Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
Survivor annuities from PBGC-protected private pension plans
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation protects the retirement incomes of workers in private-sector defined benefit pension plans. When a PBGC benefit recipient dies, PBGC processes survivor annuity payments, preretirement survivor benefits for spouses, and any unpaid amounts owed to the deceased participant. Whether a survivor annuity is payable at all turns on the form of annuity the participant elected before payments began.
Notifying the PBGC when someone dies
A family member reports the death. PBGC's page on what to do after a death →
- •Call 1-800-400-7242 (TTY 711), weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET.
- •Email CustomerService@pbgc.gov, with attachments as JPEG or PDF and no Social Security number in the subject or body.
- •Write to PBGC, PO Box 151750, Alexandria, VA 22315-1750.
- •Have the participant's full name, Social Security number and date of death, and the caller's relationship to the participant.
- •Online through MyPBA (My Pension Benefit Access), using Login.gov
- •By phone at 1-800-400-7242: ask for Form 705, or Form 706 for a benefit in an optional form
- •Have the participant's Social Security number, plan name and case number, and the applicant's own Social Security number
- •Give bank details for direct deposit on PBGC Form 710
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate: Required in every case. It can be mailed or emailed.
- The deceased's full name and Social Security number or PBGC customer ID
- The date of death and the reporter's details: Your name, contact information and relationship to the participant.
- Proof of appointment as executor or estate administrator: if acting for the estate
- The information form PBGC mails to the estate: if benefits are due. It asks for basic information about the deceased person and the estate's preferred form of payment.
- Any proof documents PBGC asks for: to complete a benefit application. For example, a birth certificate.
- Bank account information: For direct deposit of survivor benefits, on PBGC Form 710.
Timeline
Benefit payments generally begin about three months after a person first contacts PBGC about a pension benefit.
What PBGC pays or provides to survivors4
- Survivor Annuity (Joint-and-Survivor)
Monthly survivor benefit or annuity
If the participant elected a joint-and-survivor annuity at retirement, the named beneficiary receives continued monthly payments for life. A joint-and-50% "pop-up" option restores the participant's benefit to the straight-life amount if the beneficiary dies first.1
Who qualifies: The beneficiary named by the participant at the time of the benefit application, where the elected form was a joint-and-survivor or joint-and-50% "pop-up" annuity.
Amount: 50%, 75% or 100% of the participant's reduced monthly benefit, depending on the election.
How to apply: Apply through MyPBA (My Pension Benefit Access), or call PBGC to request a beneficiary application for pension benefits (PBGC Form 705). Form 705.
- Certain-and-Continuous Annuity Survivor Benefit
Monthly survivor benefit or annuity
If the participant elected a certain-and-continuous annuity (5, 10 or 15 years) and dies within that period from the annuity starting date, the designated beneficiary receives the same monthly benefit for the rest of it. If the participant dies after the period ends, no survivor benefit is payable.2
Who qualifies: The designated beneficiary of a participant who elected a certain-and-continuous annuity and died before the end of the certain period. The beneficiary may be a person, estate, trust, church or other organization.
Amount: The same monthly benefit the participant received, for the remainder of the certain period.
How to apply: Apply through MyPBA or by calling PBGC.
- Preretirement Survivor Benefit (QPSA)
Monthly survivor benefit or annuity
A monthly pension paid for the rest of the surviving spouse's life when a vested participant died before retirement payments began. It is the QPSA the spouse would receive from the plan absent an election, typically a portion of the participant's accrued benefit.3, 4
Who qualifies: The surviving spouse of a vested, married participant who died before payments began, where the plan's termination date was on or after August 23, 1984. Some plans require at least one year of marriage before death.
Amount: Monthly lifetime payments under the plan's QPSA rules. Even if the plan had no QPSA, PBGC provides a minimum guaranteed QPSA required by law at no cost.
How to apply: Report the death to PBGC; PBGC reviews the file and contacts eligible survivors.
- Unpaid Amounts Owed at Death
Amounts due the person at death
Amounts PBGC owed the participant at death, such as uncashed checks or underpayments plus interest, are paid to the person receiving survivor benefits if the annuity continues, otherwise to the designated beneficiary. Being named for money owed at death does not create a right to a survivor benefit.5, 6, 7
Who qualifies: The designated beneficiary or, if none is named, in this order: spouse, children, parents, estate, next of kin.
Amount: Amounts underpaid, plus interest. Annuity payments payable to an estate are paid as a discounted lump sum.
How to apply: PBGC processes it after the death is reported and documentation is received. A payee currently receiving benefits names this beneficiary on Form 707; someone not yet receiving benefits uses Form 708. Form 707.
