How Do I Write a Letter of Instruction to TRS of Texas?

Send it to TRS of Texas's estate/claims department: Teacher Retirement System of Texas, P.O. Box 149676, Austin, TX 78714 (overnight/courier: 4655 Mueller Blvd., Austin, TX 78723). You can reach the department at 1-800-223-8778.

TRS of Texas lists these among its required documents: Copy of the death certificate; Completed TRS death benefit claim forms (mailed by TRS after notice of death); Beneficiary identification and contact information; Certified copy of a divorce decree, if a former spouse is the designated beneficiary and the survivor is asserting that the designation was revoked (TRS must receive it before payment is made). The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from TRS of Texas's recorded requirements.

TRS states that most benefits are processed within 31 days of receiving all properly completed documents. Claim forms should be filed before the first anniversary of the member's death to avoid adverse tax consequences.

TRS of Texas provides its own letter-of-instruction/claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and an enclosure checklist to accompany that form.

It depends on the capacity you are acting in. An executor or administrator encloses Letters Testamentary (when there is a will) or Letters of Administration (when there is not); a successor trustee encloses a certificate of trust; a successor under a small estate encloses that state’s small estate affidavit. The prepared letter lists the proof-of-authority document for your role alongside the institution’s required documents.

A letter of instruction is the written request an institution asks for when settling a deceased customer’s account. It identifies the decedent and the account, states the capacity you are acting in, and tells the institution what to do with the account.