The survivor annuities for both spouses and children are increased annually by cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Image: Oleksandr Rybitskiy/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffIf you have a spouse and/or dependent children, understanding what happens in the event of your death is critical.
Survivor annuity if you die while an employee
If you are covered by FERS, your spouse’s benefits would depend on how long you’ve been employed. If you’d been on the job for at least 18 months but less than 10 years, your spouse would receive a lump-sum payment (of about $37,000 in 2022, adjusted annually with inflation), plus a lump-sum that is the greater of either one-half of your annual basic pay or one-half of your highest three consecutive years of average pay (your “high-3”).
If you have 10 or more years of service, your spouse would receive all of the above plus a survivor annuity equal to 50 percent of what you would have received if you had retired on the day you died. If you have any unmarried children under the age of 18 (age 22 if they are still in school), they will also be eligible for survivor benefits. There isn’t any age limit if they are incapable of self support because of a disability that occurred before age 18 and they are unmarried.
If you are covered by CSRS, your spouse will receive 55 percent of the annuity you would have received if you were retired when you died. Any children who meet the same criteria as under FERS would also be eligible for survivor benefits.
The survivor annuities for both spouses and children are increased annually by cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs).
Survivor death benefits after retirement
Assuming that there isn’t any court order assigning your survivor benefit to a former spouse, you are required by law to provide a full survivor annuity for him or her, unless he or she agrees in a notarized writing to a smaller amount or none.
Under FERS rules, you may elect a survivor annuity that equals either 50 percent or 25 percent of your annuity. The reduction in your basic annuity for a FERS full survivor annuity is 10 percent. For a partial FERS annuity, it’s 5 percent.
Under CSRS rules you may elect a survivor annuity ranging from $1 per year up to 55 percent of your basic annuity. To pay for that latter benefit, your base annuity would be reduced by approximately 10 percent.
The survivor annuity you elect will be increased by annual cost-of-living adjustments and will continue to be paid for the life of your survivor unless he or she remarries before age 55. That annuity will be increased by any cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) you received since you retired. From that point forward, the survivor annuity will be increased by any future COLAs, as would those for your eligible children.
Life insurance and the Thrift Savings Plan
In addition to any survivor annuities your spouse may receive, he or she will be entitled to the proceeds of your Federal Employee’s Group Life Insurance and Thrift Savings Plan account, unless you designated someone else to receive them or there is a court order that assigns these benefits to someone else.
Health benefits
If your spouse receives an annuity in any amount and was covered under either the Self Plus One or Self and Family option of your Federal Employees Health Benefits plan, he or she and all eligible children may continue that health benefits coverage. If the annuity amount is less than the premiums required, your spouse will be able to make payments directly to cover the cost.
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