If You Haven’t Updated Your Survivor Benefits Election, You Might Be Leaving Loved Ones Exposed

Key Takeaways

• Survivor benefits are not automatic and must be properly elected and kept up to date to ensure your loved ones receive financial protection.

• A divorce, remarriage, or major life event can revoke or impact your survivor elections, and failure to update them in time may leave your spouse or children with no benefits at all.

Why Survivor Elections Are So Critical

Survivor benefits exist to ensure that if you pass away in retirement, your designated spouse or family member receives a portion of your retirement annuity. But electing these benefits is not a one-time decision you can forget about. If you don’t review and update your elections as your life changes, your family may be left without the financial support you intended.

If you’re a government employee or retiree covered under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), the rules and processes around survivor elections are complex, but extremely important.

What a Survivor Benefit Election Does

When you elect a survivor benefit, you authorize a reduction in your retirement annuity in exchange for a continued benefit to your spouse (or other eligible person) after your death. This amount depends on what percentage you elect:

• Full survivor annuity: 50% of your unreduced annuity

• Partial survivor annuity: 25%

• No survivor benefit: 0% (only allowed under specific conditions)

In 2025, electing a full survivor annuity means a deduction of approximately 10% from your retirement benefit for FERS retirees. But this cost secures lifetime income for your spouse should you pass away first.

Timing Matters: The 30-Day and 18-Month Rules

Federal law sets two important deadlines that affect how and when you can update or change your survivor benefit elections:

• 30-Day Window After Retirement: If you retire and want to change your survivor election, you have just 30 days to do so. After that, the option is locked in unless you qualify under specific exceptions.

• 18-Month Reinstatement Rule: If you elected less than a full survivor annuity (or none at all), you may still provide one later—within 18 months of retirement. However, this comes with a one-time payment equal to the actuarial value of the benefit, plus interest.

Missing either deadline can severely limit your options. That’s why you should reassess your elections before retirement and keep a close eye on your paperwork in the months that follow.

Divorce, Death, and Remarriage: How Life Events Change the Rules

Several life events can nullify or alter your previous survivor elections. The most common include:

1. Divorce

A divorce does not automatically remove your ex-spouse from eligibility if a court order requires you to maintain a survivor annuity. In such cases, the court order trumps your current election. If there is no such order, you need to submit new elections to reflect your current situation.

2. Death of a Spouse

If your designated spouse dies before you, the reduction in your annuity to provide the survivor benefit continues unless you contact OPM and formally request to have it removed. This is not automatic. You must submit a written request, and it can take several months for the change to take effect.

3. Remarriage

If you remarry after retirement, your new spouse is not automatically covered. You have two years from the date of the remarriage to elect a survivor benefit for your new spouse. The longer you wait, the more interest accrues on any retroactive payments required to fund the benefit.

Survivor Benefits and FEHB Coverage

One often-overlooked reason to elect a survivor benefit is to protect your spouse’s access to the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program.

FEHB coverage does not automatically continue for a surviving spouse unless:

• You elected at least a partial survivor annuity, and

• Your spouse is eligible and enrolled under your FEHB plan at the time of your death

If you elected no survivor benefit, your spouse loses FEHB even if they’ve been covered for decades. This is one of the most painful consequences of skipping the survivor election.

What Happens If You Don’t Make an Election

If you’re married at retirement and submit no election, the default under FERS is a full survivor annuity for your spouse. However, to opt out or reduce the election, your spouse must provide notarized written consent.

If you were not married at retirement or divorced afterward, no benefit will be paid unless you actively reelect a new survivor benefit.

For unmarried retirees, survivor benefits can be designated for a former spouse (if ordered by a court), or for an insurable interest such as a sibling or child—but this must be approved by OPM and usually involves higher annuity reductions.

Common Mistakes That Put Loved Ones at Risk

Several recurring missteps can undermine your survivor benefit intentions:

• Assuming elections update automatically after divorce or remarriage

• Failing to notify OPM after the death of a spouse

• Neglecting the 18-month window to reinstate benefits

• Overlooking the FEHB requirement tied to survivor annuities

• Not reviewing court orders during or after divorce proceedings

These are all avoidable with regular check-ins, especially during major life changes.

Special Considerations for CSRS Retirees

If you’re under CSRS, survivor benefits work similarly but with some key differences:

• The reduction for a full survivor annuity is approximately 10% of your annuity.

• The survivor receives 55% of your unreduced annuity, not your reduced one.

• Partial survivor elections are allowed but also require spousal consent.

CSRS retirees should also be aware that no new elections can be made after final retirement if no survivor benefit was elected, unless a qualifying life event (such as marriage) occurs within two years.

Cost Implications and Long-Term Planning

Yes, electing a survivor annuity reduces your monthly income. But the alternative—a complete loss of income for your spouse after your death—could have far greater consequences.

You may also need to plan for the impact on:

• Life insurance needs: If you opt for no survivor annuity, do you have another financial plan in place?

• Long-term care: Will your spouse be able to afford healthcare or assisted living if your benefits stop?

• TSP and other retirement accounts: Have you named proper beneficiaries and do they know how to access those funds?

A survivor annuity is only part of the puzzle. It must work alongside your full retirement strategy.

How to Update Your Elections

You can request changes through:

• Retirement application (SF 3107 or SF 2801) at the time of retirement

• Form RI 20-63 to change or reinstate a survivor election within the 18-month period

• Letter to OPM if your spouse passes away and you want to remove the reduction

Each form or request has deadlines, processing times, and documentation requirements, so it’s best to work with a professional who can help you navigate these options.

A Survivor Benefit Isn’t Just a Checkbox

Too many government employees treat their survivor benefit election as a one-time formality. But retirement lasts decades, and life keeps changing.

Review your current election today. Ask yourself:

• Is my designated survivor still the right person?

• Did I experience a life event that changes my election?

• Does my survivor know what benefits they’ll receive—and how to claim them?

If you’re unsure about any of these, now is the time to act.

Protecting the People Who Count on You

Your survivor benefit decision reflects more than paperwork. It’s a long-term commitment to protect those who depend on you.

Whether you’re approaching retirement or already collecting your pension, now is the time to review your elections, understand your rights, and make sure your benefits reflect your current life. Mistakes made today can’t be undone tomorrow.

If you need help, get in touch with a licensed professional listed on this website. They can walk you through your options and help secure your family’s future.