Česká verze
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Main information about the service
Widow's and widower's pensions are pension insurance benefits intended to cover the loss of income caused by the death of the breadwinner. This financial support is therefore intended to help meet the needs of life and maintain the standard of living of widows and widowers after the loss of their spouse. If the deceased spouse was not a member of the armed forces, the Czech Social Security Administration is responsible for processing the application for a widow's/widower's pension.
read moreDoes this apply to me?
You are the widow/widower of a deceased spouse who was not a member of the armed forces and who was also
- received a retirement pension, or
- received a disability pension, or
- at the date of death, fulfilled the condition of the necessary insurance period for entitlement to a disability pension, or
- at the time of death, met the conditions for entitlement to an old-age pension (i.e. reached the specified age and completed the required insurance period), or
- died as a result of an accident at work (in this case, there is no requirement to have completed the necessary period of insurance).
The issues related to the required insurance period for entitlement to a disability pension are described in detail within the service "Disability pension - the application is processed by the Czech Social Security Administration". Similarly, issues related to the required conditions for entitlement to an old-age pension are described in detail within the service "Old-age pension - the application is processed by the Czech Social Security Administration".
In order to be entitled to a widow's/widower's pension, you must have been married at the time of your husband's or wife's death. The widow's/widower's pension is therefore not payable to the spouse from whom you were divorced, nor to the spouse or registered partner.
Service outcome
Award of widow's/widower's pension.
Service benefit
Financial support in the form of a widow's/widower's pension is paid to a person whose spouse dies for a period of one year from the date of the spouse's death.
After one year has elapsed since the death of the spouse, the widow/widower is entitled to a widow's/widower's pension if at least one of the following conditions is met
- caring for a dependent child
- caring for a child who is dependent on the help of another person in levels II, III or IV
- Caring for a parent or the parent of a deceased spouse who lives in the same household and is dependent on the help of another person in levels II, III or IV.
- Third degree disability
- at least 4 years younger than the retirement age for men with the same date of birth or retirement age, if the latter is lower, as defined in Section 32 of the Pension Insurance Act.
Entitlement to a widow's/widower's pension ceases when you remarry.
In the case of a widow's or widower's pension granted before 1 January 2010, the entitlement to a pension will continue after 31 December 2009 provided that
- the widow reached the age of 55 or retirement age, if lower, before 1 January 2010, or
- the widower reached the age of 58 or the pensionable age, whichever is lower, before 1 January 2010, or
- the widow reached the age of 55 after 31 December 2009 but at the time when she met the conditions for entitlement to this pension, or
- the widower reached the age of 58 after 31 December 2009 but at the time when he met the conditions for entitlement to this pension.
When to address the service
Back to topYou can apply for a widow's or widower's pension at any time after your spouse's death. You will receive a pension from the date of entitlement and any outstanding pension instalments will be paid in a lump sum.
However, the pension cannot be paid retrospectively for more than five years from the date of application.
The husband, who was receiving an old-age pension, died on 2 January 2014. The widow applied for a widow's pension on 25 August 2020. The Czech Social Security Administration grants the pension from the date of death, i.e. 2 January 2014, but only pays it retroactively for five years from the date of the pension application, i.e. from 25 August 2015. However, if the widow was entitled to a widow's pension only 1 year after her husband's death, she would receive nothing.
How to get the service
What do you need when solving the service electronically
You must be able to log in with a citizen identity or have a data box for a natural person data box set up.
If you live in another EU country and have an electronic identity issued by that country (according to the eIDAS regulation), you can use the IIG (International ID Gateway) to register.
Where and how to solve the service electronically
You submit your application via the CSSS ePortal Pension application online to the territorial social security administration of your choice.
You indicate that you are applying for a widow's/widower's pension and the start date. Your identification data will be automatically loaded into the application. You can document the insurance periods of the deceased person and any other documents by attaching electronic originals or scanned documents. If there is any doubt as to the authenticity of the scanned documents, the CSSS may require them to be converted by an authorised translator or to be accompanied by the original or an officially certified copy.
The application being processed on the CSSZ ePortal can be saved at any time, e.g. if you need some time to think about it or if you realise that you are missing some documents. Just click on the Finish button and a window will appear asking you to save.
If you need professional help to complete the application, the online pension application includes the service "Book an appointment online with a CSSA staff member" for a date and time of your choice. At the appointed time, you will log in to the CSSZ ePortal (using your identification data) and you will receive online assistance in completing the application. The only equipment required for the online consultation is a microphone and a loudspeaker/headset.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an electronic acknowledgement of receipt.
