AWW (Widow(er) Pension)

Widows, Widowers, and Orphan’s pension benefit (AWW) is a general social insurance benefit intended for spouses when his/her partner passes away and for children when their father/mother passes away.

Everyone is insured for the AWW if they:

• Have reached the age of 15;
• Are a resident;
• Are a non-resident but are being assessed for the income taxes as being a Sint Maarten resident;
• Are a non-resident who cannot be considered as permanently living outside of Sint Maarten but work outside of Sint Maarten and enjoys a salary or wages payed by Sint Maarten.

Who

A widow(er) is entitled to receive AWW benefits when:

• His or her spouse dies and said spouse was insured at the time of death and
• The widow(er) is younger than the pensionable age at the time of passing of the spouse and
• The widow(er) got married to the spouse in question before the pensionable age.

The maximum pension benefit depends on the age of the widow or widower and if they have children who receive orphans pension.

Please note:

• The AWW pension benefit is granted upon application.
• The right to the AWW pension starts on the first day of month after the death of the spouse. 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.
• You are not entitled to AWW benefits if you are responsible and have been convicted for the death of your spouse.
• You are no longer insured for AWW benefits, when you leave Sint Maarten and stay outside of the island for more than 6 weeks.

Procedure

1. Contact SZV for requirement list
2. Bring all required documents with you to ensure a one stop service
3. After applying SZV will contact you within 3 to 6 months if there are any questions about your application
4. If there are no questions your decision letter will be sent to your mailing address.
5. 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.
• Each year, ALL widow(ers) living abroad, in the months of February and August you must submit an up-to-date official record of your marital status to SZV. 
• The right to AWW pension benefits ends:

1. On the day of death of the AWW pensioner.
   Please inform SZV immediately of the passing of a pensioner to avoid accumulating a debt caused by unrightfully collecting a deceased pensioner’s benefits.
2. When the AWW pensioner reaches the pensionable age.
3. When the AWW pensioner remarries. When the person remarries, the AWW pension will be discontinued the month after the marriage occurred.
   Please inform SZV immediately after the marriage has taken place to avoid accumulating a debt caused by unrightfully collecting benefits.

What to bring

• 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
• 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 his/her time of passing)
• Tax compliance declaration from the Tax Office
• Bank book or Bank statement showing name and account number
• Properly filled out Widow(er) Pension request form

FAQ’s

What consequences does moving abroad have for the AWW pension benefit?

If the pensioner decides to live abroad (including French Saint Martin) after he or she has started to receive the AWW pension benefits, he or she must submit a life certificate periodically to ensure continuity of the monthly pension benefit payments.

What are the AWW maximum amounts for the year?

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