Survivor pension is a lifetime monthly benefit that corresponds to a certain percentage of the deceased accrued rights (of the retirement pension the scheme member was receiving at the moment of his death or would receive if at that time he met the qualifying conditions).
Death Benefits
Survivor pension
Here you can find information about the survivor's benefit scheme: aplication for a survivor pension and calculation method.
2026-04-13
Definition
Como pedir
O pedido de pensão de sobrevivência e outras prestações por morte (reembolso despesas funeral e subsídio por morte) pode ser apresentado pelos herdeiros hábeis, mediante o preenchimento do formulário CGA02, acompanhado dos documentos que nele são indicados. Consulte as instruções de preenchimento.
A pensão de sobrevivência pode ser requerida a qualquer momento.
De acordo com o Decreto-Lei n.º 142/73, de 31 de março, aos aposentados cuja pensão tenha sido calculada com base no regime vigente até 31 de dezembro de 2005 e aos falecidos no ativo, inscritos até 31 de agosto de 1993, que se aposentariam com base no mesmo regime, a pensão é devida desde a data do óbito, se requerida no prazo de 1 ano a contar daquela data. Sendo requerida após aquele prazo, a pensão é devida desde o dia 1 do mês seguinte à data da entrada do requerimento.
De acordo com Decreto-Lei n.º 322/90, de 18 de outubro, aos aposentados cuja pensão tenha sido calculada com base no regime previsto na Lei n.º 60/2005, de 29 de dezembro, e aos falecidos no ativo que se aposentariam com base no mesmo regime, bem como aos subscritores inscritos a partir de 1 de setembro de 1993, a pensão é devida desde a data do óbito, se requerida no prazo de 180 dias a contar daquela data. Sendo requerida após aquele prazo, a pensão é devida desde o dia 1 do mês seguinte à data da entrada do requerimento.
Contribution for survivor pension and time of service counting
The scheme membership and the monthly contribution of 11% of the pensionable remuneration entitles not only the scheme member to a retirement pension, but also his lawful heirs (or survivors) to a survivor pension.
Nowadays, the time of service counting for retirement implies necessarily the counting of that period for survivor pension purposes.
However, in the past, the contribution system for retirement and survivor pension schemes was not unified, so it could happen that a scheme member contributed to the retirement scheme only.
Therefore, scheme regulations continue to mention separate time of service counting procedures according to its purposes, retirement or survivor pensions, with also separate contributions debts calculated.
The time of service counting for survivor pension scheme depends on the corresponding contributions payment.
Contributions debt calculation
The calculation of extra service contributions for survivor pension scheme is similar to the retirement pensions one, but the contribution rate amounts to 3% (instead of 8%) of the pensionable remuneration or the retirement pension, for each month taken into account.
Contributions debt payment
The survivor pension scheme member chooses one of the following two methods to pay the contributions in debt:
- In full in a lump sum;
- In equal monthly installments over a period no longer than 5 years / 60 payments (minimal monthly installment of € 25.00).
If the scheme member dies before the total amount is paid, the debt will be transferred to his lawful heirs through the survivor pension, in which that amount will be automatically deducted by CGA (withholding).
Application for a survivor pension
Those considered lawful heirs can apply for a survivor pension.
Concerning the scheme members retired according to the rules in force until 2005-12-31 and the deceased active members that would also retire according to those rules, the scheme considers lawful heirs (survivors) the following:
- Surviving spouse or adult partner, regardless of any conditions;
- Divorced or separated surviving spouse, only if he/she was entitled to an alimony paid by the deceased agent;
- Children under the age of 18, regardless of any conditions;
- Children:
- Permanently disabled, regardless of any other conditions;
- Between the age of 18 and 25, if attending secondary classes;
- Between the age of 18 and 27, if attending higher education classes and not earning more than 2/3 of minimum national wage.
- Grandchildren meeting the children qualifying conditions and the following circumstances:
- Both parents have died;
- One of the parents has died and the other is unable to support the child;
- One parent is unable to support the child and it is not possible to have alimony paid by the other;
- Both parents are absent and don't support the child.
(Grandchildren can only apply for the survivor pension if their parents can't)
- Parents and grandparents dependents of (supported by) the deceased scheme member.
(Parents and grandparents can only apply to the survivor pension if there aren't any of the beneficiaries prior mentioned)
Concerning the scheme members that will retire (or would, if they didn't die before) according to the rules in force from 2006-01-01 onwards (the scheme members that didn't have 36 years of service in 2005-12-31 and all civil servants appointed after 1993-08-31), the scheme considers lawful heirs (survivors) the following:
- Surviving spouse (should there be no children, one year of marriage required) or adult partner;
- Divorced or separated surviving spouse, only if he/she was entitled to an alimony paid by the deceased agent;
- Children under the age of 18, regardless of any conditions;
- Children:
- Permanently disabled, regardless of any other conditions;
- Between the age of 18 and 25, if attending secondary classes;
- Between the age of 18 and 27, if attending higher education classes and not earning more than 2/3 of minimum national wage.
- Parents and grandparents dependents of (supported by) the deceased scheme member.
(Parents and grandparents can only apply to the survivor pension if there aren't any of the beneficiaries prior mentioned).
Calculation method
If the deceased pensioner or active member retired - or could retire - according to the rules in force until 2005-12-31, the survivor pension corresponds to 50% of the retirement pension the deceased was receiving at the moment of his death or the pension he would receive if at that time he met all the retirement qualifying conditions.