Subsequent communication with you (if necessary for the processing of your application) will take place via the CSSS ePortal. If you choose not to use this method of communication, it will be in paper form or via a data box.
e-Government portal
ePodáníCould be solved via e-identity
No
Is the service charged when solving electronically
No
What you’ll need to provide
When applying for a widow's or widower's pension, you must always submit the originals or officially certified copies of the following documents
- Identity card (passport or residence permit for foreigners)
- Death certificate of the deceased person (if the Czech Social Security Administration or the Social Security Office cannot verify the data in the Population Register Agenda system on their own).
- Marriage certificate (if the ČSSZ or ÚSSZ cannot verify the data themselves in the agenda system of the population register)
- a form requesting payment of the pension by bank transfer to the spouse's account in the Czech Republic, or a form requesting payment of the pension by a person living outside the Czech Republic to an account in a foreign bank or a bank in the Czech Republic.
If the deceased was not a pensioner, the following documents relating to the deceased's insurance periods must also be submitted
- documents relating to studies or training (e.g. school leaving certificate, list of studies, index, diploma, school certificate)
- documents relating to military service
- documents relating to the upbringing or care of children (e.g. children's birth certificates, a decision on the adoption or placement of a child), if the information provided by the district social insurance office cannot be verified in the agenda system of the population register.
- documents relating to periods of insurance or substitute periods of insurance which the authority deciding on the benefit does not have in its files.
If the deceased was insured not only in the Czech Republic, but also in another member state of the European Union or in a state with which the Czech Republic has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security, we recommend that you enclose with the application documents on the period of employment/insurance of the deceased abroad, if available. It is not necessary to submit a certificate from the relevant foreign pension institution on the period of insurance of the deceased in the given country. The Czech Social Security Administration will request this confirmation from the foreign institution itself.
An overview of the countries with which the Czech Republic has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security can be found on the website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
Where to solve the service
If you do not apply for a pension online, you must, as the surviving spouse of a person who was not a member of the armed forces, apply in person, or on the basis of a power of attorney issued by your representative, to any territorial social security administration or its contact workplace (district social security administration).
An employee of the social security administration will help you to fill in the application form.
In the case of a person who is unable to apply on his or her own behalf because of ill-health, a member of his or her family may apply on the basis of a medical certificate attesting to his or her ill-health, provided that the widow/widower gives his or her consent.
The written application is then forwarded to the Czech Social Security Administration, which is responsible for deciding on the right to a pension and the amount of the pension if the deceased was not a member of the armed forces. The processing time is 90 days from the date of submission of the survivor's pension application. However, this period may be extended by the time it takes to investigate facts that are decisive for the right to a pension, its amount or payment and that the Czech Social Security Administration does not have in its records (e.g. undocumented missing insurance period of the deceased in the Czech Republic, period of employment/insurance of the deceased abroad).
If the Czech Social Security Administration does not have any facts relevant to the entitlement to a pension, its amount or payment, you may be asked to submit them. You must comply with this request within 8 days from the date of its delivery. You can document or certify the required facts either in person at the territorial social security administration or at its contact workplace or by sending them by post directly to the address of the Czech Social Security Administration or by sending a data message to the data box of the Czech Social Security Administration or a data message with a recognised electronic signature to the address of its electronic filing office. Contact details can be found on the website of the Czech Social Security Administration.
As soon as the Czech Social Security Administration has all the necessary documents, it will decide on the application for a widow's/widower's pension. If the conditions for entitlement are met, the Czech Social Security Administration will send you a written decision on the granting of a widow's/widower's pension, stating the date from which the pension will be granted and the amount. If the conditions for entitlement are not met, the Czech Social Security Administration will send you a written decision on the rejection of your application for a widow's/widower's pension, stating the reasons for the rejection.
If a widow's/widower's pension has been granted, the Czech Social Security Administration will pay it on the fixed payment date in the way you chose when you applied for the pension, or in the same way if you are a recipient of an old-age or invalidity pension.
Is the service charged when solving in person?
No
Responsible Public Authority
|
Ministerstvo práce a sociálních věcí Na Poříčním právu 376/1 Nové Město 12800 Praha 2 |
Datová schránka: sc9aavg E-mail: posta@mpsv.cz Web: https://www.mpsv.cz/ |
Additional information about the service
Back to topSanctions
If there is a change in the facts that determine the duration of your entitlement to a pension (e.g. you have remarried), you must notify the Czech Social Security Administration of this within 8 days.
If you receive a pension or part of a pension and the circumstances suggest that the pension was paid incorrectly or in a higher amount than it should have been, you are obliged to repay the incorrectly paid amounts of the widow's/widower's pension.
Communication language
All written submissions to the Social Security Administration are submitted in Czech. Written submissions in other languages must be accompanied by an official translation into Czech (translation costs are borne by the applicant). This does not apply to documents written in the official language of a member state of the European Union or in the official language of a state with which the Czech Republic has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security containing a provision on the language of negotiations (the costs of any translation into Czech are borne by the Czech Social Security Administration).
Last checked at 01.01.2024
