased person may be entitled to certain benefits if the deceased contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan.

Survivors' benefits

Orphan's pension

• If the deceased had children under 18 years of age, the child is entitled to an orphan's pension. The pension may be paid to the person or the organization that supports the child.
• The orphan's pension starts being paid in the month after the death. Its amount is 224,62 $ a month for each child, in 2012. Payment stops when the child turns 18.
• If the child already receives an orphan's pension and his or her second parent dies, only one orphan's pension will be paid.
• To give entitlement to an orphan's pension to his or her child or children, the deceased must have contributed sufficiently to the Plan
• The person who is caring for the child can apply for an orphan's pension by using the online Application for Survivors' Benefits.

Death benefit

• The death benefit consists of a lump-sum payment of 2 500 $. It is paid in priority to the person or charitable organization that paid the funeral expenses. After 60 days, it may be paid to the heirs.
• The death benefit is taxable and must be declared in the income of the estate, regardless of the name in which the cheque was made.
• To apply for a death benefit or an orphan's pension, use the online Application for Survivors' Benefits.

Surviving spouse's pension

• If the deceased leaves a spouse, the latter could be entitled to a surviving spouse's pension. To qualify as a spouse, certain rules apply.
• To apply for a surviving spouse's pension, use the online Application for Survivors' Benefits.  

Other useful link

• The section What to Do in the Event of Death  on the Gouvernement du Québec portal indicates the steps to take following the death of a family member.
• If the deceased participated in a private pension plan or held a life insurance, his survivors could be entitled to another type of pension or an indemnity.