How to File Federal Employee Death Claims Without a Financial Adviser

You do not need a financial adviser to file federal employee death benefit claims. Every claim in the death-in-service process — OPM, OFEGLI/MetLife, TSP, the employing agency, Social Security, and OWCP — is an administrative filing, not a financial transaction. The forms are government-issued, the claims go through the relevant agency or program office, and each office has its own processing timeline. What you need is filing order, form-to-office matching, and a tracking system, which is exactly what the Survivor's Death Benefits & Claims Guide provides.

Here's how the six claim channels work, in the order that typically produces the fastest cash flow.

The Six Claims in Filing Order

1. Unpaid Compensation and Accrued Leave (SF 1153)

File first. Form SF 1153 goes to the deceased employee's agency payroll office — not to OPM. It claims the final paycheck and any accrued annual leave balance. This is typically the fastest federal payment because it stays within the employing agency's payroll system.

2. FEGLI Life Insurance (Form FE-6)

Complete Form FE-6 for the Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI, administered by MetLife). For an active employee, submit it to agency HR for verification; after SF 2821 is processed, the claim goes to OFEGLI. Do not confuse FE-6 with Form SF 2823 — that is a beneficiary designation form, not a claim form. Submitting SF 2823 after death does not open a claim. OFEGLI pays within 10 to 14 business days of receiving a complete FE-6, certified death certificate, and agency verification (SF 2821).

3. FERS Basic Employee Death Benefit and Survivor Annuity (SF 3104)

Form SF 3104 goes to OPM through the employing agency. For deaths from December 1, 2025, through November 30, 2026, the FERS Basic Employee Death Benefit (BEDB) equals 50% of the employee's final annual pay (or high-3 average, whichever is higher) plus $43,800.53. If you're eligible for a monthly survivor annuity, SF 3104 covers both. OPM's September 2026 averages were 35 days for complete survivor annuity packages and 129 days for lump-sum claims (when no monthly annuity is due).

4. TSP Death Benefit Claim

Report the death through the TSP Survivor Portal at tsp.gov. The online portal has replaced paper Form TSP-17 for death claims. A surviving spouse has the option of a Beneficiary Participant Account (keeping the funds in the TSP) or a direct distribution.

5. Social Security Survivor Benefits

File directly with SSA. Since the Social Security Fairness Act repealed the Government Pension Offset in January 2025, federal survivors no longer face GPO reductions on Social Security survivor benefits. If you never applied because the GPO previously zeroed your entitlement, you must file a new claim — SSA does not automatically enroll never-applicants. Previously-enrolled beneficiaries received automatic retroactive adjustments back to January 2024.

6. OWCP Death Benefits (Form CA-5)

If the death was work-related, file Form CA-5 with the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs. You'll face a dual-benefit election between OWCP compensation and the FERS survivor annuity — you can receive one or the other, not both simultaneously.

What Financial Advisers Actually Do (and Don't Do)

Financial advisory firms that specialize in federal benefits — ProFeds, Serving Those Who Serve, Barfield Financial, and others — focus on pre-retirement planning: annuity calculations, TSP withdrawal strategies, FEHB coordination with Medicare, and survivor benefit election modeling. Their free content on death-in-service claims is designed to identify potential wealth management clients, not to walk you through SF 3104 line by line.

A financial adviser does not:

• File your claim forms with OPM, OFEGLI, TSP, or the agency
• Track your claims across six offices
• Match forms to filing offices
• Tell you which claim to file first for fastest cash flow
• Explain the difference between a designation form and a claim form

Where a financial adviser adds value is after the claims are processed — when you have a TSP balance, a lump-sum BEDB, and potentially a monthly annuity, and you need help with investment allocation, tax planning, or estate structuring. That's a separate decision from the claims filing process itself.

The Common Mistakes You're Avoiding

Filing without guidance typically produces three predictable errors:

Submitting SF 2823 instead of FE-6. The beneficiary designation form (SF 2823) and the FEGLI claim form (FE-6) look similar in the agency HR packet. Submitting SF 2823 to OPM after death does not open a FEGLI claim, and OPM does not send a claim receipt for it. The survivor must submit FE-6 through the required agency verification and OFEGLI process.

Filing everything to one office. Each claim goes to a different office: SF 3104 to OPM through the agency, FE-6 to agency HR for an active employee and then to OFEGLI after verification, SF 1153 to the agency payroll office, the TSP claim through tsp.gov, Social Security to SSA. Mailing everything to OPM creates a pile of misrouted forms.

Assuming HR handles the personal claims. Agency HR submits Form SF 2821 (Agency Certification of Insurance Status) for FEGLI verification and forwards retirement records to OPM. After that, you complete and submit each personal claim through the relevant program or office — your FEGLI, annuity, TSP, and Social Security claims.

Who This Approach Is For

• Surviving spouses and adult children who are comfortable filling out forms and mailing them to the correct addresses, given clear instructions
• Families who want to save $1,500–$5,000 in attorney fees or adviser retainers for what is fundamentally an administrative process
• People who want to start filing immediately — the guide downloads instantly, while an adviser engagement takes 2–4 weeks to set up

Who Should Consider Professional Help

• If the beneficiary designations are contested or outdated, hire an estate attorney for that specific dispute
• If you have a complex estate with multi-state assets and no will, probate counsel handles the legal side
• If you want investment advice on the TSP balance or BEDB lump sum after claims are processed, a fee-only financial planner is appropriate for that decision

The claims filing and the financial planning are separate processes. You can handle the first one yourself with the right guide and bring in a professional for the second one if you choose to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it risky to file federal death benefit claims without professional help?

No. The claims are administrative filings with predetermined outcomes. If you're the surviving spouse and the beneficiary designations are current, you're entitled to the benefits regardless of whether a professional is involved. The risk is in filing errors that delay payment — submitting the wrong form, mailing to the wrong office, or missing a deadline — which a claims guide prevents.

How long does the entire claims process take?

The fastest payment is typically unpaid compensation (SF 1153), processed through the agency payroll office. FEGLI life insurance pays within 10–14 business days after OFEGLI receives FE-6, a certified death certificate, and agency verification (SF 2821). OPM's September 2026 averages were 35 days for survivor annuity claims and 129 days for lump-sum claims. The full process across all six channels can take several months.

What if I make a mistake on a form?

Filing errors can delay processing, and beneficiary-designation issues can affect who receives a payment. Missing information can also delay a claim. The Survivor's Claims Guide includes section-by-section form instructions to help reduce avoidable delays.

Do I need to hire someone for the Social Security survivor claim?

No. You file directly with SSA at your local Social Security office or by calling SSA's main number. Since the GPO repeal, there is no offset calculation to navigate. The main thing to know is that if you never applied because the GPO previously eliminated your benefit, you must file a new claim — SSA does not backfill automatically.

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