Life Insurance in Québec: The Most Frequently Asked Questions

The questions that come up most often, with short, attributed answers.

Life insurance basics

What is the difference between term life insurance and permanent life insurance?

Term insurance covers a set period; permanent insurance covers your whole life. Québec’s Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) frames the distinction differently: some types cover permanent needs, with premiums that will not rise with age; others cover temporary needs, with premiums that start lower but climb over the years. The choice therefore depends on how long the need actually lasts. See term or permanent.

Can my premium go up over time?

It depends on the contract. The AMF advises finding out what the premiums will be before you buy, not only for the first few years but for the whole period you expect to keep the insurance. It also warns that comparing premiums is not enough: check whether the sum insured is fixed and guaranteed, what the exclusions are, and whether the premium is level or increasing.

Can I change my mind after signing?

Yes, in some cases. According to the AMF, if you buy the insurance online without the help of a financial security advisor, you have 10 days to cancel the insurance without penalty. The AMF also reminds you never to make out a cheque in an advisor’s personal name to pay a premium: it must be made out to the insurer. This window applies to buying online, not to every situation.

How much coverage

How do I know how much life insurance I need?

According to the AMF, the amount and the type of insurance will depend on both your needs and your means. A financial security advisor who offers you insurance must first carry out an analysis of your needs, covering among other things your current contract, your family obligations, your financial position and your income. No rule of thumb replaces that exercise. See the calculation method.

Is my employer’s life insurance enough?

That is something to check rather than assume. The AMF suggests finding out the cost of group life insurance at work when you shop around. The point to examine is what happens to that coverage the day the job ends, whether you leave, retire or are laid off. Coverage tied to a job is not portable by default. See group insurance through your employer.

Health and the medical exam

Do I have to take a medical exam to be insured?

Not always. According to the AMF, to buy insurance you will have to fill out forms, some of which may contain questions about your health. Whether an exam is required varies with the insurer, the product, the amount applied for and your age. Some contracts are issued on a simplified basis, with only a few questions; the trade-off then plays out in the amount offered and in the terms of the contract. See no-medical-exam insurance.

What happens if I answer a health question incorrectly?

The AMF is direct: you must disclose every fact that could influence the insurer, otherwise it could refuse to pay you when the time comes, or reduce the amount of insurance. The Civil Code sets a limit at article 2424: in the absence of fraud, a misrepresentation about the risk cannot be grounds for annulling insurance that has been in force for two years.

Does a condition I have already been diagnosed with prevent me from being insured?

Not necessarily, and the answer varies from one company to another. The AMF puts it this way: no insurer offers the best premiums and benefits for every type of insurance and every person. No one, ourselves included, can guarantee acceptance or an amount in advance: only the insurer that reviews your file can. That is one more reason to get more than one quote.

The beneficiary and the Québec rule

What is a designated beneficiary?

It is the person to whom the insurer will pay the sum insured. Article 2445 of the Civil Code of Québec provides that this sum may be payable to the policyholder, to the participant or to a determinate beneficiary. Article 2446 adds that beneficiaries are designated in the policy or in another separate writing, whether or not it takes the form of a will.

Why is a spouse’s designation said to be irrevocable in Québec?

Because the Civil Code provides for it. Under article 2449, the designation of the person to whom the policyholder is married or in a civil union, made in a writing other than a will, is irrevocable unless otherwise stipulated. Without that stipulation, you cannot change the beneficiary on your own: you need the consent of the spouse so designated. See designating a beneficiary.

Does this irrevocability rule apply to my de facto (common-law) spouse?

No. Article 2449 covers the person to whom the policyholder is married or in a civil union. The designation of a de facto (common-law) spouse is therefore revocable, unless otherwise stipulated in the policy or in a separate writing. The parental union, in force since June 30, 2025, changes the law of successions, but it does not appear in the chapter of the Civil Code devoted to insurance.

Is the life insurance benefit part of the estate?

That depends on the designation. Article 2455 of the Civil Code provides that the sum insured payable to a beneficiary does not form part of the insured’s estate. Article 2456 states the reverse for insurance payable “to the estate,” “to the heirs” or “to the liquidators”: that does form part of it. Québec.ca repeats this distinction on its pages about wills.

Can my creditors seize the life insurance benefit?

Article 2457 of the Civil Code provides that where the designated beneficiary is the married or civil union spouse, the descendant or the ascendant of the policyholder or of the participant, the rights conferred by the contract are exempt from seizure as long as the beneficiary has not received the sum insured. The protection rests on the family relationship with the beneficiary, and it ends once the sum has been received.

