Under what conditions can a de facto spouse receive a surviving spouses pension?
If the deceased was not married or was legally separated, the pension is paid to the person who is deemed to be the de facto spouse. To be deemed to be a de facto spouse, you must have been living in a conjugal relationship for at least 3 years at the time of the death, unless a child was born or is to be born of your union, or the couple adopted a child or the surviving spouse adopted the child of the deceased spouse. In that case, you are required to have lived together for only 1 year.
