State Public Pensions in Indiana
The Indiana Public Retirement System runs the Public Employees' Retirement Fund (PERF) and the Teachers' Retirement Fund (TRF), among other funds. Survivor and death benefits depend on whether the member was active or retired, the plan they were in, and the option they elected.
Administering agency
Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS)
State Public Pensions in Indiana: key facts
- Systems
- Public Employees' Retirement Fund (PERF) and Teachers' Retirement Fund (TRF), plus funds for police and firefighters, judges, prosecuting attorneys, legislators, and excise, gaming, and conservation officers.
- Retiree death
- The continuing benefit depends on the payment option the member elected at retirement.
- Pre-retirement death
- Funds in the defined-contribution account and Rollover Savings Account are disbursed to the beneficiary on file, or to the member's estate if no beneficiary is named. A surviving spouse or dependent children may also be entitled to the member's pension benefit if the member died after June 30, 2018, had at least 10 years of creditable service, and had not applied for retirement; the spouse must have been married to the member for at least two years.
- Reporting a death
- Call 844-464-6777 (8 a.m.-8 p.m.). Anyone can report a death. Send INPRS a copy of the death certificate — in person, by mail, email, or fax — and INPRS begins a 30-day review, then mails eligibility results and the required paperwork to the survivor or representative.
Steps to take when someone dies
- Identify which INPRS fund the deceased belonged to, such as PERF or TRF.
- Notify INPRS of the death at 844-464-6777 as soon as possible.
- Send INPRS a copy of the death certificate identifying the member; INPRS then begins a 30-day review.
- Complete the survivor benefit application and the documentation INPRS mails after the review — this can include birth certificates for the member and each survivor, a marriage certificate or court decree for a surviving spouse, and direct-deposit information.
Frequently asked questions
Contact the Indiana Public Retirement System at 844-464-6777 and send a copy of the death certificate. INPRS runs the Public Employees' Retirement Fund and the Teachers' Retirement Fund and handles survivor and death-benefit claims. Anyone can report a death, but INPRS will only discuss death benefits with a limited set of people.
The benefit that continues depends on the payment option the retiree elected at retirement. A surviving beneficiary may receive a continuing monthly benefit, the remaining payments under a period-certain option, or a lump sum.
Funds in the member's defined-contribution account are paid to the named beneficiary, or to the estate if no beneficiary is named. A surviving spouse or dependent children may also be entitled to the member's pension benefit if the member died after June 30, 2018, had at least 10 years of creditable service, and had not applied for retirement. A surviving spouse must have been married to the member for at least two years.
Sources
Data sourced from State Public Pensions in Indiana primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS)