A parent or even your spouse dies. Can you find all his money?
It is not so simple or fast. First of all, you must obtain the death certificate from the Directeur de l'État civil ( etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca , between $ 31 and $ 62 depending on the method of transmission of the application and the deadline).
Will
The deceased may have done as singer Prince: he neglected to prepare one. Just like 46% of Quebecers over 18 years old. If the precious document is not in its drawers, at the cottage or in a safety deposit box, ask your notary.
Otherwise, consult the Register of Wills and Mandates of the Chambre des notaires du Québec ( cnq.org/en/testament.html ).
The first records all the wills received after January 1961, the second has been in existence since 1979. Allow a delay of about two weeks.
If the deceased does not have a will and you are his de facto spouse, your life has just been singularly complicated.
Life insurance
A life insurance policy is an important asset. If the deceased has group insurance, contact the employer to find out if he or she has life insurance coverage (sometimes included in disability insurance).
Otherwise, he may have an individual life insurance. You did not find the contract in his business? Contact the Ombudsman for Life and Health Insurers, who has a Register of Lost Life Insurance Policies ( bit.ly/2rwxoTI ). You have two years after the death to do this.
Was the deceased a member of professional, student or other associations? Many offer life insurance.
Bank accounts
Virtually everyone has an account in at least two or three financial institutions. The Canadian Bankers Association confirms that there is no centralized database for bank account holders.
If you do not find a statement, you must provide a copy of a death certificate to each institution separately. In addition to the seven major chartered banks and Desjardins, Canada has about thirty cooperatives or Canadian and foreign banks active on its territory. In addition, many Quebeckers hold an account in an electronic bank located in another province. Good luck !
PayPal
The average balance of a PayPal account is US $ 70. But since there are 227 million active accounts in the world, many have a balance of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. One in five Canadians with smartphones use PayPal.
You must send the deceased's e-mail, a copy of the death certificate and proof of lien (lease, marriage or common-law) to PayPal to recover the funds ( Look HERE ).
Advice
- If you have been a de facto spouse for more than two years, make wills, mandates of incapacity or contract of common life before a notary as soon as possible.
- Did the deceased have government bonds or investment products? Contact epq.gouv.qc.ca or oec.gc.ca