State Public Pensions in Arkansas

Death before retirement

If an APERS member with at least five years of active service dies before retirement, a survivor annuity may be payable to a spouse married to the member for at least six months before the death, or to dependent children through death, marriage, or age 23.¹

If the APERS member leaves no spouse or child, the survivor annuity may be payable to parents who depended on the member for at least 50% of their support.¹

ATRS pays a lump-sum death benefit of up to $10,000 when an active member or T-DROP participant with at least ten years of actual service credit dies. It is a legislatively created benefit, not a life insurance policy.²

Under Ark. Code Ann. 24-7-710, an ATRS active member with at least five years of actual credited service leaves survivor benefits to a spouse married to the member for at least one year before the death, unless the member named an alternate beneficiary.³

An ATRS surviving spouse is immediately eligible only if the member had reached age 60, had 28 or more years of actual and reciprocal service credit, or had 25 to 27.75 years qualifying for a reduced early retirement benefit.^{3, 4}

In all other cases ATRS survivor benefits are deferred and begin the month after the member would have turned 60.⁴

Who receives the benefit

If no one qualifies for an APERS survivor annuity, APERS refunds the member's employee contributions to the named beneficiary, or to the member's estate if no beneficiary was named.¹

Death after retirement

The ATRS lump-sum death benefit is also payable when a retiree with at least ten years of actual service credit dies.²

The ATRS lump-sum death benefit is $10,000 for ten or more years of contributory service, $6,667 for ten or more years of only noncontributory service, and prorated for mixed service with fewer than ten contributory years.²

Filing window

An immediately eligible ATRS spouse's benefits start the month after the death if ATRS receives the survivor application by the end of the sixth full calendar month after the death, and otherwise the month the application is filed.^{3, 4}

Governing law: Ark. Code Ann. 24-7-710 (ATRS survivor benefits)

ATRS survivor application from an immediately eligible surviving spouse

by the end of the sixth full calendar month after the date of the active member's death; monthly benefits begin the month the application is filed instead of the month after the death^{3, 4}

Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System (APERS)

State and local government workers⁵

Phone: 1-501-682-7800

Toll-free: 1-800-682-7377

Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS)

Public educators³

Phone: 1-501-682-1517

1. 1.Death Benefits (Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System)
2. 2.Lump-Sum Death Benefits (Arkansas Teacher Retirement System)
3. 3.Survivors (Arkansas Teacher Retirement System)
4. 4.Ark. Code Ann. 24-7-710 (2025 Arkansas Code)
5. 5.Contact Us (Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System)