Vested benefits account / Death / Debts

Any advice would be much appreciated.

My British husband has passed away recently, leaving unpaid child support towards his Swiss ex wife.

As Swiss social service was paying for her instead, they are now demanding a release of his vested benefits account.

His pension funds will be used to clear the debts, Is this request justifiable?

-Place of his death/residence : EU country

-I am from non EU country, over 45 but not pension age, got married to him 6 years ago (total 20 years together), have a child with him who is 19 in full-time education.

-His 2 Swiss children are now over 25, working.

-Divided pension funds during marriage in Switzerland and total sum of child support payments are exactly the same amount. Coincidentally? I do not think so.

(His Swiss ex wife who initiated their divorce was a breadwinner, he was a house husband. He was kicked out from the marital home, lost everything including custody.)

-Vested benefits account rules say that the payout is not form part of the deceased's estate and the entitlement is independent from the inheritance law.

(1st priority is a surviving spouse and his kids who are entitled to an orphan's pension. In the absence of this group, the rest of his children will have the entitlement)

-Swiss social service has failed to seize his vested benefits account before due to no release request from him.

My condolences and get a lawyer !

Also, condolences.

At first glance, the request is justifiable. Art. 92 of the Swiss Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Statute ( https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1…_529/de#art_92 ) says that vested benefit entitlements cannot be seized until they become due.

However, if the vested benefit sums have become due upon your husband’s passing away, they could file a claim and seize the account. Asking for a release avoids the costs of seeking an attachment and enforcement proceedings.

However, I may be biased since otherwise the Swiss taxpayer remains on the hook for the child support, which your husband failed to pay. Also, there may be particularities in your case that we do not know. If the amount is significant enough, follow Roegner’s advice: get a lawyer to look at it.

Thank you Roegner and Mica.

He was 65 years old but had never requested payments of the vested benefits. It is untouched.