Q. If I get married after I retire and elect a survivor annuity for my husband, I understand that I would need to pay the difference of what I would have paid had we been married at retirement plus 6 percent interest. For example, if I retired in January and married in June, if I understand this correctly, I need to wait 9 months for it to be effective so 9 plus 5 (months I would be married) would equal 14 months. If, for example, the difference in the annuity would be $50, I would owe $50×14 = $700 plus 6 percent interest, which would equal $42 for a total of $742. Would this $742 be paid back over the life of the annuity?
A. If you marry after retiring, there will be two reductions in your annuity. The first will be the standard reduction in your annuity, which will vary depending on whether you elect a full or partial survivor benefit. That reduction will be eliminated if your marriage ends.
The second will be a permanent actuarial reduction to pay the survivor benefit deposit. The deposit equals the difference between the new annuity rate and the annuity paid to you each month since retirement, plus 6 percent interest. That reduction won’t be eliminated if your marriage ends.
4 Comments
If I divorce that mean I don’t have a survivor benefits any more, I still have a Marriage actuarial reduction
Did your marriage take place before or after you retired?
I have a survivor benefit of 25% for ex wife. I remarried so have an additional 25% available for my new spouse as I understand it as I only took an initial 25% years ago. So if I just submit a new form to add my current spouse with the additional 25% will they simply add the new spouse and reduce my monthly annuity accordingly? Also I know you have to pay the missed years….can that be paid in one lump sum or is it taken out monthly? Thank You!
Yes, OPM will add your new spouse to the eligible recipients of a survivor annuity. As you noted, you will have to make a deposit to to cover those missed years. You can make that deposit in a lump sum or in installments. The choice is yours.