AOW pension - Someone has died

What to do if an AOW pensioner dies

If someone who receives an AOW pension dies, we have to stop the pension. The AOW pension and the holiday allowance end on the day following the date of death.

If the person who died lived in the Netherlands, you must inform the municipal authorities of the death. They will then inform us. We will then automatically send a claim form. In all other cases, you must report the death directly to us.

The pensioner who died was single

If the pensioner who died was single, we pay the holiday allowance for the period from May until the date on which he or she died into his or her account. We do this within a few days of being informed of the death.

If we have already paid AOW pension for the whole month, that means that AOW pension will probably have been overpaid. An amount that has been overpaid will be deducted from the holiday allowance payable. In some cases, a certain amount still has to be repaid by the survivors.

If the pensioner who died was living with someone

If the deceased leaves a partner, a 'death grant' as well as the the holiday allowance for the period from May to the date of death will be paid to the partner.

If too much AOW pension is paid following the death, we deduct the amount overpaid from the holiday allowance and death grant. 

If the pensioner who died leaves a partner who:

• has not yet reached the AOW pension age, the partner may be entitled to an Anw survivor benefit.
• receives an AOW pension, he or she will receive a pension at the higher rate for a single person as from the month in which the pensioner died

If the partner who has not yet reached the AOW pension age dies, the supplementary allowance will stop, and the partner who receives the AOW pension will start receiving a pension at the rate for a single person.

What is a death grant?

The death grant consists of one month's gross AOW pension and is payable to:

• the surviving partner, or, if there is no surviving partner,
• children of the deceased who are under 18, or, if there are no children under 18,
• someone who was sharing a household with the deceased until the date of death.

As partners are listed in our records, the death grant should be paid out without delay. However, if you have not received a death grant but think that you are entitled to one, please get in touch with us.