What to Do When a Federal Retiree Dies
The First 10 Days
The most time-sensitive step is reporting the death to OPM and protecting any joint bank accounts from an unexpected Treasury debit.
Report the death to OPM through the online portal at opm.gov/ReportDeath, by phone at 1-888-767-6738, or by mail to the Retirement Operations Center in Boyers, PA. Have the retiree's CSA claim number, Social Security number, and date of death ready. This triggers OPM to stop the pension and start assembling the survivor claims package.
Do not withdraw the last pension deposit. Federal annuities are paid in arrears, so any direct deposit that hits the bank after the date of death is an overpayment. Treasury automatically reclaims it under 31 CFR Part 210 by debiting the bank account directly. If the money has already been spent, the bank flags the reclamation as insufficient funds and debt collection proceedings begin against the estate or account holders. Leave the deposit untouched and let the reclamation process work.
Order 5 to 10 certified death certificates from the vital records office. OPM, OFEGLI (life insurance), the TSP, Social Security, and banks each require a certified original with a raised seal.
Days 11 Through 30: File the Claims
Once OPM assigns a CSF claim number and mails the claims package, the surviving spouse or beneficiary files several claims in parallel:
Survivor annuity (OPM) — File SF 3104 with SF 3104B for FERS, or SF 2800 for CSRS. Attach a certified death certificate, certified marriage certificate, and proof of termination of any prior marriages. A full FERS spousal annuity is 50% of the retiree's unreduced annuity; under CSRS, up to 55%.
Life insurance (OFEGLI) — File Form FE-6 directly with OFEGLI in Scranton, PA — not with OPM. Include a certified death certificate. FEGLI benefits depend on which coverage options and reduction schedule the retiree chose; a retiree over 68 with the 75% reduction election retains only 25% of the original face value.
TSP account — Report the death through the TSP Life Events Hub at tsp.gov or submit Form TSP-17. A surviving spouse receives a Beneficiary Participant Account that maintains the tax-deferred status of the assets. Non-spouse beneficiaries get a lump-sum distribution or transfer to an Inherited IRA.
Social Security — File for survivor benefits through SSA. Since the Social Security Fairness Act (signed January 5, 2025) repealed the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision for benefits from January 2024 onward, surviving spouses of CSRS retirees can now collect full Social Security widow or widower benefits with no federal offset. If you never applied because the old rules would have zeroed out your benefit, you must file a new claim — SSA does not automatically enroll non-applicants.
Days 31 Through 90: Monitor and Transition
Track interim payments. OPM issues "Quick Pay" interim survivor annuity payments while processing the full claim, which typically takes 60 to 90 days. Once adjudicated, OPM pays the difference retroactively to the date of death.
Confirm health insurance continuation. FEHB or PSHB coverage continues only if the surviving spouse is entitled to a monthly survivor annuity and the retiree was enrolled in a Self Plus One or Self and Family plan at death. Without a survivor annuity, coverage ends on the last day of the month of death — the spouse can elect 36 months of Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) at 102% of the full premium as a bridge.
Set up tax withholding. OPM issues a CSF 1099-R for the survivor annuity under the survivor's Social Security number. File Form W-4P with OPM to set the correct federal withholding. Part of each payment is a tax-free return of the retiree's previously-taxed contributions, calculated using the Simplified Method in IRS Publication 721.
The Federal Retiree Death Benefits Guide covers every claim step with the exact forms, mailing addresses, dollar calculations, and a timeline tracker — so a surviving spouse or adult child executor can work through the entire process without missing a deadline or triggering a debt.
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