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First steps to take in the event of a separation

First steps to take in the event of a separation

What is Retraite Québec's role with citizens going through a separation?

Retraite Québec is a partner of your financial security.We are liable for the administration or the supervision of the following pension plans:

the Québec Pension Plan (QPP), mandatory public plan
public-sector pension plans (RREGOP, PPMP, etc.)
pension plans in the private, municipal and university sectors.

Partition of retirement pension plans can be carried out between former spouses following a separation.

Retraite Québec administers the Québec Family Allowance.We are liable for the administration and the payment of the following benefits:

Family Allowance
the Supplement for the Purchase of School Supplies
the Supplement for Handicapped Children
the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care.

Parents must find out about the steps to take following a separation.

Steps to take with Retraite Québec

Family Allowance payments are made by Retraite Québec to provide assistance to families with a dependent child or children under age 18. The measure includes the Family Allowance payment, the Supplement for the Purchase of School Supplies, the Supplement for Handicapped Children and the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care.

Following a separation, you must take steps in order to update your personal file. This step makes it possible to offer each eligible parent his or her portion of the Family Allowance payment, but also to avoid for a parent to have to repay overpayments following a change in the family situation.

The Family Allowance amount

The amount of Family Allowance varies from one family to another.

It is calculated based on the following:

the number of children under age 18 who are living with you
the number of children in shared custody or in sole custody
the conjugal status (with or without a spouse)
the family income, which is calculated based on one of the following situations:
- combined income of the 2 parents who form a couple
- combined income of the 2 spouses who form a blended family
- the parent's personal income in the case of a single‑parent family.

Are you eligible?

Estimate your percentage of custody time

The child lives with you

day(s) par

Sole custody

You have custody more than 60% of the time per month.

To have sole custody, the child must live with one of his or her parents more than 60% of the time per month.

Sole custody usually extends throughout the year. However, a parent who obtains sole custody temporarily from a month to several months may be eligible for his or her portion of the Family Allowance payment.

Shared custody

You have custody between 40% and 60% of the time per month.

Custody is shared when a child lives with each parent between 40% and 60% of the time per month.

It is important to note that the percentage of custody time is used to determine the type of custody and the eligibility of a parent for Family Allowance. It is not used to calculate the benefit amounts to which he or she is entitled to. For example, a parent who has 42% of custody time does not receive 42% of the Family Allowance amount. That parent will receive the amount allocated to him or her based on his or her personal situation as described in the section regarding the Family Allowance amount.

The parent will receive the same amount allocated to him or her based on his or her annual income and his or her conjugal situation, regardless of whether he or she has 40% or 59% of the custody time.

Reduced custody

You have custody less than 40% of the time per month.

Custody is reduced or occasional if the child lives with one parent less than 40% of the time per month

Select your current situation to find out which steps to take:

Sole custody

You have custody more than 60% of the time

You maintain your eligibility for Family Allowance
The amount of your payments will be recalculated based on your personal income as a single‑parent family. You can obtain an estimate of that amount using the CalculAide tool.
You do not have to take any steps to inform us that you have sole custody of your child.
Wait 90 days after the decision to separate to update your conjugal situation directly in My Account (authentication using clicSEQUR) or via the online form (authentication using your Social Insurance Number).

Shared custody

You have custody between 40% and 60% of the time

You maintain your eligibility for Family Allowance.
The amount of your payments will be recalculated based on your personal income as a single‑parent family. You can obtain an estimate of that amount using the CalculAide tool.
You must inform us by telephone of the date on which shared custody begins.
Wait 90 days after the decision to separate to update your conjugal situation directly in My Account (authentication using clicSEQUR) or via the online form (authentication using your Social Insurance Number).

Reduced custody

You have custody less than 40% of the time

You are no longer eligible for Family Allowance.
An eligible parent must have custody of the child more than 40% of the time in order to receive his or her portion of Family Allowance payments.
You must inform us by telephone as soon as possible to avoid having to repay overpayments following a change in your family situation.

Sole custody

You have custody more than 60% of the time

You are eligible for Family Allowance.
You must file an application for Family Allowance directly in My Account (authentication using clicSEQUR) or via the online form (authentication using your Social Insurance Number).
While waiting for your application to be processed, you can obtain an estimate of your Family Allowance amount using the CalculAide tool.

Shared custody

You have custody between 40% and 60% of the time

You are eligible for Family Allowance.
You must file an application for Family Allowance directly in My Account (authentication using clicSEQUR) or via the online form (authentication using your Social Insurance Number)
While waiting for your application to be processed, you can obtain an estimate of your Family Allowance amount using the CalculAide tool.

Reduced custody

You have custody less than 40% of the time

You are not eligible for Family Allowance.
An eligible parent must have custody of the child more than 40% of the time in order to receive his or her portion of Family Allowance payments.

Following a separation, the earnings recorded under the Québec Pension Plan, as well as the amounts accrued under a pension plan by either spouse or both, during the union, could be subject to partition.

Three types of pension plans

Québec Pension Plan

Québec's public and mandatory plan

Retraite Québec

Public-sector pension plans

Pension plans for employees in the Québec health and social services sector, the education sector and the public service sector (RREGOP, PPMP, etc.)

Retraite Québec

Pension plans of the private, municipal and university sectors

Supplemental pension plans offered by the employer

Plan administrator

The three steps for partition of the benefits accrued under a pension plan

Request an assessment

You can request, free of charge and at any time, an assessment for partition of the benefits accrued under a pension plan, in the event of a separation.

A person thinking about renouncing partition should take this step, which allows him or her to make an informed decision.

Request for partition to be carried out

You can officially request for partition of the benefits accrued under a pension plan to be carried out if you are separating.

The type of union will determine the steps to take.

Please select your type of union in the following table.

Receive a confirmation by mail

Once the process has been completed, you will receive a written confirmation from the pension plan administrator.

Each person concerned by the partition process will receive a detailed and personalized letter.

Types of unions and the steps to take

Civil union and marriage (civil or religious) are solemn acts for which two people publicly express their free and informed consent to live together and to respect the obligations and rights associated with this civil status.

Unlike marriage, a civil union is only valid in Quebec. The civil union was created in 2002, to allow the union of same-sex spouses. It still exists, although marriage has been possible for same-sex couples since 2005.

Find out more about partition for spouses who are married or in a civil union

A de facto union exists when a couple lives together and whether or not they start a family.

Therefore, these two people are de facto spouses, meaning they cohabit without being married or in a civil union.

The recognition of a union and the definition of a de facto spouse can vary from one program to another, based on the number of years of cohabitation or if a child is born from this union.

Find out more about partition for de facto spouses

First steps to take in the event of a separation