After a death in Belgium some benefits stop automatically and others must be claimed. Two institutions take priority in the first month: the Federal Pensions Service and the mutuality (health insurer). Below is the procedure, the deadlines and what heirs often miss.
What the municipality forwards automatically
The municipality reports the death within a few business days to the Crossroads Bank for Social Security. That gives Pensions and the mutuality a first signal. It does not replace your own notification: the payment files are only closed properly once you make contact and provide the death certificate.
Pension payments to the deceased
The deceased's pension is paid up to and including the month of death if the deceased was alive on the first day of that month. A payment already made for the following month must be refunded on request of the Pensions Service.
In practice:
- report the death via mypension.be or by phone on 1765;
- send an extract of the death certificate;
- include the deceased's national register number and the bank account where the pension was paid.
Survivor pension claim
The surviving spouse or legal cohabitant may be entitled to a survivor pension or a transition allowance. The conditions:
- married for at least one year at the date of death (the requirement is waived if there is a common child, an earlier marriage with the same person, or a workplace accident);
- at least 49 years 6 months old at the date of death for the full survivor pension (in 2026, with progressive increase) or younger for the temporary transition allowance of 12 or 24 months.
The claim is filed via mypension.be or at the municipality. Deadline: file within 12 months of the death to receive the right from the first month after the death. Filed late, the pension only starts from the application date.
Closing the mutuality and family cover
Three things happen at the mutuality:
- the deceased's personal membership ends on the date of death;
- dependants must be re-registered (often under the surviving partner or a parent);
- the mutuality pays out pending reimbursements to the heirs' account, on presentation of a certificate of inheritance.
For people who depended on the deceased's income, the mutuality also explains the possible primary incapacity or disability allowance that goes to the heirs for the days before the death.
Funeral allowance amount
Employees and self-employed actively insured at the time of death are entitled to a one-off funeral allowance via the mutuality (flat-rate, typically €148.74 since 2007). For pensioners, the federal funeral allowance no longer exists; some supplementary plans or employer policies do provide a contribution.
A working order
| Deadline | Action |
|---|---|
| Within 7 days | Notify Pensions Service and mutuality by phone |
| Within 1 month | Send proof of account and certificate extract |
| Within 12 months | File the survivor pension claim |
| Right after the certificate | Mutuality: re-register dependants |
How Nalenta tracks the deadlines
In Nalenta your checklist shows a reminder for each deadline (pension notification, mutuality notification, survivor pension claim). The letters to Pensions and mutuality are pre-written in NL/FR/EN; you only fill in the national register number and bank details.