2. Learn about the surviving child’s benefit

If your parent paid enough into the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), you may be able to get a surviving child’s benefit.

To get the surviving child's benefit, you must be:

• 17 years old or younger, or
• 24 years old or younger and a full-time or part-time student at a school on the Government of Canada’s list.

And you must be a child of the person who died. Under the CPP's rules, this means that one of these applies to you:

• you're their biological child, or
• they adopted you when you were 20 years old or younger, or
• you were living with them when you were 20 years old or younger and they had decision-making responsibility for you.

You get the surviving child's benefit every month. The government changes the amount each year.

Make sure to apply

Your parent who's still alive should apply for you if:

• you're 17 years old or younger, and
• living in their home

You should apply for the benefit if you're:

• 17 years old or younger and living on your own, or
• between 18 and 25 years old.

You can apply as soon as your parents dies. The application form and instructions for filling it out are on the Government of Canada website.

You can start getting payments the month after your parent dies. If you apply later and miss getting payments, CPP will back pay you. But only for up to 12 months.

Apply as soon as you can so you do not lose any benefits.