NYSLRS membership provides more than just retirement benefits. For most members, if you die while in active service, your beneficiary may be eligible to receive a death benefit. Here is an overview of member death benefits. If you are retired, visit our Death Benefit page for retirees to learn about your available benefits.
Types of Death Benefits
Most members who die while they’re still working will leave their beneficiaries what’s called an “ordinary death benefit.” This is a lump sum payment that’s usually equal to one year of your earnings per year of service, up to a maximum of three years.
Generally, to leave your beneficiaries this death benefit, you must have at least one year of service credit and your death must occur while you are on the public payroll.
Some members who die because of an on-the-job accident (not due to their own willful negligence) may leave their beneficiary an accidental death benefit. The accidental death benefit is a pension payable to your spouse. Other beneficiaries, as specified by law, may be eligible if there is no spouse.
- For Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) Tier 4, 5 and 6 members, the benefit would be 50 percent of your earnings from your last year of service.
- For most other members, the benefit would be 50 percent of your final average earnings (less any workers’ compensation benefit).
There is no minimum service credit requirement to leave an accidental death benefit.
The specific death benefits that may be available to your beneficiaries depend on your tier and retirement plan. Find Your NYSLRS Retirement Plan Publication and check it for specific benefit amount and eligibility information.
Note: For public employees who contract COVID-19 on the job and die from COVID-19, their beneficiaries may be eligible for an enhanced death benefit. Find out more about the Enhanced Death Benefit for Survivors of COVID-19 Victims.
Review and Update Your Beneficiaries
You should periodically review your beneficiary designations. Life circumstances sometimes change, and the beneficiary you may have named before might not be the one you would choose today. You should also make sure your beneficiary’s contact information is up to date so we can find them when needed.
Retirement Online is the best way to manage your beneficiary information. Sign in to Retirement Online today and click “View and Update My Beneficiaries” to review your named beneficiaries, and update them if needed.
Reporting a Death
NYSLRS cannot pay out death benefits until after we are notified of a member’s death and have a certified copy of the death certificate. The fastest way for survivors to report a member’s death to NYSLRS is using our online form on our website. Survivors can also upload a copy of the certified death certificate, which enables us to start reaching out to the beneficiary. It’s important to talk with your family about your benefits and how to report your death to NYSLRS.
Payment of Death Benefits
NYSLRS will reach out to your beneficiaries on file and send them the application and instructions for receiving benefits. NYSLRS can pay death benefits once it receives the required documentation.
We had a death in the family and have been trying to get our benefits for over a year now. We are supposedly just missing one form (RS5532) but we have not received it. We’ve been at this for over a year and are grief stricken and tired. How can we stop getting the run around and get our final payout?
We’re sorry for your loss. We’d like to help resolve your issue, and we have sent you a private message.
How long does it take to get a death benefits. My mom passed in January of 2023 and I gorthe paperin june?
We would like to extend our condolences to you on your mother’s passing .
To find out the status of your mom’s death benefit, please call our customer service representatives at 866-805-0990, then press 3.
My mother passed in April 2023, I’ve filed her death certificate and got an acknowledgment of that in the mail .after emailing and 2 phone call I have yet to hear or receive any thing. I know I am her beneficiary and I also know she took the pop up pension.when will I receive her pension? Will I receive what is now 7 months retroactive? With interest? You manage to take her last pension payment back out of her checking, so I know your aware of her death.
We’re sorry for your loss.
Your message is important to us, and we have sent you a private message in response.
I have called many time about my mother’s death benefit, and you never answer and always disconnect me. Please respond
We’d like to help. Your message is important to us, and we have sent you a private message in response.
I have emailed you guys twice about death benefit questions and I never received a reply back. I do not know why.
Your message is important to us, and we have sent you a private message in response.
My ex passed away in May they stopped my benefit pension and they haven’t reached out to me after several phone calls
Your message is important to us, and we have sent you a private message in response.
What happens if an nys police officer files for retirement and then passes prior to actual retirement date?
For most NYSLRS members, their beneficiaries are eligible for a death benefit if they die before retirement. You can find information about death benefits for State Police in the State Police retirement plan publication.
If you have account-specific questions, please message our customer service representatives using our secure contact form. Filling out the secure form allows them to safely contact you about your personal account information.
Why am I unable to get death benefit information over the phone after a loved one has passed away?
We are sorry for your loss.
Once we receive an original death certificate, we will mail information about any continuing pension benefits and death benefits that may be payable to named beneficiaries (or their certified representative, such as guardians, powers of attorney and executors). We will also send named beneficiaries the appropriate forms to complete.
Can a spouse attest the beneficiary after a sudden death? My husband passed away u expectedly 3 months after we got married, him nor I updated each other on our benefits as we thought we had more time. If his beneficiary was still is mother, as his spouse am I entitled to anything? My concern is paying back the funeral home for his services. I am currently past due.
We’re sorry for your loss. Information about death benefits and beneficiaries can depend on whether a NYSLRS member is retired or not and whether the death was the result of an on-the-job accident. For information about death benefit beneficiaries, please call 866-805-0990, press 3, then follow the prompts.
No he was not yet retired he had 17 years with the state ddso of Taconic. The death was not on the job either.
To speak with a customer service representative, please call 866-805-0990, press 3, then follow the prompts.
This does not answer my general question. My question is that if a spouse in the State of NY has the legal right to attest beneficiaries on a spouses life insurance specifically if they are newlyweds and if they both did not change any beneficiaries yet.
If you have questions about broader NYS law, you may wish to speak with an attorney.
What role do the death benefits play if you are retired, but working under Section 212?
Most NYSLRS retirees are eligible for a post-retirement death benefit if they retired directly from payroll or within one year of leaving covered employment. The post-retirement benefit is a percentage of the benefit available during your working years.
For account-specific information about how this may apply in your particular situation, please email our customer service representatives using our secure email form. Filling out the secure form allows them to safely contact you about your personal account information.