See what CPP will pay your family, and when to claim it
A death in the family does not open a CPP file. Someone has to apply — three times, for three different benefits — and the money only starts from the point the paperwork reaches Service Canada. That is the part families discover late, usually after the funeral is paid for.
This calculator gives you the figures before you need them. Enter the contributor's monthly CPP retirement pension, the survivor's age band and own pension, and how many children still depend on the household, and you will see the death benefit, the monthly survivor's pension and the children's benefit set out separately.
CPP Survivor Benefits Calculator
Three separate CPP benefits can be paid after a contributor dies: a one-time death benefit to the estate, a monthly survivor's pension, and a monthly benefit for dependent children. They are applied for separately and none of them are automatic.
2026 estimates using current CPP rules and rates. Actual amounts depend on the deceased's full contribution record, which only Service Canada can calculate. The death benefit is a flat $2,500 and is taxable to whoever receives it.
Who claims what, and in what order
The death benefit belongs to the estate, so it is the executor's claim — and because it is a single $2,500 paid once, it is the one people chase first and the one that disappoints. The survivor's pension is claimed by the surviving spouse or common-law partner in their own name. The children's benefit is applied for by the survivor on behalf of each dependent child, at roughly $309 a month per child under 18 or aged 18 to 24 in full-time study.
Sort out two things before you start: who is acting for the estate, and where the deceased's Social Insurance Number is kept. A family that knows both can get all three applications in within days of receiving the death certificate. A family that knows neither can lose months to the search, and lost months are not fully recoverable.
Why applying late costs real money
Retroactive payment on CPP survivor benefits is limited. A survivor's pension does not reach back indefinitely to the month of death, and the death benefit has its own window to be claimed within. Wait long enough and part of what your family was entitled to is gone for good — not delayed, gone.
There is no advantage to holding off while an estate is being wound up. The applications are independent of probate and of one another, and you can file for the survivor's pension without waiting for the death benefit to be settled. Note as well that the survivor's pension changes shape at 65: under 65 it is a flat-rate portion of roughly $232 a month plus 37.5 per cent of the contributor's retirement pension, and from 65 it becomes 60 per cent of it, with a ceiling that limits the survivor's own pension and the survivor's pension in combination.
Where the estimate ends and the real number begins
The 2026 amounts in this tool are estimates. Actual monthly benefits are calculated from the deceased's complete contribution record, and only Service Canada can produce them — nothing on this page can see how many years someone contributed or what they earned in each of them. Use the output to plan around, then confirm the figures once your application is processed.
One thing you can do while everyone is still here is write the numbers down. A single page naming the executor, listing the Social Insurance Numbers and saying who applies for what turns three claims into an afternoon's work instead of a scramble. If the contributor worked in Quebec, that page should point to Retraite Quebec and the Quebec Pension Plan, which pays its own survivor benefits on its own terms.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after a death can we apply?
As soon as you have proof of death and the deceased's Social Insurance Number. You do not have to wait for probate, and you should not wait for the estate to be finalised, because retroactive payment is limited.
Should we apply for all three benefits at once?
Yes, where all three apply. Applying for the death benefit does not put in a claim for the survivor's pension, and neither one covers the children. Each is a separate application and each starts paying from its own date.
Can the funeral home claim the death benefit for us?
The claim belongs to the estate, and in practice a funeral home may be paid directly out of the $2,500 or be reimbursed for it. That does not remove the need to apply, and it does not change the fact that $2,500 is a fraction of a typical funeral bill.
What happens to the children's benefit when a child turns 18?
It stops, unless the child is in full-time attendance at a recognised school or university, in which case it can continue to age 25 with proof of enrolment each year. The student may need to apply in their own name once they turn 18.
My spouse never took their CPP retirement pension. Is there still a survivor's pension?
Yes. The survivor's pension is based on the retirement pension the deceased would have been entitled to, not on whether they had started drawing it, provided they met the contribution requirement. Service Canada works out that figure from their contribution record.
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