This chapter covers the benefits granted in Portugal if the beneficiary dies

• Survivor's Pension [pensão de sobrevivência];
• Death Grant [subsídio por morte];
• Widow/Widower's and Orphan's Pension [pensão de viuvez e orfandade].

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In what situation can I claim?

Survivor's Pension is a monthly cash benefit paid to the following members of the beneficiary's family

• Spouse, ex-spouse and person with whom the beneficiary was living in a de facto relationship;
• Descendants, including unborn children, adopted children and stepchildren;
• Relatives in the ascending line when there are no other family members with an entitlement;

and aimed to compensate for the loss of work income resulting from the death of the beneficiary.

The Death Grant is a lump sum cash benefit paid to the beneficiary's family members (as defined above), which aims to compensate for the extra expenses arising from the beneficiary's death in order to facilitate the reorganisation of family life.

Should there not be any family members fitting the criteria set out above, the Death Grant may be paid to other relatives, relatives-in-law or persons treated as relatives who are either in the direct line or up to the third degree in the collateral line, including adopted persons and adopters within limits.

The Widower/Widow's and Orphan's Pension are non-contributory benefits that are paid if the beneficiary dies.

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What conditions do I need to meet?

The Survivor's Pension is paid to the dead beneficiary's family members (as defined above), provided that the beneficiary has registered earnings for a period of at least 36 months

There are conditions that the above-mentioned family members have to satisfy.

The Death Grant is paid to the dead beneficiary's family members (as defined for the Survivor's Pension above):

• Without any minimum qualifying period requirement under the general social security scheme;
• With a minimum qualifying period of 36 months of contributions under the voluntary social security scheme.

The Widower/Widow's Pension is paid to the spouse of the beneficiary of the non-contributory social pension, who must: be a Portuguese national or else be treated as the equivalent of a Portuguese citizen; reside in Portuguese territory; not be entitled to any other pension in his or her own right; not receive gross monthly income in excess of € 192.17 (40% of the IAS [Social Support Index]).

The Orphan's Pension is paid to children until they reach adulthood or are emancipated, who satisfy the following conditions:

• They must have Portuguese nationality;
• They must reside in Portuguese territory;
• They must be orphans of persons not covered by any social insurance scheme;
• They must not be engaged in any occupation subject to the compulsory social insurance scheme;
• They must satisfy one of the following financial resources conditions:
  • Gross monthly income of €  192.17 or less (40% of the IAS], provided that their respective household income is not greater than € 720.65 (1.5 times the IAS);
  • Household income per person of € 144.13 or less (30% of the IAS) and in a vulnerable position or in a situation of social dysfunction.

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What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

The Survivor's Pension corresponds to certain percentages multiplied by the amount of Invalidity or Old-Age Pension that the beneficiary was receiving or was going to receive

The Death Grant is paid as a lump sum set at € 1,441.29 (corresponding to three times the IAS).

When there is nobody with entitlement to the Death Grant, then the funeral expenses are reimbursed to the person who incurred the costs up to a maximum of € 1,441.29.

The value of the Widower/Widow's Pension is 60% of the Social Pension.

The amount paid under the Orphan's Pension is:

There is also a Funeral Allowance, which is a fixed cash benefit paid as a lump sum, to compensate for the funeral expenses paid by the claimant for the funeral of a member of his household or of any other person, including unborn children, as long as the claimant is resident in Portugal and can prove that he or she has paid the expenses.

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Jargon busters

• IAS: Indexante dos Apoios Sociais [social support index].
• Stillborn: child that is dead at birth.
• Residents and persons equivalent to residents: the following are also considered to be residents: Portuguese people generally resident in Portugal, foreign nationals, refugees and stateless persons who have valid residence permits. Civil servants working for the Portuguese State, as well as the members of their households, national citizens covered by the Portuguese social security system and working in a country with which Portugal has a social security agreement and members of their households, and foreign nationals covered by an international agreement or European Union legislation are also considered to be residents.
• The following are considered to be equivalent to residents: foreign citizens who have a valid residence permit in Portugal. The possible permits are: valid work visa, valid temporary protection permit, residence permits and their respective extensions (on a case-by-case basis) and foreign nationals who are not covered by an international agreement or European Union legislation.

Forms you may need to fill in

• RP5075-DGSS: Claim Form
• RP5018-DGSS: Claim for Non-contributory Orphan's and Widower/Widow's Pensions
• RP5033-DGSS: Claim for Funeral Expenses
• These forms can be found on the Social Security website and must be presented to the social security services.

Know your rights

The links below define your entitlements in accordance with Portuguese law. They are not European Commission links, nor do they represent the Commission's position

• Subsídio por morte [Death grant];
• Reembolso de despesas de funeral [Reimbursement of funeral expenses];
• Pensão de orfandade [Orphan's pension];
• Pensão de viuvez [Widower/Widow's pension];
• Pensão de sobrevivência [Survivor's pension].

Commission Publication and Website:

• Help during bereavement: your entitlements abroad as a European Citizen.

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Who do you need to contact?

You can obtain further information through one of the following

Social Security Line: 300 502 502 / 210 545 400

Personalized service: Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, excluding public holidays

Automated reply system: 24/24, 7/7

From abroad: +351 300 502 502 / +351 210 545 400

Social Security website: www.seg-social.pt. Consult Segurança Social Direta [Social Security Direct].

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