What happens to each matter1
- Pension or annuity
PBGC does not pay a survivor benefit automatically. Whether one is payable depends on the annuity form the participant elected when applying for payments; under a straight-life annuity, payments stop at death and no survivor annuity is payable.1
PBGC cannot change the form of benefit a participant elected once payments have begun, even if the plan was trusteed later, and a joint-and-survivor beneficiary cannot be changed after the first payment.1
A certain-and-continuous beneficiary can be changed at any time on PBGC Form 711; if the participant was married when benefits began, that spouse must give written, notarized consent. The beneficiary for money owed at death, on Form 707 or 708, can always be changed.8
The amount and start date of a preretirement survivor annuity follow the plan's rules. Its required beginning date is December 1 after the participant would have reached mandatory retirement age.3
Signs of a PBGC-trusteed pension: bank statements showing a direct deposit from PBGC, an IRS Form 1099-R issued by PBGC, PBGC's searchable list of trusteed plans (by plan name), correspondence from PBGC or the former employer, and relatives, former co-workers or union personnel.9
What PBGC's rules say8
- Who reports the death
Anyone with knowledge of the death may report it: a spouse or family member, a caregiver or close friend, or a legal representative such as an executor, trustee or attorney. PBGC accepts a death report by email, mail or phone.9
- Payments received after the death
Notify PBGC as soon as possible. Benefit payments issued for periods after the date of death are to be stopped and returned.9
- Overpayment recovery
Benefits paid after the date of death are recovered. A net overpayment is recouped from whoever receives survivor benefits under the annuity; if no future annuity payments were due as of the plan's termination date, PBGC may seek repayment from the participant's estate.6
- Proof of death accepted
A certified copy of the death certificate is required and can be mailed or emailed. Email attachments must be JPEG or PDF, with no Social Security number in the subject or body.9
- Processing and payment
After a death is reported and documentation is received, PBGC reviews the participant's file to determine whether any survivor benefits are due and contacts the people eligible to receive them.9
If the total value of a surviving spouse's QPSA payments is $5,000 or less ($7,000 or less for plans ending after January 1, 2024), PBGC may pay it as a lump sum, and the spouse may choose monthly payments instead.3
If the participant died before payments began and the participant's own benefit had a lump-sum value at or below that threshold, the lump sum is paid to the designated beneficiary and no QPSA is payable.3
- Order of beneficiaries or payees
A former spouse can receive PBGC survivor benefits if a Qualified Domestic Relations Order awarding the survivor benefit was submitted to PBGC and qualified by PBGC. Without a valid QDRO, PBGC pays only the participant or, after death, a beneficiary, whatever the divorce decree says.1
A former spouse who was married to the participant when payments began and did not waive the survivor benefit remains the survivor beneficiary even without a QDRO, and PBGC cannot transfer that benefit to a later spouse.1
- Coverage limits
The single-employer guarantee is capped by a maximum monthly guarantee set by a formula in federal law tied to the Social Security index. For plans that fail in 2026 it is $7,789.77 a month at 65 as a straight-life annuity, or $7,010.79 as a joint-and-50% survivor annuity with same-age spouses.10
The maximum is lower before 65 ($5,063.35 a month at 60, straight-life), higher at later ages, and generally lower for forms paying a larger survivor share. The table for the year the plan ended applies, or the year of the employer's bankruptcy; most benefits fall below it.10
Multiemployer plans use a different guarantee: 100% of the first $11 of the monthly benefit rate plus 75% of the next $33, times years of credited service. That is at most $35.75 a month per year of service, about $12,870 a year with 30 years of service.11
The multiemployer guarantee is not adjusted for inflation, and a benefit or benefit increase is not guaranteed until it has been in the plan for 60 full months.11
- What the agency does and does not handle
PBGC insures defined benefit pension plans, not defined contribution plans such as 401(k), 403(b), ESOP or profit-sharing plans.1
Forms PBGC issues6
- 705: Beneficiary Application for Pension Benefits
A surviving beneficiary files it to start PBGC survivor payments. It is requested from the Customer Contact Center; survivors can also apply through MyPBA.8
Completed by the surviving beneficiary. Sent by the agency on request.
- 706: Beneficiary application for a benefit in an optional form
Used in place of Form 705 for a benefit in an optional form; requested from the Customer Contact Center.8
Sent by the agency on request.
- 707: Designation of Beneficiary for Benefits Owed at Death (Currently Receiving Pension Benefits)
Names or changes the beneficiary for amounts PBGC owes a payee at death, such as uncashed checks or underpayments. It cannot change a joint-and-survivor survivor beneficiary or a certain-and-continuous beneficiary.8
Completed by a payee currently receiving pension payments. Available to download.
- 708: Designation of Beneficiary (Not Currently Receiving Pension Benefits)
Names the beneficiary for amounts owed at death for someone entitled to a future PBGC benefit who is not yet in pay status.8
Completed by someone not yet receiving payments. Available to download.
- 711: Change of Beneficiary for Certain & Continuous (C&C) Benefits Only
Changes the beneficiary of a certain-and-continuous annuity. If the participant was married when benefits began, that spouse must consent.8
Available to download.
- 710: Application for Electronic Direct Deposit
Sets up direct deposit of PBGC benefit payments for a survivor or beneficiary.8
Completed by the survivor or beneficiary. Available to download.
Other agencies and offices involved1
- Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration
Questions about defined contribution plans such as 401(k), 403(b), ESOP and profit-sharing plans1
Programs for survivors1
- Missing Participants Program
PBGC holds unclaimed retirement benefits transferred to it when a plan ended and the employer had lost track of the participant. Search its database by last name and the last four digits of the Social Security number; it is updated quarterly.12
Who qualifies: Benefits from terminating defined benefit plans, and accounts a terminating defined contribution plan voluntarily transferred to PBGC
Sources12
- 1.Survivor benefits information, Nov 13, 2025
- 2.Benefit options, Oct 1, 2025
- 3.Survivor benefits for spouses, Nov 13, 2025
- 4.29 CFR 4022.8
- 5.Name your beneficiary
- 6.29 CFR 4022.81
- 7.29 CFR 4022.7(b)(1)
- 8.Forms
- 9.Report a death, last updated Sept 5, 2025
- 10.Maximum monthly guarantee, 2026 table
- 11.Multiemployer plans
- 12.Search for unclaimed retirement benefits
Sources
Data sourced from Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation primary sources (12 pages reviewed). How we research.
PBGC death reporting
Death Reporting
Phone
TTY
Hours
Mailing address
Website