Browsing: SURVIVOR BENEFITS

Q: My husband was previously married, and a portion of his retirement was going to his ex-wife. After we married, I signed a paper giving her the full annuity if he were to pass away. My husband has since passed away, and she is now receiving the full amount. As per the papers I signed, if she passes away before me I am to receive the full amount. If she were to pass away, who do I contact, or will they contact me? A: Because your original paperwork specified that you would receive the full survivor annuity if your husband’s…

Q: My father retired several years ago under the Civil Service Retirement System. At the time of his retirement, he elected to reduce his benefits to provide my mother with spousal survivor benefits. She died a number of years before him, but it does not appear that he ever adjusted his benefits after her death. He recently passed away, and I am the executor of his estate. Does the estate have a claim to the difference between the benefits he actually received and what he was entitled to receive in the years after her death? A: You’ll need to notify…

Q: Can a surviving spouse receive more than one survivor annuity? For example, if a man receives a survivor annuity from his deceased wife, who was a federal employee, then marries another government employee after he turns 55, could he possibly collect a second survivor annuity? A: Generally, a surviving spouse can receive more than one survivor annuity based on the service of more that one employee. However, that can’t happen if the marriage occurred after the employee retired, or if the survivor annuity was reinstated after the surviving spouse remarried before age 55. In either of the latter cases,…

Q: I have been receiving my husband’s annuity since he died in 2003. If I were to remarry, would I lose his annuity? A: Your survivor annuity would be suspended if you were to remarry before age 55. If that remarriage ended in annulment, divorce or the death of your new spouse, the survivor annuity would be restored.

Q. Please help. My boyfriend, who is a widower, and I would like to get married. He is a retired federal employee for five years under CSRS and I am under the CSRS system but have not retired. He is concerned because someone has told him he has to pay “catch up” so that I can have the 55 percent death benefit as his spouse. What does “catchup” mean? Please give me the regulation that covers this as we are both concerned about our future. In addition, he is 80 years old and I am 63, and we are both…

Q. My father passed away in 2001 and he retired under the CSRS plan in April 1983. My mother has been receiving a CSRS survivor annuity. This year the tax preparer is saying that her annuity is tax-free based on the contribution my father made into the CSRS. I’m a little confused because since her 2001 tax record no one has ever said her annuity was tax-free. Why are they saying it now? Her 1099 reflect the employee contribution amount, but also shows the taxable amount as unknown. I have tried to research the IRS pubs, but the formulas to…

Q. I retired from civil service at the end of 1985. I chose at that time to take a reduced annuity to ensure my wife would receive an annuity if I died before her. She is still with me. My question is whether or not I can at this time discontinue the reduced amount. If so, will she still be eligible for some annuity to her in case I die before her? I ask this because I have received the reduced amount for the 25 years since my retirement, and it seems logical to me that stopping after this length…

Q. I am a CSRS/FERS retiree, with equal time in both systems. I elected a 25 percent survival annuity for my nongovernment husband so he would be eligible for FEHB. He has a private pension, which will cease at his death with no accrual to me. If he dies first, will I recoup any of the reduced benefits in my monthly pension? A. No, you won’t be able to recoup any of the money used to provide a survivor annuity for your spouse. However, your own annuity would be increased to what it would have been if you hadn’t elected…

Q. When I retire under FERS, I understand I will have two survivor annuity options (50 percent or 25 percent of my full annuity) to cover my wife when I’m gone. My question is, what is meant by “full annuity?” Does it mean my wife will get 50 percent of what my annuity would be before the 10 percent reduction to pay for it, or will she get 50 percent after the 10 percent is taken out to pay for the full survivor annuity? A. She will get 50 percent of what your annuity would be but for the reduction…

Q: I am a federal employee under the Civil Service Retirement System with 35 years of service, and I am 60 years old. I plan on working another two to five years. If I die before I retire, will my wife automatically receive a full CSRS survivorship annuity? I plan on selecting a full survivorship annuity when I do retire but was wondering what happens if I don’t make it. A: Yes, if you were to die before retiring, your widow would automatically receive a full survivor annuity. The only exception to this rule is if there is a court…

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