State Public Pensions in North Dakota

NDPERS states that a telephone call initiates the appropriate process when a member dies.¹

TFFR asks to be notified promptly of a member's death.²

Under the NDPERS defined benefit plan, a non-vested member's account balance is paid to the beneficiary in a lump sum.³

A vested NDPERS defined benefit member's surviving spouse named as primary beneficiary may take a lump sum, monthly payments of one-half the Single Life Retirement Benefit for life, or the accrued 100% joint-and-survivor benefit if the member had reached normal retirement date.³

Under the NDPERS defined contribution plan, the beneficiary receives the vested account balance.⁴

Under TFFR, a non-vested member (Tier 1 with under 3 years of service credit, Tier 2 with under 5) leaves a refund of account value.⁵

A vested TFFR member's beneficiary may take a refund or, if only one beneficiary is named, a monthly annuity for life.⁵

The continuing benefit depends on the payment option the member elected. Under TFFR, a joint-and-survivor option continues 100% or 50% of the monthly annuity to the beneficiary for life.⁵

A TFFR 10- or 20-year term-certain option pays the remainder of the 120 or 240 monthly payments, while a single-life annuity leaves only the balance of account value, if any.⁵

If an NDPERS defined benefit member dies with no beneficiary on record, the member account balance is paid to the estate.³

Under the NDPERS defined contribution plan, if no beneficiary is designated, the account is paid to the estate.⁴

Under TFFR, if no beneficiary is designated, any death benefit is paid to the surviving spouse or, if none, to the estate.⁵

A TFFR benefit that falls into the estate becomes an asset the personal representative collects, and the estate may take only the refund of account value, never a monthly annuity.⁵

State and local government employees: the defined benefit (Main) plan if hired before January 1, 2025, the defined contribution plan after^{6, 3}

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