Glossary of Life Insurance and Estate Terms in Québec

The vocabulary of insurance and the vocabulary of estates share one flaw: they are precise, and that precision is paid for in clarity. A word misunderstood at the moment of signing can cost dearly years later, when no one is left to ask the question.

Québec adds one more difficulty. Our law of successions comes from the Civil Code of Québec, not from the common law applied elsewhere in Canada, and several terms you will find on English-Canadian sites correspond to nothing here. Other words exist in the French of France but not in our practice. We flag them as we go.

The definitions below are deliberately short. Each entry gives the English term first, followed by the French term you will meet on Québec paperwork. Where a term is the subject of a full guide, the link takes you there.

A

Application (proposition)

The application form. Your answers form an integral part of the contract: an inaccuracy, even one made in good faith, can be raised against you on a claim during the contestability period.

Assuris

An industry-funded not-for-profit organization that protects Canadian policyholders if their insurer becomes insolvent. The protection is capped and does not cover every contract in full.

B

Beneficiary (bénéficiaire)

The person, or the organization, who will receive the sum insured on death. A valid designation takes the money out of the estate: it is paid directly to the beneficiary, without going through the liquidation and, as a general rule, out of reach of the deceased’s creditors.

C

Cash surrender value (valeur de rachat)

The amount built up in a permanent policy that the holder can withdraw, borrow against, or cash out by ending the contract. A term policy normally has none.

Claim (réclamation)

The step by which the beneficiary asks for the benefit to be paid, generally by providing the death certificate and the insurer’s form. An up-to-date designation speeds the process up considerably.

Conversion (transformation)

A right, provided for in some contracts, to convert term or group coverage into permanent individual coverage without new evidence of insurability. According to Québec’s Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), this right is generally available up to an age limit, often 65.

Curatorship (curatelle)

A former protective measure, replaced in 2022 by tutorship to a person of full age under the Québec regime. If you come across this word in a document, check its date: the vocabulary has changed.

D

De facto (common-law) spouse (conjoint de fait)

A person who lives as a couple with another without marriage or civil union. The essential point: with no will, a de facto spouse does not inherit under the Civil Code, unless they are in a parental union. They can, on the other hand, be designated the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, which is often the simplest protection.

Death certificate (certificat de décès)

The official document issued by the Directeur de l’état civil, not to be confused with the record or the attestation of death given by the health facility. Insurers and financial institutions generally require the official document.

Deemed disposition (disposition présumée)

A tax rule under which, at death, a person is deemed to have disposed of their property at its fair market value. The accumulated gain becomes taxable in the final return, even though nothing was sold. See taxes at death.

F

Family patrimony (patrimoine familial)

A set of property — the family residences, the furniture in them, vehicles, and rights accumulated under a retirement plan — whose value is divided between married spouses and civil union spouses on breakdown or death. It does not apply to de facto spouses. See family patrimony and life insurance.

G

Group insurance (assurance collective)

A contract taken out by an employer, a union or an association for the benefit of a group. The amount is often a multiple of salary, and the coverage usually ends when you leave the company or retire. See group life insurance through your employer.

Guaranteed issue (émission garantie)

A product accepted with no medical questionnaire and no exam. In exchange, the amount offered is modest and a waiting period almost always applies. See no-medical-exam insurance.

H

Heir (héritier)

A person who takes the estate, by will or by legal devolution. An heir may accept or renounce. The beneficiary of a life insurance policy is not, on that basis alone, an heir: they receive a benefit that does not form part of the estate.

Holograph will (testament olographe)

A will written entirely and signed by the testator’s own hand, with no witness. Valid in Québec, but it must be probated after the death, which adds delay and cost, and it is more easily lost or contested.

Homologation

A term used in France, not in Québec. Here, the procedure that applies to non-notarial wills is called vérification. See Probate of a will.

I

Incontestability (incontestabilité)

After a period set out in the contract, often two years, the insurer can no longer annul the policy for a misrepresentation, except in the case of fraud. Before that period is up, a wrong answer on the questionnaire can cost you the coverage.

