A Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's
Contributory Pension may be based on EITHER your own or
your late spouse's/civil partners Irish PRSI record. The two
PRSI records cannot be combined.
Whichever PRSI record is used must have:
- 156 weeks PRSI paid to the date pension age was reached
or to the date your spouse/civil partner died, if earlier
and
- either an average of 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited over
the 3 or 5 tax years (whichever is more beneficial)
immediately before pension age (currently age 66) or
immediately before your spouse/civil partner died,
if earlier
or
- a yearly average of 24 contributions since starting work
up to the end of the tax year before reaching pension age
or the date your spouse/civil partner died, to get the
minimum rate of this pension.
or
- a yearly average of 48 contributions since starting work
up to the end of the tax year before reaching pension age
or the date your spouse/civil partner died, to get the
maximum rate of this pension.
PRSI Classes A, B, C, D, E, H, N and S can be used for the
Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory
Pension. Voluntary Contributions also count.
Social insurance contributions paid and credited under the
Widows and Orphans Pension Acts 1935 to 1952 and Social
Welfare Acts 1953 to 1979 can also be used.
Special Partial Pension
If you or your spouse/civil partner stopped paying social
insurance contributions early in your career(s) and then
resumed paying social insurance on 1 April 1974 and the
yearly contribution average is under 24 to qualify you for a
standard pension, you may qualify for a special partial
pension. However, this average must be at least 5 PRSI
contributions a year.