Beneficiaries and Claimants

If you’ve been named as a beneficiary

If you were named as a beneficiary for a Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) member, you may be eligible to receive a payment after the member’s death. Being named as a beneficiary does not always mean you’ll receive money. It depends on the member’s plan type, retirement status and whether they had a survivor benefit in place.

If you think you might be a beneficiary, you can contact DRS to confirm your status and find out what steps to take.

Reporting a death

If the member has passed away, please visit the Report a Death page to notify DRS. We’ll ask for basic information about the member, such as their name, date of birth and Social Security number (if known). DRS will review the member’s account, confirm any beneficiaries on file and contact you with next steps.

Will I receive money?

Whether a beneficiary receives payment depends on several factors:

• Remaining account balance: Beneficiaries only receive funds if the member still had contributions remaining in their account at the time of death. Many member contributions are exhausted after 3-7 years of retirement.
• Survivor selection: If the member chose a survivor at retirement, that survivor generally receives monthly payments for life. In that case, a beneficiary would not receive any money unless the survivor has also passed away and contributions remain in the account.
• Plan type: Members in certain plans, such as DCP or Plan 3, may have investment accounts that can provide a lump-sum payout to beneficiaries.

Understanding survivors and beneficiaries

It’s common to mix up these two terms. Here’s how they differ:

• Beneficiary: A person or organization designated to receive a one-time, lump-sum payment of any remaining account balance after the member’s death.
• Survivor: A person (usually a spouse or partner) chosen by the member at retirement to receive lifetime monthly benefit payments after the member’s death. Only one survivor can be named, and this choice is usually permanent. Visit the survivor section of this page for more information.

If the member had both a survivor and a beneficiary, the survivor receives payments first. Beneficiaries are paid only if the survivor also dies and funds remain the account.

Investment account beneficiaries (DCP and Plan 3)

If you are a beneficiary for a member’s Deferred Compensation Program (DCP) or Plan 3 investment account, you’ll work directly with the DRS record keeper to claim funds. Review the DCP Beneficiary FAQ  or contact the DRS record keeper for additional questions.

If you are named as a survivor for a Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) member, you may be eligible to receive a monthly benefit payment for your lifetime after the member’s death.

This section explains what it means to be a survivor, how this role differs from a beneficiary, and what you can expect after the member has passed away.

Understanding your role as a survivor

A survivor is a person chosen by the member when they retire.
If the member selected a survivor benefit option, your payments will begin after the member’s death and continue for your lifetime. Survivor benefits are typically paid monthly.

Only one survivor can be named per retirement plan. The survivor designation is usually permanent once the member retires.

Understanding survivors and beneficiaries

It’s common to mix up these two terms. Here’s how they differ:

• Beneficiary: A person or organization designated to receive a one-time, lump-sum payment of any remaining account balance after the member’s death. Visit the beneficiary section of this page for more information.
• Survivor: A person (usually a spouse or partner) chosen by the member at retirement to receive lifetime monthly benefit payments after the member’s death. Only one survivor can be named, and this choice is usually permanent.

If the member had both a survivor and a beneficiary, the survivor receives payments first. Beneficiaries are paid only if the survivor also dies and funds remain the account.

What to expect as a survivor

When a DRS plan member passes away, DRS will confirm your survivor status and begin the process of setting up monthly payments.
Survivor benefits continue for your lifetime, even if the member’s original contributions have already been paid out. The amount you receive depends on the survivor option the member selected at retirement.

There are a few types of survivor options. These all provide lifetime payments to you after the member’s death:

• 100% Survivor Option: You receive the same monthly benefit amount the member was receiving.
• 66% Survivor Option: You receive about two-thirds of the member’s benefit amount.
• 50% Survivor Option: You receive half of the member’s benefit amount.

If the member chose a single-life option, no ongoing survivor payments are made.

If the survivor dies before the member

If you pass away before the member, the survivor designation is removed. The member’s monthly benefit may increase to the “single-life” amount, and any future benefits will follow the beneficiary designations on file.

After both the member and survivor pass away

If both you and the member pass away before all contributions have been paid out, the remaining balance is paid to the member’s designated beneficiaries.

Plan variations

TRS Plan 1, WSPRS Plan 1 and LEOFF Plan 1 have unique survivor benefit rules. If you are a survivor for one of these plans, visit the plan’s page for specific details about survivor options and eligibility.

Need help?

If you believe you are a named survivor or would like to report the death of a DRS member, please see report a death.

Am I a claimant?

If you think you might have a claim to a member’s retirement benefit, you can contact DRS.

Divorce or property division

If your claim is related to a divorce or legal separation, you might find this information helpful: Marriage or Divorce.

Reporting a death

Visit this page to report the death to DRS.

How do you update your beneficiaries? To update your beneficiaries, complete this paper form—retired members are unable to designate pension beneficiaries online due to the complexity of survivor options. Your beneficiary would receive a lump sum of your contributions upon your passing (as well as your survivor’s passing if you named one). If you have a DCP account, you can update your DCP beneficiaries online.

How do you update your survivor? A survivor is someone you designate to receive a portion of your retirement benefit in the event of your passing. In most cases, you cannot change your survivor. If your survivor passes before you, you can have your benefit changed to the unreduced single amount. If you marry in retirement, you have a one-time option to add your spouse as a survivor between your first and second year of marriage (second and third year for retirees from the Washington State Patrol). Report these life changes to DRS.

More retired member resources.