About spouse pension

I have a son who is already registered and receiving a child pension monthly since last 2023. He is 12 years old. I am entitled to the spouse benefit, and yes, I am a woman. The question is do I get a lifelong widow pension or are there certain terms on it? I dont know the Swiss law. Your reply is much appreciated.

There are several different categories of Swiss survivor's pensions.

• OASI survivor's pensions (pillar 1)
• Survivor's pensions from BVG occupational pension funds (pillar 2)
• Survivor's pensions from UVG accident insurance (pillar 2)
• Survivor's pensions from private insurance policy's (pilar 3a, pillar 3b)

I will assume you are talking about the OASI widow's pension, which is the basic social insurance pension. You will keep getting this pension unless one of these two things happens:

• You remarry. From the time you remarry, you will no longer be entitled to your OASI widow's pension. You have to inform the OASI about your new marriage so that they stop sending you the pension. Otherwise you will have to pay back any money you received after you got married.
• You become entitled to another OASI pension, such as an old-age pension or a disability pension. That could be the case if you have lived in Switzerland. From the time you become entitled to another OASI pension, you will only continue getting your OASI widow's pension if it is higher than the old-age or disabilty pension. If the old-age pension or disability pension is higher, then you will only get that pension, and will no longer receive the widow's pension.

The rules for widow's pensions from BVG pensions funds are similar. A widow's pension from UVG accident insurance lasts your entire life. Widow's pensions from private insurance depend on the terms and conditions of the insurance.

Currently the government is busy changing some of these laws so that women will have the same rights as men (you only get a survivor's pension as long as you have underage children). But for the moment, women still enjoy old-fashioned lifelong widow's pensions, and I imagine that will continue to apply to existing pensions even after the laws change.

I hope this helps.