State Public Pensions in Connecticut
The Office of the State Comptroller administers the State Employees Retirement System (SERS) for state government workers; the Connecticut Teachers' Retirement Board (CTRB) runs the separate retirement system for public school teachers. Survivor and death benefits depend on whether the member was active or retired and the payment option they elected.
Administering agency
Connecticut State Employees Retirement System (SERS) — Office of the State Comptroller
State Public Pensions in Connecticut: key facts
- Systems
- State Employees Retirement System (SERS), administered by the Office of the State Comptroller; Connecticut Teachers' Retirement Board (CTRB) for public school teachers.
- Retiree death (SERS)
- What continues depends on the survivor option the member elected at retirement: a designated survivor receives a pension equal to either 50% or 100% of the member's reduced benefit. A member who took no survivor option leaves no continuing pension.
- Teacher survivor benefit (CTRB)
- If a teacher dies in active service, CTRB pays statutory survivors — a spouse and/or a minor child under 18: $300 monthly per minor or disabled child, and $300–$600 monthly to a surviving spouse ($300 plus $25 for each year of service over twelve), with a $1,500 monthly family maximum, plus a one-time lump-sum death payment of up to $2,000 depending on length of service.
- Reporting a death
- SERS: Office of the State Comptroller Retirement Payroll Unit, 860-702-3528 (Osc.Retireepayrollunit@ct.gov), or the online Report a Death form. CTRB: 1-800-504-1102 (165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford) — mail the Reporting the Death of a CTRB Member form with a photocopy of the death certificate.
- Final SERS payment
- A retiree's eligibility ends on the day of death. A prorated portion of the month-of-death payment is due back to the state if it was already issued, or due to the retiree's estate if it was not. The final payment is made payable to the estate of the retiree, issued on the last business day of the month after the completed paperwork is returned — a survivor with no executor files an Affidavit in lieu of Administration (Probate Court form PC-212) to obtain a transfer decree before a bank will cash it.
Steps to take when someone dies
- Identify whether the deceased was a member of SERS (state employee) or CTRB (public school teacher).
- Report the death — to the Office of the State Comptroller Retirement Payroll Unit for SERS (860-702-3528, or the online Report a Death form), or to the Connecticut Teachers' Retirement Board for CTRB — so pension payments stop.
- Provide the death certificate: the SERS Retirement Payroll Unit requests a copy from the executor or representative after the death is reported, and CTRB requires a photocopy mailed with its Reporting the Death of a CTRB Member form.
- Confirm the survivor option and beneficiary designation on file, and ask the system what survivor or death benefit is payable.
Connecticut State Employees Retirement System (SERS) — Office of the State Comptroller
Phone: 860-702-3528
Visit the agency website →Frequently asked questions
For a state employee or state retiree, contact the Office of the State Comptroller, which administers the State Employees Retirement System; the Retirement Payroll Unit is reachable at 860-702-3528 or Osc.Retireepayrollunit@ct.gov, and a death can also be reported through the Comptroller's online Report a Death form. For a public school teacher, contact the Connecticut Teachers' Retirement Board at 1-800-504-1102 and mail its death-notification form with a photocopy of the death certificate.
It depends on the survivor option the retiree elected at retirement. If a survivor option was elected, the designated survivor receives a pension equal to either 50% or 100% of the retiree's reduced benefit, for the survivor's lifetime. If no survivor option was elected, payments stop at the retiree's death.
Yes. If a teacher dies in active service, CTRB pays monthly benefits to statutory survivors — a spouse and/or a minor child under 18: $300 per month for each minor or disabled child, and $300 to $600 per month to a surviving spouse, up to a $1,500 monthly family maximum. A one-time lump-sum death payment of up to $2,000, depending on length of service, is paid to the surviving spouse, or if there is none, to the person who paid the funeral expenses. If the teacher had met the age and service requirements for retirement, a surviving spouse who is the designated beneficiary may instead choose a monthly Plan D 100% co-participant benefit or a lump-sum refund of the account balances.
Sources
Data sourced from State Public Pensions in Connecticut primary sources (6 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
Connecticut State Employees Retirement System (SERS) — Office of the State Comptroller