What to do when a NYSLRS account holder dies
Contact NYSLRS — 5-step process, 4 required documents, and a death can be reported immediately online or by phone. benefits are not paid until nyslrs receives an original certified death certificate and the completed claim forms.
NYSLRS Contact Center
Phone1-866-805-0990
Mailing Address
NYSLRS, 110 State Street, Albany, NY 12244-0001
Albany, NY area
WebsiteLearn more→
NYSLRS Contact Center
Phone1-866-805-0990
Mailing Address
NYSLRS, 110 State Street, Albany, NY 12244-0001
Albany, NY area
WebsiteLearn more→
NYSLRS Survivor Services
Phone1-866-805-0990
Mailing Address
NYSLRS, Attn: Survivor Services, 110 State Street, Albany, NY 12244
Report a death (press 3 then 1)
Albany, NY area
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
When a NYSLRS account holder passes away, the next step depends on how the pension benefits were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with NYSLRS's NYSLRS Survivor Services (1-866-805-0990) to access and distribute the funds.
NYSLRS offers an online claims portal that makes the initial filing process more straightforward. Survivors can also initiate claims by phone or by mailing documentation directly.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at NYSLRS:
Filing a claim
1
Report the death to NYSLRS as soon as possible using the online death report form, or by calling 1-866-805-0990 and pressing 3 then 1
2
Have the member’s account information ready when reporting:
- NYSLRS ID and retirement or registration number, or the member’s Social Security number if the account numbers are not available
- Date of death
- A phone number where NYSLRS can reach the person reporting
3
Submit a certified death certificate; a photocopy may be uploaded through the online death report form so NYSLRS can begin identifying benefits, but an original certified death certificate is required before any benefit is paid
4
NYSLRS reviews the account, identifies the death benefits payable, and sends the appropriate claim forms to the beneficiary or survivor
5
The beneficiary completes and returns the claim forms to receive the ordinary, accidental, or post-retirement death benefit, or to begin a continuing pension under a Joint Allowance or Certain option
Required Documents
- Original certified death certificate (required before any benefit is paid)
- Member’s NYSLRS ID and retirement or registration number, or Social Security number
- Date of death
- Completed NYSLRS claim forms provided by Survivor Services
What to know at this institution
Report a death by online form or by calling 1-866-805-0990 (press 3 then 1); in the Albany, New York area call 518-474-7736. Survivor claim forms and the original certified death certificate are mailed to NYSLRS, Attn: Survivor Services, 110 State Street, Albany, NY 12244.
Prepare your letter of instruction to NYSLRS
NYSLRS asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist NYSLRS requires.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at NYSLRS: A death can be reported immediately online or by phone. Benefits are not paid until NYSLRS receives an original certified death certificate and the completed claim forms. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
NYSLRS requires Original certified death certificate (required before any benefit is paid), Member’s NYSLRS ID and retirement or registration number, or Social Security number, Date of death, and Completed NYSLRS claim forms provided by Survivor Services to process a death claim. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Report the death to NYSLRS as soon as possible using the online death report form, or by calling 1-866-805-0990 and pressing 3 then 1 (in the Albany area, call 518-474-7736). Have the member’s NYSLRS ID and retirement or registration number ready, or their Social Security number if the account numbers are not available, along with the date of death. A photocopy of the death certificate can be uploaded through the online form so NYSLRS can begin identifying benefits, but an original certified death certificate is required before any benefit is paid.
The ordinary death benefit is a one-time lump sum paid to a member’s designated beneficiary if the member has at least one year of service credit and dies in active service from a cause other than an on-the-job accident. The amount varies by system and tier; for ERS Tier 3 and 4 members it equals the member’s earnings multiplied by years of service, capped at three years of earnings. Up to $50,000 is paid as group term life insurance, which is exempt from federal income tax.
The accidental death benefit applies when a member’s death results from an on-the-job accident. It is a pension, typically equal to 50 percent of final average earnings (or last year’s earnings) reduced by any Workers’ Compensation benefits, payable to the surviving spouse or, if there is no spouse, to other beneficiaries specified by law. Unlike the ordinary death benefit, it is set by statute and is not directed by the member’s beneficiary designation.
If a retiree was covered by an ordinary death benefit while working, a lump sum is paid to their designated beneficiary at death. It equals 50 percent of the ordinary death benefit during the first year of retirement, 25 percent during the second year, and 10 percent of the benefit that would have been payable at retirement thereafter.
It depends on the pension payment option the member elected at retirement. A Single Life Allowance pays the maximum monthly amount but stops at death with no continuing payment. A Joint Allowance provides a reduced monthly pension that continues to one designated beneficiary for their lifetime. Five-Year or Ten-Year Certain options continue payments to a beneficiary for the remainder of the guarantee period if the member dies within it.
A member may name a person, a trust, or an organization as the beneficiary of the ordinary death benefit. The accidental death benefit, by contrast, is a statutory pension payable to the surviving spouse or other beneficiaries specified by law, so it is not directed to a trust.
NYSLRS requires an original, certified death certificate before any death benefit can be paid. A photocopy can be uploaded through the online death report form so NYSLRS can begin reviewing the account, and NYSLRS then sends the appropriate claim forms to the beneficiary. Survivor claim forms and the certified death certificate are mailed to NYSLRS, Attn: Survivor Services, 110 State Street, Albany, NY 12244.
NYSLRS death benefits are paid to the beneficiary the member designated with NYSLRS, separate from the instructions in a will. Keeping the NYSLRS designation current through Retirement Online determines who receives the ordinary and post-retirement death benefits.
NYSLRS's NYSLRS Survivor Services can be reached by phone at 1-866-805-0990 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple NYSLRS pension benefits, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The NYSLRS Survivor Services can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from NYSLRS primary sources (5 pages reviewed). How we research.
NYSLRS Contact Center
Phone1-866-805-0990
Mailing Address
NYSLRS, 110 State Street, Albany, NY 12244-0001
Albany, NY area
WebsiteLearn more→
NYSLRS Contact Center
Phone1-866-805-0990
Mailing Address
NYSLRS, 110 State Street, Albany, NY 12244-0001
Albany, NY area
WebsiteLearn more→
NYSLRS Survivor Services
Phone1-866-805-0990
Mailing Address
NYSLRS, Attn: Survivor Services, 110 State Street, Albany, NY 12244
Report a death (press 3 then 1)
Albany, NY area
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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