Married, registered partnership of with partnership agreement
On the death of a pensioner who received a retirement pension or temporary disability pension, and who is survived by a partner or child entitled to receive a pension, the retirement pension or temporary disability pension will continue to be paid only for a further three months.
If a married, retired insured dies, the spouse/partner is entitled to a lifetime spouse's pension if at least one of the following conditions is met:
a) the spouse is caring for at least one dependent child; or
b) the spouse has reached the age of 45 and they were married for at least five years,
A surviving spouse 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 included in calculating the period of marriage, on condition that the Pension Fund Swiss Re partnership form was submitted during the insured's lifetime.
If a pensioner who lived in a partnership similar to marriage dies, the surviving partner is entitled to a lifetime spouse's pension provided that both partners are unmarried and unrelated to each other and if at least one of the following conditions are met:
a) The surviving partner has reached the age of 45 and the partnership had existed for a minimum of five years without interruption and was still in existence at the time of the death
or
b) They have one or more financially dependent children in common
and
c) The signed Pension Fund Swiss Re partnership agreement form was registered with the Pension Fund Swiss Re while the insured was still alive and this form was presented to the Pension Fund Swiss Re no later than three months following the death of the insured.
There is no entitlement to survivors' benefits from the Pension Fund Swiss Re if the beneficiary partner already receives survivors' benefits from another pension scheme or has drawn such benefits in the form of a lump-sum payment.
A surviving partner who fulfils the conditions under a) but who cannot present a registered partnership agreement form is entitled to a one-off settlement equal to three annual pensions.
Please note that unless a partnership agreement form has been registered with the Pension Fund Swiss Re, no benefits can be paid out under any circumstances.
If a retired insured with a pension date after 1 January 2019 or later dies, depending on the option selected at retirement, the spouse's pension amounts to 60% or 100% of the current retirement pension or alternatively the statutory minimum spouse's pension under the BVG.
If a retired insured with a pension date up to and including 31 December 2018 dies, the spouse's pension amounts to 60% of the current retirement pension.
If the spouse is more than ten years younger than the deceased insured, the calculated spouse's pension is reduced. The reduction equals 4% per full year of age difference over ten years. As a minimum, the spouse receives the minimum spouse's pension under the BVG. These reduction conditions apply for all spouse's pensions established after 1 January 2019.
If the surviving spouse/partner remarries, the entitlement to the current spouse's pension 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.
An entitlement to benefits is evaluated at the time of death. The Regulations valid at the time of the death of the insured shall apply.
This information has been compiled in a gender-neutral form and applies equally to any gender.