Death After Retirement
If you pass away while collecting your pension, SFPP may pay a benefit to either your pension partner, your chosen beneficiaries, or your estate. The benefit amount depends on the pension option chosen when you started collecting your SFPP pension.
If you're a retired SFPP member and your pension partner has died, or if you're the surviving pension partner, beneficiary, or personal representative of an SFPP member's estate, contact us as soon as possible for guidance in the process.
If you don't have a pension partner (or if your pension partner has completed a waiver giving up the right to a benefit) and there is no beneficiary information on file, the benefit is paid to your estate.
Choosing a "guaranteed term" option means if an SFPP member passes away before the end of the guarantee period, the pension will be paid to the named beneficiaries or estate until the end of that guarantee period.
You can log in to this website to review your selected pension option and update your beneficiary information.
In the case of a Joint Lifetime pension option, here are the benefits available after a death occurs:
| Pension Option Name | Survivor Pension Duration | Reduction on Death of Member or Pension Partner | Benefit Paid to Chosen Beneficiary(ies) or Estate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Lifetime With Reduced Survivor Benefit Guaranteed at Least 5 Years | For survivor's lifetime* | Pension paid to member's pension partner will be 65% of the original amount. No reduction on death of pension partner. | Benefit is paid to beneficiary or estate for the remainder of the guaranteed term if both member and pension partner pass away within 5 years of the pension start date. |
| Joint Lifetime Guaranteed at Least 5 Years | For survivor's lifetime | No reduction. | Benefit is paid to beneficiary or estate for the remainder of the guaranteed term if both member and pension partner pass away within 5 years of the pension start date. |
| Joint Lifetime Reduced by 1/3 Guaranteed at Least 5 Years | For survivor's lifetime | At death of member or pension partner, survivor's pension reduced by 1/3. Remaining pension paid will be 2/3 of the original amount. |
Benefit is paid to beneficiary or estate for the remainder of the guaranteed term if both member and pension partner pass away within 5 years of the pension start date. |
* For pensions that started before Jan. 1, 1994, where this option was chosen, the member’s pension partner is determined at the time of death. To be eligible, the pension partner must have been married to, or lived with, the pensioner for at least 5 years prior to the pensioner’s death. For pensions that started on or after Jan. 1, 1994, the pension partner is determined at the time the member starts collecting an SFPP pension.
In the case of a Single Lifetime pension option, these are the benefits available after a death occurs:
| Pension Option Name | Survivor Pension Duration |
|---|---|
| Single Lifetime | None |
| Single Lifetime Guaranteed at Least 5 Years | Benefit paid for remainder of guaranteed term if member passes away within 5 years of pension start date |
| Single Lifetime Guaranteed at Least 10 Years | Benefit paid for remainder of guaranteed term if member passes away within 10 years of pension start date |
| Single Lifetime Guaranteed at Least 15 Years | Benefit paid for remainder of guaranteed term if member passes away within 15 years of pension start date |
Bridge Benefit
Pension payments will be reduced the month after the one in which you would have turned 65.
Beneficiary Information
Any death benefits payable to your estate or beneficiaries after your death will be made according to the most recent information we have on file. With that in mind, it's important to keep your beneficiary information up to date at all times.
You can review the beneficiaries you have chosen on the Pensioner Annual Statement you receive each year. Your statements are also posted to your secure account on this website.
You can log in to this website to make changes to your beneficiaries, or you can fill out the Designation of Beneficiary(ies) form and send it to us.
You can use your Will to designate beneficiaries, but it must refer to either SFPP or your "employment-based pension plan".