State Public Pensions in South Dakota
The South Dakota Retirement System covers state, county, municipal, school, and other participating public employees. Survivor and death benefits depend on whether the member was retired or still active, on whether the member is a Foundation member (joined before July 1, 2017) or a Generational member (joined on or after that date), and — for Generational members — on the benefit option the member elected at retirement.
Administering agency
South Dakota Retirement System (SDRS)
State Public Pensions in South Dakota: key facts
- System
- South Dakota Retirement System (SDRS), covering participating state and local government and school employees. Members who joined before July 1, 2017 are Foundation members; those who joined on or after that date are Generational members, and the two groups have different death benefits.
- Retiree death — Foundation member
- For a member who joined before July 1, 2017, an eligible surviving spouse automatically receives a lifetime benefit equal to 60 percent of the benefit being paid to the member at the time of death, with annual cost-of-living adjustments.
- Retiree death — Generational member
- For a member who joined on or after July 1, 2017, the normal retirement benefit is a single-life benefit. Payments stop at death unless the member elected a 60 percent or 100 percent Joint & Survivor benefit at retirement, in which case that percentage of the benefit continues for the surviving spouse's lifetime with annual cost-of-living adjustments.
- Spouse eligibility
- The spouse must have been married to the member before the member's retirement date, be married to the member at the time of death, and have been married to the member for at least 12 months before the death. A Generational member must also have elected a Joint & Survivor option at retirement.
- No eligible spouse or children
- SDRS pays a lump-sum refund of the member's account to the designated beneficiaries on file. Payments on behalf of a minor child must go to the child's custodian or conservator — SDRS cannot pay a minor directly, and a surviving parent is not a custodian by default.
- Remaining contributions
- If the member (and the spouse, where a spouse benefit applies) dies before the member's accumulated contributions have been paid out, the named beneficiary or the estate receives any remaining balance.
- Death while still employed
- If the member dies while actively participating, a family benefit is payable for eligible dependent children under age 19. A surviving spouse benefit then becomes payable when the spouse reaches age 65 for a Foundation member (age 67 for a Generational member), and the spouse may elect to start it as early as age 55 (age 57 for a Generational member) at a reduced rate.
Steps to take when someone dies
- Confirm the deceased was an SDRS member, whether they were retired or still actively employed, and whether they were a Foundation member (joined before July 1, 2017) or a Generational member.
- Report the death to SDRS at 605-773-3731 (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Central Time) so the member's pension payments stop, and give SDRS what its published survivor instructions ask for:
- The member's full name and date of birth
- The date of death
- A copy of the death certificate — required before any benefit can be paid
- Contact information for the surviving spouse or designated beneficiary
- For a Generational retiree, confirm which benefit option the member elected at retirement — single-life, 60 percent Joint & Survivor, or 100 percent Joint & Survivor — since that election determines whether a spouse benefit is payable at all.
- Confirm the beneficiary designation on file and ask SDRS what surviving spouse, family, or remaining-contribution benefit is payable. If there is no eligible spouse and no eligible dependent children, SDRS pays a lump-sum refund of the account to the designated beneficiaries.
- File the survivor or death-benefit claim with SDRS. Where a minor child is entitled to a family benefit, SDRS pays the child's custodian or conservator — not the surviving parent by default — so the custodian designation has to be in place.
Frequently asked questions
Contact the South Dakota Retirement System at 605-773-3731. SDRS covers participating state and local government and school employees and handles survivor and death-benefit claims.
It depends on when the member joined SDRS. If the member joined before July 1, 2017 (a Foundation member), an eligible surviving spouse automatically receives a lifetime benefit equal to 60 percent of the benefit being paid to the member at the time of death, with annual cost-of-living adjustments. If the member joined on or after July 1, 2017 (a Generational member), the retirement benefit is a single-life benefit and stops at death unless the member elected a 60 percent or 100 percent Joint & Survivor benefit at retirement. In both cases the spouse must have been married to the member before the retirement date, be married to the member at the time of death, and have been married to the member for at least 12 months before the death.
SDRS asks the family or representative to contact it as soon as possible with the member's full name and date of birth, the date of death, a copy of the death certificate — which is required before any benefit can be paid — and contact information for the surviving spouse or designated beneficiary. The SDRS office line is 605-773-3731, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time.
If the member (and the spouse, where a spouse benefit applies) dies before the member's accumulated contributions have been paid out, the named beneficiary or beneficiaries — or the estate — receive any remaining balance.
Sources
Data sourced from State Public Pensions in South Dakota primary sources (8 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
South Dakota Retirement System (SDRS)