If you die: what WRS pays your family

Short answer: if you die before retiring, your beneficiary gets a payment based on your account. If you're still working at 55 or older, a special death benefit may pay more. After you retire, it depends on the annuity option you chose. See also leaving teaching and Social Security. Estimate your annuity.

Before you retire

• Still working, under 55: Lump sum or monthly annuity based on employee- and employer-required contributions, additional contributions and interest.
• Still working, 55 or older: The higher of (1) the money purchase amount or (2) a special death benefit figured as if you retired on your date of death with a joint and survivor option continued in full to your oldest beneficiary.
• Left WRS work, annuity not started: Employee-required contributions, additional contributions and interest; no employer contributions.

After you retire

Depends on the annuity option chosen; Life Only has no death benefit. With an accelerated option, the temporary portion is paid to age 62 as a death benefit. ET-6101 (rev 4/23/2026), pp. 3-5, Before Retirement / After Retirement

• For Annuitant's Life Only: Paid for your life; no death benefit.
• Life Annuity with 60 Payments Guaranteed: If you die before 60 payments, the rest go to your beneficiaries.
• Life Annuity with 180 Payments Guaranteed: If you die before 180 payments, the rest go to your beneficiaries.
• Joint and Survivor, 75% Continued to Named Survivor: Your named survivor gets 75% of your payment for life. If the survivor dies within your first five years of payments, your payment increases to the Life Only amount.
• Joint and Survivor, 100% Continued to Named Survivor: Your named survivor gets the same payment for life. If the survivor dies within your first five years of payments, your payment increases to the Life Only amount.
• Joint and Survivor, Reduced 25% on Death of Annuitant or Named Survivor: When either of you dies, the other gets 75% of the payment for life.
• Joint and Survivor, 100% Continued to Named Survivor with 180 Payments Guaranteed: Survivor gets 100% for life; if both die before 180 payments, the rest go to your beneficiaries.

Any person may be named survivor; for a non-spouse 10 or more years younger the IRS limits the options. The named survivor can be changed or removed only within 60 days after the first payment (a spouse can later be removed by a 0% QDRO, but no new survivor can be named). ET-4117 (rev 10/31/2025), p. 4, Joint and Survivor Annuity Options

See payment options for what each one pays you and your survivor, in dollars.

Life insurance

Group life insurance continues if eligible; premiums until 65; at 65 the basic coverage drops to 75%, at 66 to 50%, and for many local employers to 25% at 67. ET-2119 (6/18/2026), p. 20, Former or retired employees

What the sources say

• If you die while working and are under 55, your beneficiaries get your employee and employer contributions with interest. At 55 or older, they get the higher of that or a benefit figured as if you'd retired with a 100% joint and survivor option for your oldest beneficiary.ET-6101 (rev 4/23/2026), p. 3, Active Members
• If you've left WRS work but haven't started your benefit, beneficiaries get only your own contributions and interest, not the employer's.ET-6101 (rev 4/23/2026), p. 4, Inactive Members
• After you retire, death benefits depend on your option. Life Only pays nothing after death; guaranteed options pay the rest of the 60 or 180 payments; joint and survivor options pay your named survivor for life.ET-6101 (rev 4/23/2026), p. 5, After Retirement
• With an accelerated option, if you die before 62 the temporary part is paid as a death benefit until you would have turned 62.ET-4117 (rev 10/31/2025), p. 5, Life Annuities with Accelerated Payments

Questions

ETF decides death benefits. Keep your beneficiary designation up to date with ETF.

See survivor options in dollars →