Pension Notification After a Death in France

The Agencies You Need to Contact

When a British person dies in France — whether they were an expat living there permanently or a tourist passing through — pension payments from both countries need to be stopped and survivor benefits claimed where applicable. Three separate agencies are involved, each with its own deadline and documentation requirements.

The compressed timelines catch families off guard. While you are dealing with death registration at the mairie and making repatriation or funeral decisions, pension notifications are running on their own clocks in the background. Missing the French deadlines does not necessarily void your claim, but it can trigger overpayment recovery actions that create an administrative nightmare months later.

CARSAT — French State Pension (7-Day Deadline)

If the deceased received a French state retirement pension, the regional retirement fund office (CARSAT — Caisse d'Assurance Retraite et de la Santé au Travail) must be formally notified within seven days of the death. CARSAT stops the pension payments and calculates any final amounts owed.

To notify CARSAT, you need the acte de décès (the civil death certificate issued by the mairie) and the deceased's French social security number (numéro de sécurité sociale). If the deceased was an expat who had been contributing to the French system, their pension statements or relevé de carrière will have the CARSAT office details.

The surviving spouse may also be eligible for a French survivor pension (pension de réversion), subject to the applicable eligibility and income rules. The claim must be filed separately — CARSAT does not automatically activate it upon death notification.

DWP International Pension Centre — UK State Pension

To stop UK state pension payments, contact the Department for Work and Pensions International Pension Centre. There is no rigid statutory deadline equivalent to CARSAT's seven days, but prompt notification prevents overpayments that the DWP will later recover from the estate.

The DWP International Pension Centre handles all UK state pension matters for people who died outside the United Kingdom. You will need the deceased's National Insurance number, date of death, and a copy of the death certificate. If the deceased was receiving other DWP benefits (Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit, Winter Fuel Payment), those need separate notifications — though if the death is registered via Tell Us Once at a UK register office, the DWP notification happens automatically for most benefits.

The surviving spouse or civil partner may be entitled to survivor benefits under the relevant UK scheme rules. This is not automatic either — it requires a separate claim to the DWP.

CPAM Capital Décès — Lump-Sum Death Grant

If the deceased was actively employed or self-employed in France at the time of death (not retired), the surviving spouse or dependents can claim a lump-sum death grant (capital décès) from the French national health insurance fund (CPAM — Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie). This benefit is designed to provide immediate financial relief to the household.

The deadline depends on the beneficiary's status: a priority beneficiary should apply within one month of the death, while other beneficiaries generally have up to two years from the death. You need the acte de décès, proof of your relationship to the deceased (marriage certificate, birth certificate), and proof that the deceased was actively covered under the French social security system at the time of death.

For a private-sector employee covered by the general regime, the current capital décès is a flat €4,009; other regimes have their own rules. It represents a meaningful sum that many families never claim because they do not know it exists or because the application is delayed while they are focused on repatriation logistics and UK-side probate.

Cross-Border Pension Complications for Expats

British expats who worked in both the UK and France often receive pensions from both systems. When they die, both systems need to be notified independently — there is no cross-border pension death notification mechanism between France and the UK.

If the deceased was receiving both a UK state pension and a French CARSAT pension, the surviving spouse may be eligible for survivor benefits from both countries. The UK and French pension systems each calculate survivor entitlements based on their own rules, contributions, and income thresholds. These are separate applications to separate agencies — the DWP International Pension Centre for the UK side, the local CARSAT office for the French side.

Private and occupational pensions (company schemes, SIPPs, French complementary pensions like AGIRC-ARRCO) require their own individual notifications. Check the deceased's pension correspondence and bank statements to identify every pension in payment.

Keeping Track of the Deadlines

Our British Person Dies in France — Family Emergency Guide includes a step-by-step pension notification checklist with the exact documents each agency requires, the deadlines, and pre-drafted notification templates. It covers both the French and UK sides so nothing slips through while you are managing the immediate crisis.