Retirement savings: what happens to my PER if I die before releasing it?

Question to an expert

Will the money placed in my PER be lost when I die?

The fear that the capital accumulated in a retirement savings plan (PER) will be lost in the event of death is often mentioned by savers. It is not so. The savings will be paid in the form of capital to your designated beneficiaries if it is an insurance PER (a PER in the form of life insurance), or transmitted to your heirs if it is a bank PER (in the form of a securities account). This is whether or not your plan is available at the time of your death.

On the other hand, for the retirement savings plans of the old generation, such as the Madelin (dedicated to the self-employed) or the popular retirement savings plan (the PERP, which was accessible to all), the payment to the beneficiaries n It is possible only as an annuity, unless it is very low.

Securities and cash held on a bank PER will enter the estate and will be taxable. In the case of an insurance PER, the capital will benefit from the inheritance advantages of life insurance.

With one particularity: the allowance of 152,500 euros per beneficiary will only apply if the deceased is under 70 years old. If the saver dies after age 70, all capital, even that paid before age 70, will be subject to inheritance tax, after a deduction of 30,500 euros.

Carrying out an estate assessment before the age of 70 makes it possible to measure the impact and possibly decide to reinvest the funds in life insurance.