What to do when a CalPERS account holder dies
Report the death to CalPERS's Survivor Benefits at 1-888-225-7377
What happens to CalPERS pension benefits after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with CalPERS's Survivor Benefits (1-888-225-7377) to claim the funds.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with CalPERS:
Filing a claim
- Online: submit a Death Notification
- Phone: 888 CalPERS (888-225-7377), TTY 916-795-3240
- Fax: 916-795-3933
- Mail: CalPERS Disability & Survivor Benefits Division, Survivor Benefits, P.O. Box 942715, Sacramento, CA 94229-2715
- In person at CalPERS headquarters (400 Q Street, Sacramento) or one of the eight Regional Offices
- In some cases the member's employer reports the death directly to CalPERS
- Date of death
- Name and Social Security number or CalPERS ID of the deceased
- Name, address, telephone number, date of birth, date of marriage, and Social Security number of the surviving spouse or registered domestic partner
- Name, address, and telephone number of the closest next of kin or the person designated to settle the estate, if there is no spouse
- Name, address, and telephone number of the person giving notice
- Page 1: your name, Social Security or tax ID, date of birth, contact details, relationship to the deceased, signature
- Section 1 (page 2): spouse or registered domestic partner details, or details of prior marriages and partnerships if there were none at death
- Section 2 (pages 3-6): each child, including a disabled child or a stepchild under 22 living with the deceased, and the custodian or guardian of any child under 18 or disabled
- Section 3 (page 7): whether the estate requires probate, whether there is a will, executor or administrator details, probate attorney details, and trustee details if there is a trust
- Section 4 (page 8): whether either parent was financially dependent on the deceased
- Section 5 (pages 9-10): siblings
Required Documents
- Copy of the death certificate, for active, inactive and retired membersIt must show the cause or manner of death.
- Completed CalPERS Application for Survivor Benefits
- Marriage certificate, or proof that a marriage ended in divorce or death
- Domestic partnership registration certificate, or proof that the partnership endedProof that the registered domestic partnership ended in termination or death.
- Birth certificate of the survivor, for a survivor who is entitled to a monthly allowanceIf it cannot be obtained, CalPERS may accept a passport, driver's license, baptismal record or school record, or a written explanation with a sworn statement under penalty of perjury.
- Copies of the children's birth certificates, if children are to be paidMay not be required for a retired member.
- Letters of administration or letters testamentary, if the probated estate is to be paid
- CalPERS Certification of Trust form, if a trust is to be paid
- Employer Identification Number of the trust or estate, if a trust or probated estate is to be paidCalPERS cannot pay a trust or probated estate without one.
Forms CalPERS issues1
- CalPERS Application for Survivor Benefits
Sent by the institution on request.1
What happens to each kind of account2
- Pension
CalPERS pays a continuing monthly allowance, a lump-sum death benefit, or both, depending on whether the member died before or after retirement, the payment option elected, the former employer's contract and survivor eligibility under law. What is payable is known only after CalPERS has reviewed all the documents.1
If no valid beneficiary designation is in effect, CalPERS pays in this order: spouse or registered domestic partner, children, parents, brothers and sisters, the probated estate, a trust if one exists, stepchildren, grandchildren including step-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, great-grandchildren, then cousins.1
- Health, long-term care or disability policy
Health benefits are canceled automatically when the member dies. A survivor can re-enroll only if they were eligible for a CalPERS health plan before the death and will receive a continuing monthly death benefit; otherwise they may qualify for COBRA.1
What CalPERS's agreement and guidance say3
- Deposits after the death
Warrants are not payable after the payee dies. Return any warrant issued to the retiree or survivor after the date of death; if it was deposited electronically, CalPERS asks the financial institution to reimburse it unless CalPERS tells the spouse to keep it.1
- What it says about taxes
CalPERS says the taxable portion of the Basic Death Benefit, Retired Death Benefit, Option 1 balance and Temporary Annuity balance has a mandatory 20 percent federal withholding rate, avoidable by a rollover: a spouse to a traditional IRA, a non-spouse beneficiary to an inherited IRA.1
CalPERS says Group Term Life Insurance is tax-free and is not reported to tax authorities.1
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
A benefit believed never claimed can be searched in the CalPERS unclaimed property database, which covers member refunds, retirement benefits and survivor benefits.2
CalPERS's Survivor Benefits can be reached by phone at 1-888-225-7377 and fax at 1-916-795-3933 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from CalPERS primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
CalPERS death claims support
Survivor Benefits (CalPERS Disability & Survivor Benefits Division)
Phone
Completed application fax
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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