Who to notify and eligibility for benefits

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

After you gather the documents you need, use this checklist to determine:

  • which federal departments or agencies to contact
  • what benefits you might be eligible for

Select the statements that apply to your situation

The more questions you answer, the more customized and accurate your results will be.

Select all the statements that apply (required)

The deceased

You

Your results

Report the death of a beneficiary to each department and agency quickly to avoid benefit overpayments.

If the death occurred within Canada…

Contact the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Contact CRA with the social insurance number of the deceased person to:

Contact Service Canada

If the death occurred within the territories, contact Service Canada’s Social Insurance Number (SIN) program to report the death. Informing Service Canada’s SIN program of the death reduces the risk of the person’s SIN being used fraudulently. The SIN can still be used for estate purposes.

When someone dies in a Canadian province, you do not have to notify Service Canada’s SIN program (the provincial vital statistics agency will notify Service Canada’s SIN program).

Contact Service Canada’s Social Insurance Number (SIN) program

Contact Canada Post

Contact Canada Post to forward the mail of the deceased person to a new address.

If the death occurred outside of Canada…

You must follow the steps for a death outside of Canada. It may take a few months for the foreign country to report the death to Service Canada.

Steps for a death outside of Canada

If the deceased was a victim of a serious violent crime in a foreign country, their estate may be eligible for financial assistance through Financial Assistance for Canadians Victimized Abroad.

Financial Assistance for Canadians Victimized Abroad

Contact the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Contact CRA with the social insurance number of the deceased person to:

If the deceased person had a passport, a permanent resident card, or submitted a passport application…

Contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

You can also ask for personal information about a deceased person.

If the deceased person lived or worked abroad at some point in their life…

Check there were eligible for pensions and benefits from the other country.

Check if they are eligible for pensions and benefits from the other country.

If you are their surviving spouse, you may be eligible for pensions and benefits from the other country because of a social security agreement.

Learn more about benefits from Canada or from a foreign country

If the deceased person was unemployed…

Contact the Employment Insurance (EI) program

Contact the EI program if the deceased person was receiving or was eligible to receive EI benefits.

Contact the EI program

Verify whether you’re eligible for benefits

Contact Service Canada to find out if the family of the deceased person are eligible to receive benefits from Employment Insurance Sickness benefit

If the deceased person received student loans…

Contact the National Student Loans Service Centre

If a borrower dies, contact the National Student Loan Service Centre to have Canada Student Loans forgiven.

Contact the National Student Loan Service Centre

Contact the province or territory of the borrower, or the financial institutions responsible for the student loans

For the provincial or territorial part of the loan, contact the province or territory of the borrower, or the financial institutions responsible for the student loans.

Contact the province or territory

If the deceased person was 60 years of age or older…

Cancel Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan

Cancel Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan Benefits if the deceased person was receiving or was eligible for benefits.

Cancel Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan

Verify whether you’re eligible for benefits

Contact Service Canada to find out if the family of the deceased person is eligible to get benefits from the following programs:

If the deceased person was under 18 years of age…

Notify the Canada Revenue Agency

If you or the deceased parent was receiving the Canada Child Benefit, contact CRA to let them know.

Contact CRA about the CCB

For more information, read the Reporting a death section of the Keep getting your Canada child benefit (CCB) payments page.

Keep getting your Canada child benefit (CCB)

If someone is receiving EI maternity

If someone is receiving EI maternity for the deceased child, they must contact Employment Insurance. Employment Insurance will update their file and make any necessary adjustments.

contact Employment Insurance

If the deceased person had a physical disability or mental illness…

Contact the Canada Pension Plan to cancel CPP Disability benefits as soon as possible to avoid overpayment

Find out how to cancel CPP benefits (including CPP Disability benefits) on behalf of a deceased person.

cancel CPP benefits

Verify whether you’re eligible for benefits

The estate and survivors may be eligible to receive other CPP benefits:

If the deceased person served as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces…

Inform the chain of command of the deceased member’s unit, squadron, or ship

A member of the unit will help you during this difficult period.

Find the units, squadrons, and ships of the Canadian Forces

Inform the Government of Canada Pension Centre

Contact the Government of Canada Pension Centre to inform them that a Canadian Armed Forces Pension Plan member or a pension recipient has passed.

Inform Veteran Affairs Canada

Contact Veterans Affairs Canada if the Veteran was receiving services or benefits.

Contact Veterans Affairs Canada

Verify whether you’re eligible for benefits

Legal spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for a survivor pension.

Find out if you qualify for benefits:

If the deceased person had a gun or other firearms…

Learn what executors of estates and heirs of firearms should do when someone dies.

Executors of estates and heirs of firearms

If the deceased person was a police officer, firefighter, paramedic, correctional officer, parole officer or probation officer…

If the deceased person was a police officer, firefighter, paramedic, correctional officer, parole officer or probation officer, they are considered a first responder.

Apply for the Memorial Grant for First Responder

The Memorial Grant Program for First Responders provides financial assistance to the families of first responders who have died as a result of their duties.

Memorial Grant Program for First Responders

If the deceased person has life insurance…

Make a life insurance claim

To make a life insurance claim, you need the following:

  • insurance policy number
  • a claims form from the insurance company
  • a copy of the death certificate

Making a life insurance claim

If you’re unable to find the insurance policy, contact OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance. Once submitted, there may be a delay before the beneficiaries receive their payment.

contact OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance

If the deceased person was the victim of a crime…

If someone was providing care support to the deceased person…

The caregiver should update or adjust their EI file

If someone is receiving caregiving benefits and the person they were providing care or support dies, they must contact Employment Insurance. Employment Insurance will update their file and make any necessary adjustments.

Contact Employment Insurance

If the deceased person was a parent or legal guardian of a child…

Notify the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

If the deceased was a recipient of the Canada Child Benefit, contact CRA as soon as possible to report the death. Someone else may be eligible to receive the benefits for the child.

Contact CRA as soon as possible to report the death

More information: Keep getting your payments - Canada child benefit (CCB)

If the deceased person has a spouse or common-law partner…

The deceased person’s spouse or common-law partner may be entitled to certain assets. Learn about estate law, including wills, Powers of Attorney and probate fees in each province and territory.

If the deceased was a First Nations person…

If you are the executor of the estate…

Get the social insurance number

You may need the Social Insurance Number (SIN) of the deceased person to report the death to the federal government.

If you do not know the SIN, ask for it.

Request confirmation of SIN for a deceased person

More information: Social Insurance Number - What to do following a death

Contact the Canada Revenue Agency

Contact the Canada Revenue Agency with the social insurance number of the deceased person to settle the taxes.

Get information about your role as the executor of the estate and a list of estate law resources:

If you are expecting a child or are the parent of the deceased’s child…

Update or adjust your EI file

If you are receiving EI maternity and your child or the person you are providing care or support to has died, contact us so we can update your file and make any necessary adjustments.

Notify the Canada Revenue Agency

If you or the deceased parent was receiving the Canada Child Benefit, contact CRA to let them know.

For more information, read the Reporting a death section of the Keep getting your Canada child benefit (CCB) payments page.

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