Beneficiary Forms
Do you know who’s listed on the beneficiary forms for your annuity or qualified retirement plan, life insurance, or Thrift Savings Plan? If not, you may find that the person you designated as your beneficiary is not who you think it is. If you have been divorced, remarried or had children since your last review of your beneficiary forms, it may be time to check them again.
If there is no updated beneficiary form on file, your beneficiary will be determined by the last form on file.
If there is no designated beneficiary on file, benefits are paid in the following order of precedence.
- To your widow or widower.
- If none, to your child or children in equal shares, with the share of any deceased child distributed among that child's descendants.
- If none, to your parents in equal shares or the entire amount to your surviving parent.
- If none, to the executor or administrator of your estate.
- If none, to your next of kin who would be entitled to your estate under the laws of the state in which you reside at the time of your death.
You do not need to make a designation if you are satisfied with the order of precedence that the law provides.
For your convenience, you may access the beneficiary forms below. Once completed, all forms except TSP-3 should be sent to the Office of Personnel Management, as indicated in the forms.
Beneficiary Forms
SF 2808: Designation of Beneficiary – Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)
https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf-2808.pdf
SF 3102: Designation of Beneficiary – Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)
https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf3102.pdf
SF 2823: Designation of Beneficiary – Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program
https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2823.pdf
TSP 3: Designation of Beneficiary - TSP has moved to web based transactions. The TSP-3 form must be completed online in the MyAccount Portal.
https://www.tsp.gov/login/