Social Security - Life Insurance

Life Insurance (Survivors' Pensions): Beneficiaries and Conditions for Entitlement: If a spouse, partner or parent dies, his or her income ceases. This has consequences for the surviving dependants, in other words the partner and children. A surviving dependant is eligible to receive benefit under the General Surviving Relatives Act (ANW) provided certain conditions are fulfilled. Orphans are also eligible to receive benefit. In addition to survivors' benefit, there are also supplementary pension schemes. For example, if the deceased partner was in paid employment, the survivor is usually entitled to a supplementary survivors' pension from the business. Private insurance policies may also pay out.

Benefit under the General Surviving Relatives Act amounts to a maximum of 70 percent of the net minimum wage. Surviving dependants who are responsible for bringing up a half-orphan under the age of 18 also receive an income-related benefit of 20 percent of the net minimum wage. The survivors' benefit is income-related. All income in connection with employment (benefit) is deducted in its entirety. Income from employment is partially disregarded (50 percent of the minimum wage plus a third part of the additional sum). Surviving dependants covered by the transitional law and previously entitled to benefit under the General Widows' and Orphans' Benefits Act (AWW) receive a basic benefit of 30percent of the gross minimum wage if a lower benefit amount would be left after the means test.

Source: European Union
© European Communities, 1995-2006
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