What becomes of my ex-spouse’s designation after a divorce?

According to Québec.ca, if your beneficiary is your ex-spouse, that designation is cancelled following your divorce, the annulment of your marriage or civil union, or the dissolution of your civil union. Failing other designated beneficiaries, the insurance is then left with no beneficiary and forms part of your estate. Simple separation does not appear on that list. See separation and divorce.

The estate and the will

Does my de facto (common-law) spouse inherit if I have no will?

Sometimes, since 2025. Article 653 of the Civil Code, as amended, provides that the succession devolves to the surviving spouse bound to the deceased by marriage, civil union or parental union, and to the relatives of the deceased. The parental union covers de facto spouses who have a common child born or adopted on or after June 30, 2025. See dying without a will.

What is the difference between a notarial will and a holograph will?

A notarial will is received before a notary and does not have to be probated. Article 772 of the Civil Code provides that a holograph will — written and signed by the testator’s own hand — or a will made in the presence of witnesses must be probated, at the request of any interested person, in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure. In Québec the word used is “vérification” (probate), not “homologation.” See the types of wills.

Who is the liquidator and what do they do?

This is the person responsible for settling the estate: the inventory, payment of the debts, and delivery of the property to the heirs. The Québec term is “liquidateur” — liquidator, Québec’s term for what the rest of Canada calls an executor — and not “exécuteur testamentaire.” Article 42 of the Civil Code adds that funeral expenses are charged to the estate and that the heirs are bound to act. The liquidator is then accountable to them for their administration. See the liquidator’s role.

Funeral costs and prearrangements

How much does a funeral cost in Québec?

According to the Fédération des coopératives funéraires du Québec, citing a survey by the Corporation des thanatologues du Québec of its roughly 115 members, average funeral costs come to $5,700 at private establishments in Québec. Alain Leclerc, the Fédération’s executive director, puts the figure at about $4,000 at a funeral cooperative. These are averages.

How much does the QPP death benefit pay?

According to Retraite Québec, the death benefit under the Québec Pension Plan (QPP) is a single payment of a maximum of $2,500. It is paid only if the deceased had contributed enough to the Plan, and an application must be filed. In Québec, you contribute to the QPP and not to the Canada Pension Plan. The estimate appears on the statement of participation.

Do prearranged funerals replace life insurance?

They deal with something different. A prearrangement contract buys specific services in advance from a given establishment; it does not pay money to the family. Retraite Québec also specifies that the cost of a prearranged funeral services contract paid by the deceased person themselves is not eligible for reimbursement through the death benefit. If a relative paid it, it could be.

What if the deceased could not afford a funeral?

Québec.ca provides for a special benefit for funeral expenses, up to a maximum of $2,500, granted to whoever paid or undertook to pay the expenses when the deceased did not have the necessary resources. You must first check entitlement to the death benefit with Retraite Québec, then file the application within 90 days after the services were provided.

How SoumissionVie.ca works

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How do I check that a company has the right to sell me insurance?

That is the first step the AMF recommends: check whether the person or the company offering you insurance is authorized to do so. The Authority invites you to reach it at 1-877-525-0337 or to consult its Register of firms and individuals authorized to practise. The check applies to any intermediary, including those we direct you to.

Sources

• Autorité des marchés financiers, “Assurance vie : 5 étapes à suivre avant de vous assurer”: https://lautorite.qc.ca/grand-public/assurance/assurance-vie/5-etapes-a-suivre-avant-de-vous-assurer (August 10, 2026)
• LégisQuébec, Civil Code of Québec, arts. 42, 653, 772, 2424, 2445, 2446, 2449, 2455, 2456, 2457: https://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/document/cs/CCQ-1991 (August 10, 2026)
• Government of Québec, “Assurance vie du défunt”: https://www.quebec.ca/justice-et-etat-civil/testament-succession/testament/avant/assurance-vie-defunt (August 10, 2026)
• Government of Québec, “Frais funéraires”: https://www.quebec.ca/famille-et-soutien-aux-personnes/aide-sociale-et-solidarite-sociale/prestations-de-base/frais-funeraires (August 10, 2026)
• Retraite Québec, “La prestation de décès”: https://www.retraitequebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/citoyens/deces/rentes-et-prestations-conjoints-enfants-et-heritiers/prestation-deces (August 10, 2026)
• Fédération des coopératives funéraires du Québec, “Combien ça coûte mourir?”: https://fcfq.coop/blog/nouvelles-6/combien-ca-coute-mourir-4166 (August 10, 2026)