Steps to take in the event of death

In general, a physician attests a death. The physician must also file and sign an attestation of death that will then be submitted to the funeral home chosen by family members.

To declare a death, the funeral home must send official documents to the Directeur de l'état civil (DEC) . Upon sending those documents, it is also possible to ask the DEC to provide documentary proof, such as a death certificate or a copy of an act of death that could facilitate the steps that must be taken by the heirs.

If the death occurred outside Québec, you can apply to the Directeur de l'état civil to have the act of death that was prepared outside Québec, inserted into the Québec register of civil status , under certain conditions.

If the deceased was a child under age 18, consult the special measures regarding the continuation of Family Allowance for bereaved parents.

• If the deceased was a child under age 18, consult the special measures regarding the continuation of Family Allowance for bereaved parents.
• If the deceased person was aged 18 or over and he or she did not receive a pension or benefits from Retraite Québec, no action is required on your part.
• If the deceased person was aged 18 or over and he or she received a pension or benefits such as:

  • Family Allowance, including the supplements for handicapped children

    You must inform us by telephone of the death of the parent who received Family Allowance so that the payments are suspended, which will avoid the family having to repay amounts paid after the death. With the exception of the deceased's spouse, who is also the child's parent, the person who takes over the child's care must file an application for Family Allowance to receive payments in his or her name.

  • Disability or retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan or a public-sector pension plan

    You must inform us by telephone of the death for the payments to be suspended, which will avoid the family having to repay amounts paid after the death.

The Québec Pension Plan, public-sector pension plans and supplemental pension plans provide for pensions or benefits that could be paid to the deceased's family members, that is, to his or her spouse, children, heirs and even to the person who paid the funeral expenses.

Did you know that if a person dies after he or she turns age 65, but he or she had not applied for his or her retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan, the liquidator of the estate or one of the deceased's heirs can apply for a posthumous retirement pension?

Retraite Québec designed a tool to help create a personalized list of pensions and benefits to which the deceased's family members could be entitled based on their personal situation

If the death occurred in Québec, the attestation of death issued by the funeral home is accepted as proof for an application for survivors' benefits filed with Retraite Québec.

The death certificate issued by the Directeur de l'état civil is also a document recognized as proof of death. In order to obtain it, the funeral home and the person who declared the death must both complete the Declaration of Death form. Please note that you could receive the certificate several weeks after sending the form.

Other proof or additional forms may be required, for example, in the event of a death outside Québec. They will be listed when you file your application for survivors' benefits.

Send your documents using the Sending a document online service.

If the deceased did not make sufficient contributions to the Québec Pension Plan, a special benefit for funeral expenses  could be paid by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale.

Several other mandatory steps are to be taken with other departments and agencies. For more information, consult the Death  section on Québec.ca.