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Survivor's pension

Kui keegi perekonnas sureb, toetab riik tema ülalpeetavaid, makstes neile toitjakaotuspensioni

To whom?

If someone in the family dies, you can apply for a survivor's pension if you are a deceased family member:

  • child under 18 years of age
  • under 24 years of age and a student enrolled in daytime study or vocational educational institution or a student enrolled in full-time study at a university or institution of applied higher education 
  • widow, and your work ability has decreased
  • a non-working registered partner, who is pregnant (from the 12th week of pregnancy) with whom the cohabitation agreement has ended due to death
  • a widow or a registered partner with whom the cohabitation agreement has ended due to death, who has partial or no work capacity as determined in accordance with the Working Capacity Support Act, or who is of old-age pension age and whose marriage or registered cohabitation with the breadwinner had lasted for at least one year
  • a registered partner with whom the cohabitation agreement has ended, who reached the old-age pension age, or who has a partial or no working capacity determined in accordance with the Working Capacity Support Act before the termination of the cohabitation agreement or before three years have passed since the termination of the cohabitation agreement, and whose registered cohabitation with the breadwinner had lasted for at least 25 years
  • a child whose parent's spouse, registered partner or stepparent is dead and who does not receive maintenance from his parent
  • a person who has raised and supported the child as the parent's spouse, registered partner or foster parent for at least eight years
  • widow of retirement age
  • parent, and your work ability has decreased
  • parent of retirement age
  • unemployed widow and expecting a child
  • parent or guardian of a child up to three years old and you are not working.

A survivor's pension can be applied for at any time after the death of a family member. We pay the pension retroactively from the day of the family member's death but not more than 12 months before submitting the application.

Survivor's pension is paid by the Social Insurance Board if the deceased family member had acquired years of pensionable service, the required amount of which depends on their age at the time of death.

If a family member died due to a work-related injury or occupational disease, a survivor's pension is received even if there is no required amount of years of pensionable service. In this case, the survivor's pension is equal to the national pension.

How to get?

Application forms for obtaining a pension can be found here.

You can submit a pension application:

When you come to customer service, please bring an identity document with you. This can be an ID card, a driver's license, an Estonian citizen's passport, a diplomatic passport, a seafarer's discharge book, an alien's passport, a temporary travel document, a travel document for a refugee, a certificate of record of service on ships, a certificate of return, a permit of return.

Also the number of your bank account is needed when filling the application.

Age 

Pension Qualifying Period needed

16–24 0 year
25–26 1 year
27–28 2 years
29–30 3 years
31–32 4 years
33–35 5 years
36–38 6 years
39–41 7 years
42–44 8 years
45–47 9 years
48–50 10 years
51–53 11 years
54–56 12 years
57–59 13 years
60–62 14 years

Related links

Types of pensions

Last updated: 12.03.2024

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