New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benefits (NJDPB)
New Jersey · Public Pensions
nj.gov/treasury/pensionsState Public Pensions in New Jersey
The New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benefits administers the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF), among other state-administered systems. Survivor and death benefits depend on whether the member was active or retired and the retirement option the member elected.
Steps to take when someone dies
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate: before NJDPB pays the benefit
- All completed claim forms: before NJDPB pays the benefit. NJDPB sends the named beneficiary a letter and the necessary claim forms after it reviews the member's account.
- Uncashed pension checks: if any were sent to a deceased retiree. They are reissued to the beneficiaries or the estate.
State Public Pensions in New Jersey: key facts
What New Jersey says7
- Reporting a death
Fact Sheet #10 asks the family to notify the Division of Pensions & Benefits with the deceased's full name, Social Security or pension membership or retirement number, date of death, and the name, mailing address, and telephone number of the person handling the estate.1
- Documents to claim
Payment depends on the Division receiving a certified death certificate, all completed claim forms, and any uncashed pension checks sent to a deceased retiree.1
- Payments after the date of death
Uncashed pension checks sent to a deceased retiree are returned to the Division and reissued to the beneficiaries or the estate.1
- Death before retirement
When an active PERS or TPAF member dies, the beneficiary receives the group life insurance plus a return of the contributions the member made to the retirement system.1
In PFRS, SPRS, and JRS, and for a spouse or partner of an active member of the Workers' Compensation Judges Part of PERS, a survivor's pension is instead payable to a surviving spouse, civil union partner, or same-sex domestic partner.1
- Health coverage and life insurance
Fact Sheet #10 says most members of a New Jersey state-administered retirement system are covered by group life insurance.1
Group life insurance is in effect for a retiree only if the member had coverage while an active member and retired with at least 10 years of pension membership credit or on a Disability Retirement.2
- Death after retirement
The continuing benefit depends on which of the nine payment options was elected at retirement. The Maximum Option pays survivors no pension allowance, but if the retiree died before receiving monthly benefits equal to the contributions paid in (with interest), the balance goes to the named beneficiary.2
Option 1 pays a beneficiary any balance left in the retirement reserve. Options A through D and Options 2 through 4 pay the named beneficiary a lifetime monthly pension.2
- Who receives the benefit
Options A, B, C, and D pay the named beneficiary 100, 75, 50, or 25 percent of the retiree's monthly allowance for life, and the retiree's own allowance would have increased to the Maximum had the beneficiary died first.2
Options 2, 3, and 4 pay the named beneficiary 100 percent, 50 percent, or an amount the retiree chose, for life, with the retiree's reduction permanent.2
Forms New Jersey uses1
- P-29: Certification of Service and Final Salary, Death Claim
Filed by the employer when an active member dies, before any benefit is calculated; it reports the member's recent salary and employment status.1
Retirement systems2
- Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS)
- Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF)
Sources3
- 1.Fact Sheet #10, January 2024
- 2.Fact Sheet #5, Retirement - PERS and TPAF Pension Options, August 2025
- 3.New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benefits
New Jersey public pension benefits
New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benefits (NJDPB)
Phone
Website
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