CPP Survivor Pension Now Up to $818.76 in July 2024

Surviving spouses and common-law partners of deceased Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributors can look forward to increased financial support, with the monthly pension recently raised from $326.87 to $818.76.

The Survivor’s Pension consists of two age categories: those under age 65 and those 65 or older. The amount that a surviving spouse or common-law partner receives will depend on age and the total CPP contributions the deceased contributor has made. 

What Is the CPP Survivor’s Pension?

The CPP Survivor’s Pension is a monthly payment provided to a surviving spouse or common-law partner of a deceased CPP contributor.

Disabled pensioners may also qualify to receive a Survivor’s Pension. 

Qualifying for CPP Survivor’s Pension

To qualify for the CPP Survivor’s Pension, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be legally married to a deceased CPP contributor
• Be a common-law partner of a deceased CPP contributor 

The CPP legislation states that a common-law partner is a person who has lived with another individual in a conjugal relationship for at least one year. To prove this, the following forms must be completed:

• The Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union form – dual signatures (ISP3004CPP), or
• The Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union form – single signature (ISP3104CPP)

If the deceased CPP contributor was legally married and had no common-law partner, the separated legal spouse may be eligible for the survivor’s benefit. 

Estimating Survivor’s Pension Payment 

How much a surviving spouse or common-law partner receives depends on:

• Whether they are younger or older than 65
• How much the deceased contributor has paid into the plan
• The length of time the deceased contributor has made CPP contributions

When calculating the Survivor’s Pension payment, the first thing that’s calculated is the contributor’s CPP retirement pension amount, or what it would have been if the deceased had reached age 65 at the time of death. 

The survivor’s age at the time of the contributor’s death is then used for further calculation. The following are the calculations for survivors in the two age categories:

• A survivor aged 65 or older, who’s not getting any other CPP benefits, will receive 60% of the deceased contributor’s retirement pension.
• A survivor under 65, who’s also not getting any other CPP benefits, will receive a flat rate portion and 37.5% of the contributor’s retirement pension.

For 2024, the maximum pension for survivors 65 and over is $818.76. For survivors younger than 65, the maximum amount is $739.31.

If the survivor is receiving other CPP benefits, such as disability benefits or retirement pension, all these will be lumped into one monthly payment. 

Monthly and Maximum Payment Amounts for 2024 

The table below shows the monthly and maximum payment amounts for January to December 2024:

Type of pension or benefit	Average amount for new beneficiaries (January 2024)	Maximum payment amount (2024)
Survivor’s pension – younger than 65	$524.68	$739.31
Survivor’s pension – 65 and older	$326.87	$818.76
Combined benefits
Combined survivor’s and retirement pension (at age 65)	$999.54	$1,375.41
Combined survivor’s pension and disability benefit	1,286.98	$1,613.54

Applying for Survivor’s Pension

A surviving spouse or common-law partner should apply for the Survivor’s Pension as soon as possible after the death of the CPP contributor. Failure to do so can result in lost benefits. 

Application can be done online or through a paper application. Below is the procedure on how to apply for the benefit:

1. If applying online, fill out the online CPP Survivor’s Pension form. If applying by paper application, complete the Canada Pension Plan Survivor’s Pension and Children’s Benefits application form (ISP1300). 
2. Print out the completed form. Along with certified true copies of the required documents, mail or drop them off at a Service Canada office. 
3. Before sending the documents, make sure to indicate the deceased contributor’s Social Insurance Number (SIN) and your own SIN on all documents.

Managing Survivor’s Pension Benefits 

The first payment for the Survivor’s Pension begins at the earliest month following the contributor’s death. The survivor will typically receive the first payment around 6 to 12 weeks from the date Service Canada receives the completed application. 

The Survivor’s Pension is taxable but isn’t automatically withheld. You can either make a voluntary request to have your taxes deducted through your My Service Canada account, or complete Form ISP3520CPP.

Related: Maximum CPP Payments Have Increased