AWW (Orphan Pension)

Orphan’s pension benefit (AWW) is a general social insurance benefit intended for children when their father/mother passes away.

Everyone is insured for the AWW if they:

Children are eligible for an Orphan’s pension benefit when:

The mother or father passes away and said mother or father was insured at the time of death.
The children are registered as children of the deceased.

Please note:

The AWW benefit is granted upon application.
The right to the AWW pension starts on the first month after the death of the parent. If one should apply for the AWW pension benefits more than 1 year after the passing of deceased, the AWW pension benefits will be granted retroactively by SZV with a maximum of 1 year counting from the month after the date on which the application was submitted.
The amount of the AWW benefit will depend on the age of the orphan.
Children from 0 to 14 years old do not have to prove that they are enrolled in school.
Children from 15 to 24 years old are also entitled to apply for an orphan's pension benefit if they are disabled, if they are receiving a full-time education or if they are receiving education during the greater part of their time. The orphan must then prove that he or she is following a fulltime education by submitting on a yearly or term basis a school declaration.
Illegitimate children are entitled if they can provide a proof of maintenance (from the Guardianship Board, a judicial sentence or authentic deed) that shows that he/she lived in family relations with the deceased.
For children living abroad they have to submit a life certificate once a year

Contact SZV for requirement list
Bring all required documents with you to ensure a one stop service
After applying SZV will contact you within 3 to 6 months if there are any questions about your application
If there are no questions your decision letter will be sent to your mailing address.
SZV will deposit your AWW allowance monthly on your bank account

Please note:

To avoid your pension being blocked:
You must make sure to inform SZV immediately if there are any changes in your personal information, circumstances, or banking information. You can use the pension mutation form for this purpose.
If you are living abroad, please make sure to submit your Life Certificate on time during the periods stipulated in your decision letter to ensure continuation of your monthly pension benefit payments.
The right to AWW pension benefits ends:

On the day of death of the AWW pensioner.
Please inform SZV immediately of passing of a pensioner so at to avoid accumulating a debt caused by unrightfully collecting a deceased pensioner’s benefits.
When the AWW pensioner reaches the age of 25.
When the AWW pensioner between the ages 15-25 is not going to school anymore

Valid form of identification of applicant
Detailed registration form the Civil Registry (not older than 3 months) for applicant and deceased
Death certificate of the deceased
Birth certificate of orphan(s)
If the deceased was not registered on St. Maarten, you need to bring an Income Tax Declaration of the deceased (to proof that the deceased had contributed to the AWW taxes up to the time of his/her passing)
School declaration for orphans in between 15 – 25 years
Bank book or Bank statement (in case of minors, a joint account together with the living parent/guardian is also accepted)
Properly filled out Orphan Pension request form
In case both parents are deceased: the legal guardianship decision from court
In case of illegitimate children: proof of maintenance (from the Guardianship Board, a judicial sentence or authentic deed) that shows that he/she lived in family relations with the deceased

What are the AWW maximum amounts for the year?

Please see our website here for the maximum pension amounts for the current year.