CPP survivor’s pension
When a CPP contributor dies, the surviving spouse or common-law partner can receive a monthly pension calculated from the contributor’s own retirement pension.
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The CPP survivor’s pension pays up to $803.54 a month in 2026 to a survivor under 65 and up to $904.59 to a survivor aged 65 or older. Under 65, the pension is a flat portion of $238.17 plus 37.5 % of the deceased contributor’s retirement pension; from 65, it is 60 % of that pension, with no flat portion. Averages are much lower: $555.70 under 65 and $336.91 at 65 and over. A survivor who also receives a CPP retirement pension does not get the two in full: the combined payment is capped, at $1,531.56 for survivor and retirement benefits at 65, and at $1,756.14 for survivor and disability benefits. The pension is open to a legally married spouse or a common-law partner of at least 1 year, and it continues if the survivor remarries. It must be applied for; Service Canada pays back at most 12 months. The amount actually paid is the one in Service Canada’s decision.
Estimate a CPP survivor’s pension
Survivor’s pension, alone
$514.80
| Rule applied | 60 % of the contributor’s pension |
| Your pension plus the survivor’s pension | $514.80 |
| Ceiling for combined survivor and retirement at 65 | $1,531.56 |
2026 amounts, before tax.
Who can receive it
The pension goes to the person who was legally married to the deceased contributor, or to a common-law partner who had lived with the contributor in a conjugal relationship for at least 1 year (Service Canada, Survivor's pension (modified 2026-05-25)). A separated spouse can qualify if the deceased had no common-law partner. A credit split with the deceased approved in January 2025 or later closes the door for that contributor. The amount depends on how much, and for how long, the deceased paid into the CPP, so a contributor with a short record leaves a small pension.
The survivor’s age matters in one way above all: at 65 the formula changes, which is the core of this page.
The two formulas
Under 65, Service Canada adds a flat portion, $238.17 in 2026, to 37.5 % of the contributor’s retirement pension; the earnings-related part can reach $565.37, for a maximum of $803.54 (ESDC, Quarterly report of CPP and OAS monthly amounts, October to December 2026). From 65, the survivor receives 60 % of the contributor’s retirement pension, up to $904.59. The table applies both formulas to three contributor pensions calculated at 65.
| Contributor | Contributor’s pension at 65 | Survivor under 65 | Survivor 65 and over |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the 2026 maximum | $1,507.65 | $803.54 | $904.59 |
| At the July 2026 average | $858.34 | $560.05 | $515.00 |
| At half the maximum | $754.00 | $520.92 | $452.40 |
Read the last row carefully. With a contributor pension of $754.00, the survivor under 65 receives $520.92 and the same survivor at 65 receives $452.40: the flat portion is worth more than the extra percentage. Only for larger contributor pensions does the age-65 formula pay more.
Estimate a CPP survivor’s pension
Survivor’s pension, alone
$514.80
| Rule applied | 60 % of the contributor’s pension |
| Your pension plus the survivor’s pension | $514.80 |
| Ceiling for combined survivor and retirement at 65 | $1,531.56 |
2026 amounts, before tax.
A younger family after a death
Take a contributor whose pension at 65 would have been the July 2026 average, $858.34, and who dies leaving a 48-year-old spouse and two children under 18. The spouse receives $560.05 a month as a survivor’s pension, and each child receives the children’s benefit of $307.81, for a household total of $1,175.67 a month from CPP. The children’s benefits stop as each child leaves the age and school conditions, while the survivor’s pension continues and is recalculated with the age-65 formula on the spouse’s 65th birthday. For this family, that birthday brings a drop to $515.00, before any combination with the spouse’s own retirement pension.
The example shows why the flat portion matters so much to younger survivors: it is a large share of the payment when the contributor’s record is average or below. It also shows why both partners should look at their CPP statements while both are alive. The survivor’s pension is built on the deceased’s record, and nothing can be added to that record after the death.
When you also have your own CPP
Many survivors over 65 receive their own retirement pension, and the two do not simply add up. Service Canada adjusts the total according to the survivor’s age and applies a ceiling. For 2026 the combined survivor’s and retirement benefit at 65 is at most $1,531.56 a month, against $1,507.65 for the retirement pension alone; the average combined payment is $1,086.16. For a survivor who receives the CPP disability benefit, the ceiling is $1,756.14 and the average $1,372.71.
This ceiling is the likely reason the average survivor’s pension at 65 and over, $336.91, is so much lower than the average under 65, $555.70: older survivors are usually already drawing a pension of their own, and the survivor’s share is what gets trimmed. It also changes the household arithmetic of starting CPP early or late, discussed in the guide on starting at 60 or 70.
Applying and the first payment
The survivor’s pension is never paid automatically. You apply through My Service Canada Account or with the paper form ISP1300. Service Canada can pay back at most 12 months, eleven plus the month of the application, and the first payment usually arrives 6 to 12 weeks after a complete application is received. The same period covers the one-time CPP death benefit, which the estate or another eligible person applies for separately.
Other support for survivors
Dependent children of the contributor can receive a children’s benefit of $307.81 a month each, paid on top of the survivor’s pension. A low-income survivor aged 60 to 64 may qualify for the Allowance for the Survivor, and from 65 the Guaranteed Income Supplement; both count the CPP survivor’s pension as income when they calculate the payment.