Obtaining a Special Benefit for Funeral Expenses

The special benefit for funeral expenses may be granted to a person who has paid or has agreed to pay the funeral expenses following a person’s death.

The deceased person did not have to be receiving benefits under a social assistance program to qualify for the special benefit for funeral expenses.

This special benefit is granted if the deceased person’s financial resources are insufficient to pay the funeral expenses.

The maximum amount of the special benefit for funeral expenses is $2,500.

The person who pays the funeral expenses must first verify if they are entitled to the death benefit before applying for the special benefit for funeral expenses. They must file an application with Retraite Québec within 60 days following the death.

If the deceased made sufficient contributions to the Québec Pension Plan, the person who pays the funeral expenses will not receive the special benefit but rather the death benefit paid by Retraite Québec.

For a parent to be entitled to reimbursement, the deceased child must have been in one of the following situations:

• been a dependant
• have been stillborn
• have died while residing in a rehabilitation centre
• have died while under the care of an intermediate resource, a foster family or a court-appointed tutor

The special benefit for funeral expenses is calculated based on the following:

• The amount of a life insurance policy included in the succession
• The amount payable under a prearranged funeral services contract
• The amount payable under a prepurchased sepulture contract

The total value of these contracts must not exceed $12,000.

In addition, for an independent adult, the following resources are also taken into account:

• the person’s cash resources (liquid assets) at the time of death
• the value of the person’s property, after deduction of any debts, on the date of death

You must file your application within 90 days after the date on which the funeral services were provided or within 90 days after the date of receipt of notice from Retraite Québec indicating its refusal to pay the death benefit.

Completing the form

You must complete one of the following forms:

If the deceased was receiving benefits under a social assistance program, you must complete the Application for the payment of funeral expenses form (SR-0006FA) (PDF 140 Kb).

If the deceased was not receiving benefits under a social assistance program, but their resources are insufficient to cover the funeral expenses, you must complete the Application for Payment of Funeral Expenses for an Independent Adult Who Was Not Receiving Last-Resort Financial Assistance (3005A) (PDF 0.98 Mb).

Submitting the form

You can submit your medical attestation in person or by mail to your Services Québec office.

You can also submit your attestation online through My Account - Employment Assistance - Social Assistance.

Submit documents