Report Death of An Annuitant

Survivors, family, or estate representatives are required to notify OPM in the event of the benefit recipient's death. Life Events, such as marriage/divorce, death of spouse or reemployment can affect benefits and must be reported to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) immediately. OPM can be contacted by email: retire@opm.gov. Or by telephone at (888) 767-6738 -- TTY: 1 (800) 878-5707; their hours of operation are 7:30 A.M. until 7:45 P.M (Eastern Time).

All payments received from OPM after the annuitant's date of death must be returned to the Treasury Department. If payments are made by check, please write the beneficiary's date of death on the check and return the check to the Treasury Department address on the envelope. If payments are made by electronic deposit, please inform the financial institution of the death.

Family Members & Estate Representatives: click here to learn how to file a claim for benefits from the U.S. Office of Personnel Managements (OPM) for federal and postal annuitants and spouses.

If the deceased also owned a Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account, the death must also be reported immediately to that plan. This is a separate action from reporting the death of an annuitant to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Click here to learn how to go about notifying the Thrift Savings Plan. OPM has nothing to do with the Thrift Savings Program account held by the deceased.

If the deceased is also a member of NARFE, we offer our sincere condolences.

Please remember to notify NARFE membership by calling: 800-456-8410. It would be helpful if you also had the NARFE membership number, which can be found on the cover of any recent NARFE magazine.

Our goal here is to help your family in reporting a death and/or claiming benefits, especially those members of your family who may be unfamiliar with the various agencies involved in the administration of your benefits. It would be helpful if you told someone about this page, and it be even more helpful if you would organize your personal and financial affairs in our "Be Prepared for Life's Events" booklet. A booklet they will very much appreciate!