While receiving the Allowance for the Survivor
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Your first payment
You will receive your first payment either:
- the month after the death of your spouse or common-law partner
- up to 11 months before the date we received or waived your application (if you applied after you turn 60)
- the month after you meet the eligibility requirements
- the month you turn 60
- the date that is indicated on your decision letter
You can receive your benefit payment by cheque or direct deposit to your banking account in Canada. You will have sign up for direct deposit.
We review your benefit amount each year
Using your income information from your federal Income tax return, we will review whether you will continue to receive the Allowance for the Survivor for the next year.
Every July, you will receive a letter telling you one of the following:
- your benefit will be renewed and the amount for the next 12 months
- your benefit will be stopped
- your benefit will start or resume
- we need your income information
You must file your taxes on time
You do not have to pay taxes on your Allowance for the Survivor benefit payment. You must file your taxes by April 30 every year to avoid any disruption of payments.
If your situation changes
If your income changes
Your income may change due to several factors. Find out how to determine your income.
Contact us if you have a lower annual income due to retirement or if other pension benefits are reduced or stopped.
In these cases, we can set your benefit payment by estimating your income for the current year instead of using last year’s income.
If you leave Canada for more than 6 months
You cannot collect the Allowance for the Survivor benefit if you are outside of Canada for more than 6 months.
If you plan to leave Canada for more than 6 months, you must contact us to avoid an overpayment.
Service Canada compares information with the Canada Border Services Agency. If you leave Canada for more than 6 months while collecting the Allowance for the Survivor benefit, we will determine if you are eligible to those payments. If not, we will calculate how much we overpaid you, and you will then have to repay that amount.
Note: You could be fined for giving false, misleading, or purposely omitted information.
You can also come forward to correct wrong or incomplete information or to give important information that you have not already shared with Service Canada. Learn about Penalties, Interest and Disclosure Policy.
When you return to Canada, contact us to restart your payments.
If your marital status changes
You must contact us if you:
- marry
- enter into a common-law relationship
If you are in jail
Your Allowance for the Survivor payments will stop if you are in a federal prison serving a sentence of 2 years or more. You must notify Service Canada in writing of your release and your payments will start again the month you are released.
How to avoid being overpaid
You must notify Service Canada if there are any changes to your marital status. If you receive any monies to which you are not entitled, you will have to pay it back.
How to avoid being overpaid
You must notify Service Canada if there are any changes to your marital status. If you receive any monies to which you are not entitled, you will have to pay it back.
When your benefit could stop
Your Allowance for the Survivor payment can stop for any of the following reasons:
- you have not filed a tax return by April 30
- by the end of June, you did not give us the information about your income for the previous year
- you leave Canada for more than 6 consecutive months
- your income is higher than what is allowed to receive the benefit
- you are in a federal prison for a sentence of 2 years or longer
- you have reached the age of 65 (payments stop the month after you turn 65 when you may be eligible for the Old Age Security pension
- you remarry or enter into a new common-law relationship
- you die (it is important that someone notify us about your death to avoid overpayment)
When someone dies
If you are reading this following the loss of a loved one, please accept our condolences.
When someone dies, please inform us as soon as possible to avoid overpayment.
Find out how to cancel the Allowance for the Survivor benefit on behalf of a deceased person.
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