Claim a survivor benefit

Notifying the Plan about the death of a retired member or surviving spouse

CAAT is here to help

The death of a loved one is among the most difficult events anyone will experience. The CAAT Plan understands your need for timely and thorough information during this sensitive time.

Your first step is to report the death of the retired member to the CAAT Pension Plan. If you have not already done so, please contact us.

Once the CAAT Plan is notified of the death of a retired member (or of a spouse in the case of a spousal pension), the Plan will stop any pension payments to their bank account. If the Plan continued to pay the pension before being advised of the death (due, for example, to a delay in notification), payments made after the death will need to be repaid.


Required forms and supporting documentation

To begin your payments, complete the form appropriate to your situation and submit it to the Plan along with the required documentation.

The Plan requires proof of the date of death of the retired member or spouse in the form of a legible photocopy of either a provincial death certificate or a funeral home certificate.

The Plan may request proof of age of the retired member's spouse or child in the form of a legible photocopy of one of the following: a birth certificate, a Canadian passport, a driver's license or citizenship card, or a marriage certificate that shows the date of birth.

The Plan may require letters probate to establish the executor of the retired member's will in the event that there are no beneficiaries.

In the case of the Children's pension, the legal guardian must complete the form and send the Plan a void cheque from his or her account into which the payments will be deposited.


Benefits available to survivors

Survivor benefits begin on the first day of the month following the death, providing all documents are fully completed and submitted.

If you are the eligible spouse of a deceased retired member, you will receive a monthly spousal pension for life.

If you are the eligible child of a deceased retired member who had no eligible spouse, you will receive a monthly children's pension. It is paid until you no longer meet the definition of a child under the Plan. If you have a legal guardian, the pension is paid to them.

If you are the eligible child of a deceased spouse who was collecting a spousal pension, or of a retired member whose spouse was collecting a spousal pension, you are entitled to a monthly children's pension equal to the pension the spouse was receiving as permitted under the Income Tax Act. It is paid until you no longer meet the definition of a child under the Plan. If you have a legal guardian, the pension is paid to them.

Definition of eligible child:

When a retired member without a spouse, or a spouse in receipt of a survivor pension dies, the eligible child (or children) for this benefit is their dependent biological or adopted child who is:

  • under 18 or,
  • under 25 and a full-time student, or
  • unable to support themselves due to disability (provided they became disabled before the age of 18 or before 25 if they were a full-time student).

If more than one child is eligible, the benefit is divided equally among them until one of them no longer meets the definition of a child, after which the payment is re-divided among the remaining eligible children.

Read Other survivor benefits if you die with no spouse for more information.

If you are a beneficiary (or represent the estate) of a deceased retired member who had no spouse or eligible children, you (or the estate) may be entitled to a one-time payment under the pension guarantee. If the retired member’s pension payments have exceeded the guarantee period, the beneficiary or estate is not entitled to a payment.

If you are a beneficiary (or represent the estate) of a deceased spouse who was collecting a spousal pension and who had no eligible children, you (or the estate) may be entitled to a one-time payment under the pension guarantee. If the total of the pension payments made to the retired member and their spouse have exceeded the amount defined by the guarantee period, the beneficiary or estate is not entitled to a payment.