Death

Married or in registered partnership

Insured persons who live in a registered partnership with their partner are treated equally by married couples.

If a married, resp. a spouse who is an active or disabled insured person in a registered partnership, active or disabled insured dies, his or her partner is entitled to a lifetime spouse's pension if at least one of the following conditions is met:

a)   the partner is caring for at least one dependent child; or

b)   FSOPP has reached the age of 45 and has been married for at least five years.

A surviving partner who does not fulfil either of these conditions is entitled to a one-off settlement equal to three annual pensions. The period of a life partnership is calculated as the period of marriage, resp. registered partnership. In this case, the savings capital is paid out in the pension plan in accordance with the general order of beneficiaries.

Following the death of an active insured, a distinction is made between survivors' benefits during the active term of the insured's insurance and benefits after hypothetical retirement.

Up to the insured's hypothetical retirement age, the spouse's pension amounts to 60% of the temporary disability pension.

At the time when the deceased insured would have reached normal retirement age, the spouse's pension is recalculated as 60% of the retirement pension based on the conversation rate applicable at that time and the savings capital maintained in the Pension Plan.

You can find all these amounts on your pension benefits statement.

Pension reduction at a large age difference

If the partner is more than 10 years younger than the deceased insured, the calculated spouse's pension is reduced. The reduction equals 4% per full year of age difference over 10 years for each full year.

As a minimum the partner receives the minimum spouse's pension according to the FSOPP.

Remarriage

If the widowed parner remarries, the entitlement to the current survivors’ benefits via the Pension Fund Swiss Re lapses in the month following the marriage and the Pension Fund Swiss Re makes a payment equivalent to three annual pensions.  On payment thereof, all claims against the Pension Fund Swiss Re shall lapse.

Spouses' pensions paid on the basis of a delayed report will be reclaimed by the Pension Fund Swiss Re.

ER Account and Capital Plan

The amount in the ER account and the savings capital or value of the fund units, whichever is higher, in the Capital Plan, as well as the insured risk capital, always become due for payment and are paid out immediately after receiving the certificate of inheritance, in accordance with the statutory order of beneficiaries.

Registration of the claim

The entitled persons must claim their entitlement from the Pension Fund Swiss Re no later than three months following the death of the insured.

With partnership agreement

Insureds living together in cohabitation can apply for a partner's pension if the following conditions are met by the partner:

a)  the partner is caring for at least one dependent child; or

b)   the partner has reached the age of 45 and has been living in cohabitation for at least five years, and

c)    a written partnership agreement has been registered with the Pension Fund.

PDF  Partnership Agreement

 

This partnership agreement must be submitted to the Pension Fund for registration during the insured's lifetime. The Pension Fund registers the partnership agreement and you receive the contract stamped in the original back. It appears as a reference on the first page of your pension benefits statement. The original agreement is stamped and returned to you. After the death, the original must be submitted to the Pension Fund within three months.

If these requirements are satisfied, the partner's pension for a cohabiting partner is identical to a spouse's pension.

The savings capital or value of the fund units, whichever is higher, in the Capital Plan, as well as the insured risk capital and any amount on the ER Account, always become due for payment and are paid out immediately after the insured dies, in accordance with the statutory order of beneficiaries.

Pension reduction at a large age difference

If the partner is more than 10 years younger than the deceased insured, the calculated partner's pension is reduced. The reduction equals 4% per full year of age difference over 10 years for each full year.

As a minimum the partner receives the minimum spouse's pension according to the FSOPP.

Remarriage

If the partner remarries, the entitlement to the current survivors’ benefits via the Pension Fund Swiss Re lapses in the month following the marriage and the Pension Fund Swiss Re makes a payment equivalent to three annual pensions.  On payment thereof, all claims against the Pension Fund Swiss Re shall lapse.

ER account and Capital Plan

The amount in the ER account and the savings capital or value of the fund units, whichever is higher, in the Capital Plan, as well as the insured risk capital, always become due for payment and are paid out immediately after receiving the certificate of inheritance, in accordance with the statutory order of beneficiaries.

Registration of the claim

The entitled persons must claim their entitlement from the Pension Fund Swiss Re no later than six months following the death of the insured.

 

PDF  Overview of benefits for your cohabiting partner in the event of your death

PDF  Information sheet Insureds living in cohabitation

No survivor's benefits

If the active insured person is not married at the time of death and leaves no eligible registered partner or life partner, no survivors' benefits are due. In this case, the retirement assets from the pension plan and the savings capital as well as the risk capital from the capital plan are paid as a one-time sum in accordance with the regulations of the beneficiaries.

The amount of the death benefit to the existing retirement assets of the pension plan, the savings capital of the VP account and the existing savings capital and risk capital in the Capital Plan and is distributed according to the beneficiary's order.

Beneficiary's order Pension Plan incl. ER Account

If, in the event of death, an active or disabled insured does not leave behind a spouse, registered partner or life partner with entitlement to a spouse's pension/partner's pension, the savings capital shall be paid out as a death benefit.

