- If you die before retiring, your survivors may qualify if you had 2 years of service in the last 2 1/2 years, 10 or more years in all, or your death was job-related.Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), p. 9; NRS 286.672
- Your spouse, registered domestic partner or survivor beneficiary gets $450 a month with 2+ years of service. With 10+ years they get the Option 3 amount, and with 15+ years (or if you were fully eligible to retire) the Option 2 amount, with no reduction for your age. Each child gets $400 a month until 18, or 23 if a full-time student.Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), p. 11, Amount of Survivor Benefits
- If you are unmarried, file a Survivor Beneficiary Designation naming one person to receive a lifetime benefit if you die before retirement.Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), pp. 9-10
Who qualifies
Pre-retirement survivor benefits require: 2 years of service in the 2 1/2 years before death; or 10 or more years of accredited contributing service; or death from an occupational disease or job accident (any service); or death in the line of duty. Part-time members qualify with 2+ years of part-time service and at least one day in the 6 months before death. Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), p. 9, Survivor Benefits; Official Policies (2024), p. 46, Policy 9.1; NRS 286.672
The handbook's survivor section says you need 'more than 10 years'. Its own table, the law and Nevada PERS's policy say 10 or more. We use 10 or more.
Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), p. 9 and p. 11; NRS 286.672(1); Official Policies (2024), p. 46, Policy 9.1(c)Spouse or registered domestic partner; survivor beneficiary (for an unmarried member) and additional payees; dependent children under 18; dependent parents if no other survivors. Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), p. 9, Eligible Survivors
How much
| Member's service | Spouse or beneficiary | Each child |
|---|---|---|
| 2+ years | $450 a month | $400 |
| 10+ yearsRegardless of member's age | The Option 3 amount | $400 |
| 15+ yearsRegardless of member's age | The Option 2 amount | $400 |
| 5+ yearsIf the member was fully eligible to retire based on service and age | The Option 2 amount | $400 |
One section of the law gives a spouse the Option 2 benefit if you had 'more than 15 years'. Another section, Nevada PERS's policy and the handbook's table say 15 or more. We use 15 or more.
NRS 286.676(1)(b); NRS 286.6768(1)(b); Official Policies (2024), p. 47, Policy 9.3(c); Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), p. 11No early retirement reduction applies to survivor benefits. Options 2 and 3 are computed as if the member retired on the day of death and named the survivor. Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), pp. 10-11; Official Policies (2024), p. 47, Policy 9.3
Some cases
Our engine on the rules above, with two dependent children:
| The member had | Spouse gets | Children |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year of service, all in the last 2 1/2 years | No monthly benefit | $0a month |
| 3 years, all recent | $450 a month | $800a month |
| 8 years, none in the last 2 1/2 years | No monthly benefit | $0a month |
| 10 years | Option 3 amount | $800a month |
| 12 years, age 60 (eligible to retire) | Option 2 amount | $800a month |
| 15 years | Option 2 amount | $800a month |
In dollars: Nevada PERS's option example is a $801 benefit with a spouse of 52. If that member, at 60, died before retiring, the spouse's Option 3 amount would be $363 a month and the Option 2 amount $664. That's our reading of the example; other ages have no published amounts. See payment options.
Other rules
- Child benefits are paid to age 18, or 23 if a full-time unmarried student. Incapacitated adult children may qualify. Summary Plan Description (REV 8/25), p. 11; NRS 286.673
- A survivor may instead elect $450 a month, or (if no other survivors) a lump-sum refund of the member's employee contributions (plus specified employer-pay portions). Official Policies (2024), pp. 46-48, Policies 9.2-9.3; NRS 286.6766
- Total survivor base allowances may not exceed the member's average compensation. Official Policies (2024), p. 50, Policy 9.17; NRS 286.6775
- If the member is killed in the line of duty (death on or after July 1, 2013), the spouse/RDP/survivor beneficiary may receive 50% of the member's salary at death or 100% of the allowance the member had earned, without age reduction. Official Policies (2024), p. 48, Policy 9.5; NRS 286.67695
- Survivor benefits vest at 10 years of accredited contributing service, at retirement, or at death, whichever comes first. NRS 286.6793(2)
After you retire, what your beneficiary gets depends on the payment option you chose. Monthly survivor benefits also get Nevada PERS's yearly post-retirement increases. To see the Option 2 and Option 3 amounts for your own pension, use the calculator.
Questions
What happens if a Nevada PERS member dies before retiring?
Survivors qualify if the member had 2 years of service in the last 2.5 years, 10 or more years in all, or died from a job-related cause. A spouse, registered domestic partner or survivor beneficiary gets at least $450 a month, and each dependent child $400.
When does a spouse get more than $450?
With 10 or more years of service, the spouse gets the Option 3 amount; with 15 or more years, or if the member could already retire (5+ years and the age), the Option 2 amount. Neither is cut for the member's age.
Source: Nevada PERS Summary Plan Description for Regular Members, REV 8/25 (law through the 2025 Legislature), pp. 7, 9-11. Also: Nevada PERS Official Policies (eff. Sept. 1, 2024) pp. 46-48, 50; Nevada PERS Pre-Retirement Guide (REV 1/25) p. 6; NRS §§ 286.672, 286.673, 286.6766, 286.67695, 286.6775, 286.6793. Last reviewed .