Widow’s and Widower’s Pension

When your life partner passes away forever, your financial situation also changes and it is a good idea to apply for a widow’s pension. Don’t know if you are eligible or how to apply for a widow’s pension? In this article you will find all the necessary information, including the conditions for eligibility for the pension, how and where to apply and what documentation must be attached.

Who is entitled to a widow’s pension?

According to the Pension Insurance Act (No. 155/1995 Coll.), a widow or widower is entitled to a widow’s pension if the following conditions are met:

1) the marriage, partnership or registered partnership existed on the date of the death of the spouse, partner or registered partner,

2) the spouse, partner or registered partner:

a) was a beneficiary of an retirement or disability pension or
b) fulfilled the condition of the required period of insurance for entitlement to a disability or retirement pension on the date of death or
c) died as a result of an accident at work.

On the other hand, a spouse or partner, i.e. a person living in an unmarried cohabitation, is not entitled to a widow’s pension.

How and where to apply for a widow’s pension?

The right to receive a pension is granted if the conditions set out in the Pension Insurance Act are met and an application for recognition or payment of a pension is submitted.

There are several ways to apply for a widow’s pension:

1. Personal application: You can make an appointment and apply for a widow’s pension in person at the relevant branch of the District Social Security Administration. Advisors will be available at the meeting and will help you fill out the necessary forms.
2. Electronic application: You can also submit your application electronically via the ePortal of the Czech Social Security Administration. To submit your application electronically, you will need electronic identification (e.g. bank identity).

What documents are needed to apply?

Additional documentation is required to apply for a widow’s pension in the Czech Republic. It is important to have all the necessary documents ready before applying. If all documents are not available, this may lead to a delay in approving your widow’s pension application.

Documents required for submitting an application:

1. proof of the applicant’s identity (identity card, passport or other identity card),
2. death certificate, if the information cannot be found in the population registration system,
3. proof of the duration of marriage, partnership or registered partnership, if the information cannot be found in the population registration system,
4. proof of the deceased’s insurance periods, if they did not receive a pension,
5. and others.

Application deadline

The limit for pension payments is 5 years back, after which the right to payment of individual repayments ceases.

Amount of widow’s pension

The widow’s pension has two parts: a basic assessment and a percentage assessment:

The basic assessment amount is 10% of the average monthly wage.

The amount of the percentage assessment is 50% of the percentage assessment of the retirement or disability pension for third-degree disability to which the deceased was or would have been entitled at the time of death.

If you are also a beneficiary of a retirement or disability pension, you are entitled to the full amount of the pension whose amount is higher. The person is entitled to the lower pension only in the amount of half of its percentage assessment.

There are several websites (e.g. peníze.cz, finance.cz, kurzy.cz) that offer a widow’s pension calculator so that people can easily find out how much they can expect. Just in case, we would like to point out that the pension amount calculated using these calculators is only informative.

For how long is the widow’s pension paid?

Generally, a temporary widow’s or widower’s pension is payable to a person for 1 year from the death of their spouse..

After the specified period, a person is entitled to a widow’s pension only in special cases, e.g. if they are caring for a dependent child or a child dependent on the help of another person in degrees II to IV, if they are caring for their parent or the parent of a deceased spouse who lives with them in the household and is dependent on the help of another person in degrees II to IV, if they are disabled in the third degree, or if they have reached a certain age.

On the other hand, the right to a widow’s pension may also cease, namely:

1. by entering into a new marriage,
2. if a court decision becomes final that the widow or widower intentionally caused the death of the spouse, partner or registered partner as a perpetrator, accomplice or participant in a crime.

The information provided is for guidance only. For up-to-date information, it is always advisable to contact the Czech Social Security Administration.

If you still need advice, do not hesitate to contact us.