The following persons shall be entitled to the death benefit:

Beneficiary category A

  1. The spouse or registered partner, provided there is no entitlement to a spouse's pension; in the absence thereof
  2. Eligible children pursuant to Art 40

In the absence of beneficiary category A

Beneficiary category B

  1. The partner of a marriage-like cohabitation who is not entitled to a spouse's pension but who meets the requirements of Article 39 (a) and (c) and whose cohabitation with the deceased insured has existed for at least five years and still existed at the time of death, or
  2. Natural persons who received significant support from the insured person in the past 24 months, i.e. financing at least 50% of that person's maintenance, or natural persons who are responsible for maintaining one or more common children.

In the absence of beneficiary category B

Beneficiary category C

  1. Children who are no longer able to claim any entitlement in accordance with Art 40 or who have already reached age 25; in their absence
  2. Parents; in the absence thereof
  3. Brothers and sisters.

If the death benefit is to be divided among multiple entitled persons, this shall be done in equal parts.

The insured may change the predefined division among the individual groups at any time and/or specify that the death benefit be divided among multiple beneficiaries belonging to the same beneficiary category in non-equal parts. The insured must inform the Pension Fund Swiss Re of any such stipulations in writing during their lifetime.

The order of the beneficiary categories A and B may not be changed.

 

Beneficiary's order Capital Plan

The following persons may be named as beneficiaries in the Capital Plan:

Beneficiary category A

  1. The surviving spouse or registered partner; in the absence thereof
  2. Children entitled pursuant to Art 40

In the absence of beneficiary category A

Beneficiary category B

  1. The partner of a marriage-like cohabitation who is not entitled to a spouse's pension but who meets the requirements of Article 39 (a) and (c) and whose cohabitation with the deceased insured has existed for at least five years and still existed at the time of death, or
  2. Natural persons who received significant support from the insured person in the past 24 months, i.e. financing at least 50% of that person's maintenance, or natural persons who are responsible for maintaining one or more common children.

In the absence of beneficiary category B

Beneficiary category C

  1. Children who are no longer entitled pursuant to Art 40 or who have already reached age 25; in the absence thereof
  2. Parents; in the absence thereof
  3. Brothers and sisters.

If the death benefit is to be divided among multiple entitled persons, this shall be done in equal parts.

The insured may change the predefined division among the individual groups at any time and/or specify that the death benefit be divided among multiple beneficiaries belonging to the same beneficiary category in non-equal parts. The insured must inform the Pension Fund Swiss Re of any such stipulations in writing during their lifetime.

The order of the beneficiary categories A and B may not be changed.

 

Orphan's pension

If an active, disabled or retired insured dies, his or her underage children, resp. eligible children up to the age of 25 are entitled to an orphan's pension.

The orphan's pension amounts to 20% for each half-orphan, and 40% for each full orphan, of the insured temporary disability pension, current disability pension or current retirement pension. The Pension Plan pays an orphan's pension for up to a maximum of three eligible children.

Children with whom the insured established a relationship after the effective retirement age are entitled exclusively to the FSOPP minimum benefits.

The orphan's pension is paid until completion of the 18th year of age. Children who are still in education/training, or who are impaired or unfit for work due to a physical or mental disability, remain entitled to a pension until completion of the 25th year of age.

From the age of 18, the child's entitlement must be justified through proof of education/training

Divorced spouses

On the death of a divorced insured, the divorced spouse is entitled to the statutory minimum benefits under the FSOPP if the relevant requirements are satisfied.

Risk capital in the event of death

If an insured dies before his retirement, the entitlement to risk capital in the event of death follows the entitlement to savings capital in the event of death pursuant to the Pension Plan.

The amount of the risk capital in the event of death is determined by the insured salary in the Pension Plan and the missing full years remaining until the normal retirement age of 65.

The risk capital amounts to 10% of the insured salary for each missing year.

Changes to the order of beneficiaries

If an active insured or a beneficiary of a disability pension ("disabled insured") dies before retirement and there is no entitlement to a spouse's pension for a spouse, a registered partner or a life partner, the savings capital in the Pension Plan (incl. ER Account) and in the Capital Plan, along with the risk capital in the Capital Plan, will be paid out to the beneficiaries as a death benefit pursuant to the beneficiary order of precedence ("order of beneficiaries").

If the death benefit is to be divided among multiple beneficiaries, such as brothers and sisters, this shall be done in equal parts.

The order of the beneficiary categories A-C may not be changed, except in the absence of the beneficiary category B. In the latter case, you as the insured can combine beneficiary categories A and C letter a) and thereby ensure equal status for all of your children, whether or not they are entitled to an orphan's pension, and determine the distribution of the lump-sum death benefit among them in different parts.

As the insured, you may change the predefined division among the individual groups at any time and/or specify that the death benefit be divided among multiple beneficiaries belonging to the same beneficiary category in non-equal parts. For your changes to have legal effect, you must notify the Pension Fund Swiss Re in writing during your lifetime, using the form "Changes to the order of beneficiaries".

If no declaration has been received concerning a change in the order of the beneficiaries or the distribution of the death benefit or if the declaration made fails to comply with the statutory order of beneficiary categories, the general order of beneficiaries defined in the Pension Fund Swiss Re Regulations shall apply.

The beneficiaries must claim their entitlement from the Pension Fund Swiss Re no later than three months following the death of the insured. Any unclaimed portions of the death benefit shall remain with the Pension Fund Swiss Re.

We recommend that you regularly review the order of beneficiaries you have filed with us to make sure it reflects your wishes at all times.

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