Irrevocable beneficiary (bénéficiaire irrévocable)

A beneficiary whose designation cannot be changed without their written consent. In Québec, the designation of a married spouse or a civil union spouse is irrevocable by default, unless the contract says otherwise. It is the most common trap. See designating a beneficiary.

L

Legacy (legs)

What is left by will. A particular legacy covers a specific piece of property, a universal legacy covers the whole patrimony, and a legacy by general title covers a share or a category of property.

Legal devolution (dévolution légale)

The order of succession set by the Civil Code when there is no will. It is not a division to the “nearest relative” in the everyday sense: the law imposes precise shares among the spouse, the descendants, the ascendants and the collaterals. See dying without a will.

Liquidator (liquidateur)

The person responsible for settling the estate: drawing up the inventory, paying the debts and the taxes, obtaining the tax certificates, then handing the rest over to the heirs. This is Québec’s term for what the rest of Canada calls an executor. The office carries personal liability. See the liquidator’s role.

M

Mortgage loan insurance (assurance prêt hypothécaire)

Insurance sold by a lender to pay off the balance of a loan on death. The beneficiary is the lender, and the amount payable follows the loan balance, so it shrinks over time. Not to be confused with an individual policy. See the two compared.

N

Notarial will (testament notarié)

A will received before a notary, in the presence of a witness, and entered in the register. It is an authentic act: it does not have to be probated, it takes effect as of the death, and the original is kept by the notary. See the three types of wills.

P

Parental union (union parentale)

A regime in force since June 30, 2025 for de facto spouses who become the parents of the same child born or adopted on or after that date and who live together. It creates a parental union patrimony and, through the amendment to article 653 of the Civil Code, allows the surviving spouse to inherit where there is no will — which is not the case for other de facto spouses.

Permanent insurance (assurance permanente)

A family of contracts designed to cover your whole life, with no expiry date, as long as the premiums are paid. It includes whole life and universal life. Unlike term, it generally builds up a cash surrender value.

Policy dividends (participations)

Amounts paid by some insurers to holders of so-called “participating” policies, according to the insurer’s results. They are not guaranteed, and the projections shown at the time of application are not promises.

Policyholder (preneur)

The holder of the contract: the person who applies, pays the premiums and holds the rights, including the right to change the beneficiary. The policyholder and the insured are often the same person, but not always.

Premium (prime)

What you pay to keep the coverage in force, monthly or annually. Depending on the contract, it may be level, increase at renewal, or be payable for a limited period.

Probate of a will (vérification du testament)

The procedure by which a holograph will, or a will made in the presence of witnesses, is recognized as authentic, by the court or by a notary, before it can be carried out. In Québec it is called vérification. It is the closest Québec equivalent to what other provinces call probate — with one major difference: there are no fees here calculated as a percentage of the estate, and the notarial will escapes the procedure entirely. See estate settlement time and costs.

Protection mandate (mandat de protection)

A document, formerly called a mandate in case of incapacity, by which you designate in advance who will make decisions in your place if you become incapable. It must be homologated by the court to take effect. It settles nothing after death: that is the will’s role.

Q

QPP — Québec Pension Plan (RRQ — Régime de rentes du Québec)

Québec’s public retirement plan, administered by Retraite Québec. Québec is the only province that does not take part in the Canada Pension Plan: here you contribute to the QPP, not the CPP. It is the QPP that pays the death benefit and the survivors’ pensions.

QPP death benefit (prestation de décès du RRQ)

A single payment made by Retraite Québec to the estate of a person who contributed enough to the Québec Pension Plan. Its maximum amount is $2,500, according to Retraite Québec. It rarely covers the whole of the funeral costs. See the death benefit and funeral costs.

R

Renunciation of a succession (renonciation à la succession)

The decision to refuse an estate, made within the time limits and in the form the law provides. It protects you in particular where the liabilities exceed the assets. Careful: some acts can amount to tacit acceptance.

