Before retirement: OPSRP
Vested OPSRP member who dies before retiring: lifetime benefit to the spouse (or former spouse by court order) - before earliest retirement age, the actuarial equivalent of 50% of the pension as if retired at the earliest retirement date; on or after earliest retirement age, the actuarial equivalent of 100% as if retired the first of the month after death. The spouse can delay (to no later than Dec. 31 of the year the member would have turned 72). Under $200 a month is paid as a lump sum. The IAP goes to the IAP beneficiary. Oregon PERS OPSRP Preretirement Guide (June 2026), pp. 5-6, Preretirement death benefits; ORS 238A.230; ORS 238A.195; Oregon PERS Employer Guide Ch. 1 (Sept. 2026), p. 20
Before retirement: Tier One and Tier Two
Paid to the designated beneficiaries (or spouse, then children, then estate): the member account plus an employer match if the member died while working, on approved leave without pay, or within 120 days of last paid employment. Options: total lump sum, life annuity (at least $200 a month), or the account as a lump sum plus a pension from the match. For deaths on/after Jan. 1, 2024, a spouse who is sole beneficiary may choose the Optional Spouse Death Benefit: 50% (death before earliest retirement eligibility) or 100% (on/after) of the actuarial equivalent pension. Oregon PERS webpage 'Member death (Tier One/Tier Two)'; ORS 238.390(2)
After retirement
Depends on the option chosen at retirement; the IAP balance (if any) goes to the IAP beneficiary. Oregon PERS webpage 'Member death (Tier One/Tier Two)', Death benefits after retirement; Oregon PERS Tier One/Tier Two Preretirement Guide (June 2026), p. 27 Payment options in dollars
Which rule applies depends on your program. Your IAP account is separate from the pension; see the IAP. To see the pension a survivor option would be based on, use the calculator.
What the sources say
- If a vested OPSRP member dies before retiring, the spouse gets a lifetime benefit: 50% of the pension's value if death was before earliest retirement age, 100% if on or after.Oregon PERS OPSRP Preretirement Guide (June 2026), pp. 5-6; ORS 238A.230
- If a Tier One/Tier Two member dies before retiring, beneficiaries get the member account plus an employer match if the member was working, on approved unpaid leave or within 120 days of last paid work. For deaths since January 1, 2024, a sole spouse beneficiary can choose a pension-based benefit instead.Oregon PERS webpage 'Member death (Tier One/Tier Two)'
Questions
What does my spouse get if I die while working (OPSRP)?
If you're vested: a lifetime benefit worth 50% of your pension if you die before your earliest retirement age, or 100% if you die on or after it.
What about Tier One and Tier Two?
Your beneficiaries get your member account, plus an employer match if you were working, on approved unpaid leave, or within 120 days of your last paid work. A spouse who is sole beneficiary can choose a pension-based benefit for deaths since 2024.
And after I retire?
It depends on the payment option you chose. Your IAP balance, if any, goes to your IAP beneficiary.
Source: Oregon PERS Tier One/Tier Two and OPSRP Preretirement Guides, Published June 2026, Oregon PERS Tier One/Tier Two Preretirement Guide (June 2026) p. 27; Oregon PERS OPSRP Preretirement Guide (June 2026) pp. 5, 6; Oregon PERS Employer Guide Ch. 1 (Sept. 2026) p. 20; Oregon PERS webpages: Member death (Tier One/Tier Two); ORS 238.390, 238A.195, 238A.230. Last reviewed .