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Home→Agencies→Public Pensions→Massachusetts→When someone dies

State Public Pensions in Massachusetts: when someone dies

A 5-step process for Massachusetts State Retirement Board (MSRB) and Massachusetts Teachers' Retirement System (MTRS) after a death in Massachusetts.

OverviewWhen someone dies

Public Pensions

Massachusetts

mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-state-retirement-board→

Administering agency

Massachusetts State Retirement Board (MSRB) and Massachusetts Teachers' Retirement System (MTRS)

Phone617-367-7770
WebsiteVisit website →

Authority

M.G.L. c. 32, s. 12(2) (Option D member-survivor allowance)

Verified Jul 2026

Steps to take

  1. Identify whether the deceased was a member of MSRB (state employee) or MTRS (educator).
  2. Report the death to the retirement board so the member's pension payments stop — MSRB takes a death report by mail, by email to survivorbenefits@tre.state.ma.us, or by phone at 617-367-9333 ext. 851.
  3. Send the death certificate and the required identifying information (full name, Social Security or MSRB ID number, date of death, and a contact name, address, and phone number).
  4. Confirm the beneficiary designation and the retirement allowance option (A, B, or C) on file — or, for a member who died in active service, whether an Option D form was on file.
  5. Note that health, dental, and life insurance are administered separately by the Group Insurance Commission (617-727-2310 ext. 2), which must be notified of the death directly.

Massachusetts State Retirement Board (MSRB) and Massachusetts Teachers' Retirement System (MTRS)

Phone: 617-367-7770

Visit the agency website →

Frequently asked questions

Contact the Massachusetts State Retirement Board for a state employee — call 617-367-9333 ext. 851 or email survivorbenefits@tre.state.ma.us to report the death — or the Massachusetts Teachers' Retirement System for a public educator. The board confirms the beneficiary and the allowance option and handles the survivor claim. Health, dental, and life insurance are handled separately by the Group Insurance Commission.

It depends on the option the retiree elected. Option A pays nothing after death; Option B pays the beneficiary the remaining balance of the member's accumulated deductions; Option C is a joint and last-survivor option that pays the designated beneficiary a lifetime monthly allowance equal to two-thirds of the allowance being paid to the member at the time of death.

Yes. When an active member dies before retirement, the beneficiary may take a lump-sum distribution of the member's accumulated deductions. If the member had filed an Option D form naming that beneficiary before the date of death, the beneficiary may instead take the Option D member-survivor allowance under M.G.L. c. 32 § 12(2) — a lifetime monthly allowance equal to the full Option C allowance the member would have received had they retired on the date of death, provided the member had at least two years of creditable service.

SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·Updated July 14, 2026

Sources

  • mass.gov

Data sourced from State Public Pensions in Massachusetts primary sources (5 pages reviewed). How we research.

Public Pensions

Massachusetts

mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-state-retirement-board→

Administering agency

Massachusetts State Retirement Board (MSRB) and Massachusetts Teachers' Retirement System (MTRS)

Phone617-367-7770
WebsiteVisit website →

Authority

M.G.L. c. 32, s. 12(2) (Option D member-survivor allowance)

Verified Jul 2026
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