Revocable beneficiary (bénéficiaire révocable)

A beneficiary the policyholder can change at any time, without asking their permission. It is what most people believe they have designated, without always having said so in the contract.

Rider (avenant)

A clause added to the base contract to change or add to the coverage: waiver of premiums in case of disability, children’s coverage, accidental death. Each rider has its own cost and its own conditions.

S

Seisin (saisine)

The fact that the heirs or the liquidator are vested with the property of the estate as of the death and may act with respect to it, within the limits of the law.

Simplified issue (émission simplifiée)

A product applied for on the basis of a short health questionnaire, with no exam and no blood test. Refusal remains possible, unlike guaranteed issue. Some insurers use the two expressions interchangeably: read the contract, not the label.

Succession

The whole of the patrimony left at death — assets and liabilities — as well as the procedure by which it is settled. In Québec the word is the same in English and in French, and it is what the rest of Canada calls the estate. Insurance proceeds paid to a designated beneficiary do not form part of it.

Sum insured (capital assuré)

The amount the insurer will pay on death. It is also called the death benefit. It is the amount you choose when you apply, and the figure the whole rest of the contract turns on.

Surrender (rachat)

Ending a permanent policy by cashing in its cash surrender value. The transaction can have tax consequences, and it ends the coverage.

Surviving spouse’s pension (rente de conjoint survivant)

A monthly pension paid by Retraite Québec to the eligible surviving spouse of a person who contributed to the QPP. The amount depends on age, on the person’s situation and on the deceased’s contributions. See the surviving spouse’s pension.

T

Term insurance (assurance temporaire)

A contract that covers a set period: 10, 20 or 30 years, or up to a given age. If the death occurs during the term, the benefit is paid; if not, the contract ends, generally with no value. See term or permanent.

Testamentary executor (exécuteur testamentaire)

A term to avoid in Québec. It was replaced by liquidator when the Civil Code was reformed. If a Québec document still uses “exécuteur,” it is probably old or translated from English.

Trust (fiducie)

A separate patrimony entrusted to a trustee to administer for the benefit of designated beneficiaries. Used in particular to frame what a minor child or a vulnerable person receives, rather than paying them a sum all at once.

U

Undivided co-ownership (indivision)

A situation where several people hold the same property together, each for a share. Common at death when heirs receive a residence in common, and a common source of conflict where there is no written agreement.

Universal life (vie universelle)

Permanent insurance that separates the cost of the insurance from an accumulation account, with more flexibility on deposits and, depending on the options, a variable return. That flexibility calls for monitoring. See whole life or universal life.

W

Waiting period (délai de carence)

A period, often two years at the start of the contract, during which a death from natural causes does not give a right to the full benefit: the insurer instead refunds the premiums paid. Accidental death is generally covered from day one. Common in guaranteed issue products.

Whole life (vie entière)

Permanent insurance with premiums and a benefit that are generally guaranteed, building a cash surrender value at a pace set out in the contract. The mechanics are stable and not very flexible.

Will made in the presence of witnesses (testament devant témoins)

A written will, signed by the testator in front of two witnesses of full age who also sign it. Like the holograph will, it must be probated after the death before it takes effect.

Will search (recherche testamentaire)

A search made in the registers of testamentary dispositions of the Chambre des notaires and the Barreau du Québec to establish which is the last known will. It is a normal step in settling any estate.

Sources

• Retraite Québec — Prestation de décès and Rente de conjoint survivant: retraitequebec.gouv.qc.ca (accessed August 10, 2026)
• Éducaloi — files on the will, the succession, the liquidator and the parental union: educaloi.qc.ca (accessed August 10, 2026)
• Autorité des marchés financiers — consumer files on insurance of persons: lautorite.qc.ca (accessed August 10, 2026)
• Chambre des notaires du Québec — registers of testamentary dispositions: cnq.org (accessed August 10, 2026)
• Civil Code of Québec, in particular articles 653, 666 and 2449 to 2460 — LégisQuébec, consolidation current to April 1, 2026: legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca (accessed August 10, 2026)