Think Your Spouse Will Be Covered After You Pass? These Survivor Benefit Surprises Say Otherwise

Key Takeaways

• Survivor benefits under public sector retirement systems are not automatic. You must actively elect them during the retirement process, or your spouse may receive nothing.

• Even if you think your spouse is covered, delays, omissions, or incorrect elections can result in denial of survivor annuities, FEHB continuation, or Social Security benefits.

Your Spouse Isn’t Automatically Protected

One of the most damaging assumptions you can make in retirement planning is believing your spouse will automatically receive survivor benefits. Under FERS or CSRS, no survivor annuity is granted unless you explicitly choose it. This applies whether you’re retiring under a standard retirement or a special category like LEO, ATC, or FF.

To protect your spouse, you must elect a survivor benefit at retirement using SF 3107 (for FERS) or SF 2801 (for CSRS). If you’re already retired and didn’t make the election, your spouse is not entitled to any annuity, regardless of how long you were married.

Election Requirements and Deadlines

The timing of your survivor election is critical. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requires that you make the election before your retirement date. Once your retirement is finalized without the election, you cannot retroactively add a full survivor benefit unless very specific and rare circumstances apply.

If you marry after retirement, you can elect a survivor benefit within two years of marriage. However, you must:

• Submit a signed election form

• Pay the actuarial reduction

• Start a monthly reduction in your own annuity

Missing the two-year deadline means your spouse is not eligible. The clock starts ticking from the date of marriage.

Partial vs Full Survivor Annuities

You have a choice between a full survivor annuity (50% of your unreduced annuity) and a partial annuity (25%). Many retirees choose the partial option to reduce the monthly cost to their own annuity. But that decision has lasting effects.

A partial survivor annuity:

• May not be enough to cover your spouse’s living expenses

• Will disqualify your spouse from continuing FEHB coverage in retirement

• Is irrevocable once you retire, unless you have a qualifying life event

If you waive the survivor benefit entirely, your spouse loses all access to your FEHB plan upon your death. No exceptions are made.

The Link Between Survivor Annuities and FEHB Coverage

FEHB is a major benefit in retirement. However, your spouse can only continue coverage after your death if they are receiving a survivor annuity.

Here’s how it works:

• To keep FEHB, the surviving spouse must be entitled to a monthly survivor benefit.

• If no annuity is elected or the partial annuity is not enough, OPM will terminate FEHB coverage.

This is a key point many retirees miss. Even a long marriage or years of paying into FEHB doesn’t qualify your spouse to continue it after you pass if the survivor benefit wasn’t elected.

Divorce Complications Can Jeopardize Survivor Rights

Survivor benefits don’t follow intentions, they follow elections and court orders. If you were previously married, a divorce decree could:

• Award part or all of your survivor annuity to your former spouse

• Prevent your current spouse from receiving any annuity unless you purchase additional coverage

OPM strictly enforces divorce court orders. If your retirement paperwork doesn’t match the legal requirements of your divorce decree, your current spouse may receive nothing.

Make sure any divorce-related documents are properly submitted to OPM and reviewed before your retirement date.

Social Security Isn’t Always a Backup Plan

Many government retirees assume Social Security will pick up the slack if survivor benefits fall short. But for public sector workers, Social Security has its own limitations, especially if you’re eligible for a pension.

If your spouse also worked in the public sector and didn’t pay into Social Security for most of their career, their Social Security survivor benefits could be reduced or eliminated due to the Government Pension Offset (GPO).

In 2025, the GPO has been repealed under the Social Security Fairness Act. However, if your spouse passed before the repeal or had benefits affected in 2024 or earlier, those adjustments may not apply retroactively in full.

It’s also worth noting:

• Survivor benefits from Social Security depend on age, work credits, and marital status

• If your spouse was under Full Retirement Age and working, earnings limits may apply

Retroactive Survivor Benefits Are Rare and Restricted

Some retirees realize their mistake too late and try to add a survivor benefit after retirement. In limited cases, OPM allows this:

• If you marry after retirement and file the election within two years

• If your spouse waives their court-ordered benefit, and OPM approves the change

But generally, if you retire without making an election, your hands are tied. This is especially true if you opted for a higher annuity by waiving survivor coverage.

The Cost of Survivor Benefits Adds Up Over Time

The reduction to your monthly annuity for a full survivor benefit under FERS is 10%. For a partial survivor benefit, it’s 5%. For CSRS, it can be up to 10%, depending on the amount elected.

That means over a 25-year retirement, you could pay tens of thousands of dollars to maintain survivor coverage. But for most, this is a small price to ensure your spouse has lifelong income and access to health coverage.

When evaluating this cost, consider:

• Your spouse’s income and retirement savings

• Health insurance needs

• Expected longevity

It’s not just a financial decision, it’s a stability decision.

Re-Marriage Rules After the Annuitant’s Death

Even if you’ve done everything correctly, your spouse’s actions after your death can impact their benefits. If a surviving spouse remarries before age 55, they lose their survivor annuity permanently under FERS and CSRS.

If they remarry after age 55, the benefit continues. This rule applies regardless of how long they were married to you or their current income.

FEHB coverage, however, may continue as long as the survivor annuity is still being paid.

Your Retirement Counselor Won’t Always Flag These Issues

Many retiring employees rely solely on HR or retirement counselors during the exit process. But those officials are often handling large caseloads and may not verify the exact survivor benefit consequences of your decisions.

You must:

• Double-check your SF forms for accuracy

• Confirm elections align with your intentions

• Keep copies of all submissions

Once your annuity is finalized, it’s difficult—often impossible—to change.

Take Control of Your Survivor Benefit Decisions

In 2025, public sector retirement systems still place the burden on the retiree to make timely and correct elections. Survivor benefits are one of the few areas where a misstep can have irreversible consequences for your family.

Take time to:

• Review all election options before retirement

• Understand how your choice affects FEHB eligibility

• Coordinate with divorce settlements or remarriage plans

Make the Right Moves to Protect Your Spouse

You’ve earned your retirement benefits—now it’s time to protect them for the ones you love. Survivor benefits are not default protections. They require specific, timely decisions that have lifelong impacts on your spouse’s income and healthcare security.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Get in touch with a licensed professional listed on this website who can walk you through your survivor benefit options, evaluate the cost-effectiveness, and help you avoid lasting mistakes.