If the deceased retired or would retire according to the rules in force from 2006-01-01 onwards, the survivor pension corresponds to the sum of 50% of the retirement pension named P1 with the percentage of P2 according to the following rules:
| Titulares | Percentagem da pensão a que o subscritor tinha direito à data do óbito |
|
|---|---|---|
| Classe | Números | |
| Cônjuge ou membro de união de facto sobrevivo e ex-cônjuges | 1 | 60% |
| 2 ou mais | 70% | |
| Descendentes | 1 | 20%(40%*) |
| 2 | 30%(60%*) | |
| 3 ou mais | 40%(80%*) | |
| Ascendentes | 1 | 30% |
| 2 | 50% | |
| 3 ou mais | 80% | |
* In case no surviving spouse, adult partner or divorced exist.
The survivor pension scheme of private workers (Social Security) fully applies to civil servants appointed after 1993-08-31.
Competition rules between survivors
If the deceased pensioner or active member retired - or could retire - according to the rules in force until 2005-12-31, the competition rules between his survivors are as follows:
- If only survivors of the same group apply (surviving spouse, adult partner and divorced or separated spouse / children / grandchildren / parents and grandparents), the pension is equally shared between them;
- If only grandchildren apply, the pension is equally shared between deceased children, then each share is equally shared between the children of each deceased child;
- If both children and grandchildren apply, the pension is equally divided among children, then the share(s) belonging to deceased children is equally shared between his/her children;
- If both surviving spouse, adult partner, divorced or separated surviving spouse and children and/or grandchildren apply, the pension will be divided in two halves, one for the first group (surviving spouse, etc.) and the other for the children and/or grandchildren. The two halves will then be divided among the survivors of the same group according to the rules prior mentioned.
The survivor pensions granted to the legal heirs of those that could not retire according to the rules in force until 2005-12-31 is distributed among them as described in Table III (pension equally shared within the same class).
Pension payment
The survivor pension payment is due from the:
- Death of the scheme member, when the survivor pension claim was submitted in the following 12 months (civil servants special scheme or general scheme for private workers);
- Day 1 of the first month after the death occurred, when the survivor pension claim was submitted in the following 6 months (general scheme for private workers and adult partners pension claims);
- First day of the following month to the survivor pension claim was submitted, in other cases.
The pension payment and prescription rules are the same that apply to the retirement pension.
Pension rights loss
The survivor pension is paid until one of the following events occurs:
- The children or grandchildren reach the age of 18 and:
- Work or not attend:
- Secondary classes (18 to 25 years old);
- High education classes (18 to 27 years old);
- Get married(if the child is not permanently disabled);
- Work or not attend:
- Surviving spouse, adult partner or divorced or separated spouse remarries;
- The disability or other circumstance that the pensioner met to qualify for the pension ends;
- Express waiver to the pension;
- Prescription of the entitlement to the pension;
- Acquisition of another pension;
- Pensioners' death.
Pension reversion
If the survivor pension is being paid to more than one beneficiary and one of them loses his pension rights, the global value of the pension is redistributed by the others, according to the rules prior mentioned.
Valor global devido por retroação
No regime de pensões da função pública, há historicamente duas contribuições distintas e, consequentemente, duas carreiras diferentes, uma para a aposentação e outra para a pensão de sobrevivência.
O facto de a proteção social em matéria de pensão de sobrevivência no quadro do novo regime do Estatuto das Pensões de Sobrevivência (EPS), aprovado pelo Decreto-Lei n.º 142/73, de 31 de março, ter sido de adesão individual facultativa até 31 de agosto de 1991 (Decreto-Lei n.º 343/91, de 17 de setembro) para os trabalhadores que se encontravam abrangidos pelo anterior regime de proteção naquela eventualidade, aprovado pelo Decreto-Lei n.º 24046/1934, de 21 de junho, levou a que muitos daqueles trabalhadores tivessem optado por manter-se a descontar pelo regime antigo, que se apresentava menos oneroso em termos contributivos, embora oferecesse uma proteção inferior.
Essa opção, de não efetuarem descontos para a pensão de sobrevivência pelo novo regime do EPS enquanto ele foi facultativo, levou a que a carreira para a aposentação acabasse por ter uma duração diferente (superior) da carreira para a pensão de sobrevivência.
A esses trabalhadores foi posteriormente reconhecido o direito de, a todo o tempo, requererem a adesão ao novo regime com efeitos retroativos (retroação), mediante o pagamento dos correspondentes descontos deduzidos das contribuições realizadas no âmbito do regime antigo, mas alguns optaram por não o fazer.
Relativamente a estes trabalhadores, que não exerceram o direito de retroação, e por imposição dos artigos 8.º e 24.º do Estatuto das Pensões de Sobrevivência, que quer garantir a atribuição aos seus herdeiros de uma pensão de sobrevivência igual a metade da pensão de aposentação a que o falecido tinha direito à data do óbito, a CGA apura oficiosamente o montante dos descontos devidos (tendo por base o valor da pensão de aposentação à data do óbito) e deduz-lhe o valor das contribuições efetuadas para o regime antigo, competindo aos herdeiros liquidá-los por dedução mensal na pensão que lhes seja atribuída, cujo cálculo incorpora desde o início o tempo objeto de retroação, de acordo com a fórmula*:
Tempo de serviço sem descontos X taxa contributiva em vigor na data de atribuição da pensão de sobrevivência (3%) X valor mensal ilíquido da pensão de aposentação à data do óbito
*Ao valor apurado será deduzido o montante pago ao abrigo do Decreto-Lei n.º 24046/1934, de 21 de junho.
Last update:
2026-04-01
Version:
RPRD-01042026