5 C.F.R. PART 1651—DEATH BENEFITS
Title 5 - Administrative Personnel
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 8424(d), 8432(j), 8433(e), 8435(c)(2), 8474(b)(5) and 8474(c)(1).
Source: 62 FR 32429, June 13, 1997, unless otherwise noted.
(a) Definitions generally applicable to the Thrift Savings Plan are set forth at 5 CFR 1690.1. (b) As used in this subpart: Death benefit means the portion of a deceased participant's account that is payable under FERSA's order of precedence. Domicile means the participant's place of residence for purposes of state income tax liability. Order of precedence means the priority of entitlement to a TSP death benefit specified in 5 U.S.C. 8424(d). TIN means a taxpayer identification number. A TIN may be a Social Security number (SSN), an employer identification number (EIN), or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). [68 FR 35509, June 13, 2003] (a) Death benefits. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the account balance of a deceased participant will be paid as a death benefit to the individual or individuals surviving the participant, in the following order of precedence: (1) To the beneficiary or beneficiaries designated by the participant on the TSP designation of beneficiary form that has been properly completed and filed in accordance with §1651.3; (2) If there is no designated beneficiary, to the spouse of the participant in accordance with §1651.5; (3) If there are no beneficiaries or persons as described in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section, to the child or children of the participant and descendants of deceased children by representation in accordance with §1651.6; (4) If there are no beneficiaries or persons as described in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) of this section, to the parents of the participant in equal shares or entirely to the surviving parent in accordance with §1651.7; (5) If there are no beneficiaries or persons as described in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(4) of this section, to the duly appointed executor or administrator of the estate of the participant in accordance with §1651.8; or (6) If there are no beneficiaries or persons as described in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5) of this section, to the next of kin of the participant who is or are entitled under the laws of the state of the participant's domicile on the date of the participant's death in accordance with §1651.9. (b) TSP withdrawals. If the TSP processes a notice that a participant has died, it will cancel any pending request by the participant to withdraw his or her account. The TSP will also cancel an annuity purchase made on or after the participant's date of death but before annuity payments have begun, and the annuity vendor will return the funds to the TSP. The funds designated by the participant for the withdrawal will be paid as a death benefit in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section, unless the participant elected to withdrawal his or her account in the form of an annuity, in which case the funds designated for the purchase of the annuity will be paid as described below: (1) If the participant requested a single life annuity with no cash refund or 10-year certain feature, the TSP will pay the funds as a death benefit in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. (2) If the participant requested a single life annuity with a cash refund or 10-year certain feature, the TSP will pay the funds as a death benefit to the beneficiary or beneficiaries designated by the participant on the annuity portion of the TSP withdrawal request form, or as a death benefit in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section if no beneficiary designated on the withdrawal request survives the participant. (3) If the participant requested a joint life annuity without additional features, the TSP will pay the funds as a death benefit to the joint life annuitant if he or she survives the participant, or as a death benefit in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section if the joint life annuitant does not survive the participant. (4) If the participant requested a joint life annuity with a cash refund or 10-year certain feature, the TSP will pay the funds as a death benefit to the joint life annuitant if he or she survives the participant, or as a death benefit to the beneficiary or beneficiaries designated by the participant on the annuity portion of the TSP withdrawal request form if the joint life annuitant does not survive the participant, or as a death benefit in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section if neither the joint life annuitant nor any designated beneficiary survives the participant. (5) If a participant dies after annuity payments have begun, the annuity vendor will make or stop the payments in accordance with the annuity method selected. (c) TSP loans. If the TSP processes a notice that a participant has died, any pending loan disbursement will be cancelled and the funds designated for the loan will be distributed as a death benefit in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. If a TSP loan has been disbursed, but the check has not been negotiated (or an electronic funds transfer (EFT) has been returned), the loan proceeds will be used to pay off the loan. If the loan check has been negotiated (or the EFT has been processed), the funds cannot be returned to the TSP and the TSP will declare the loan balance as a taxable distribution in accordance with 5 CFR 1655.15. (d) Investment of a TSP account upon notice of death. If a participant dies with any portion of his or her TSP account in a TSP Fund other than the G Fund, the TSP will transfer the entire account into the G Fund after it processes a notice that the participant has died, or a death code from the participant's employing agency reporting the participant's death. The account will accrue earnings at the G Fund rate in accordance with 5 CFR part 1645 until it is paid out under this part. [68 FR 35509, June 13, 2003, as amended at 70 FR 32215, June 1, 2005] (a) Filing requirements. To designate a beneficiary of a TSP account, a participant must complete and file a TSP designation of beneficiary form with the TSP record keeper. A participant may designate more beneficiaries than the TSP form accommodates by attaching additional pages to the TSP designation of beneficiary form in accordance with the instructions on the form. A valid TSP designation of beneficiary remains in effect until it is properly canceled or changed as described in §1651.4. (b) Eligible beneficiaries. Any individual, firm, corporation, or legal entity, including the U.S. Government, may be designated as a beneficiary. Any number of beneficiaries can be named to share the death benefit. A beneficiary may be designated without the knowledge or consent of that beneficiary or the knowledge or consent of the participant's spouse. (c) Validity requirements. To be valid, a TSP designation of beneficiary form must be: (1) Received by the TSP record keeper on or before the date of the participant's death; and (2) Signed by the participant and two witnesses. The participant must either sign the form in the presence of the witnesses or acknowledge his signature on the form to the witnesses. If the participant attaches an additional page or pages to the designation of beneficiary form, each additional page must be signed and witnessed in the same manner (by the same witnesses) as the form itself, and must follow the format of the TSP designation of beneficiary form. A witness must be age 21 or older. A witness designated as a beneficiary will not be entitled to receive a death benefit payment; if a witness is the only named beneficiary, the designation of beneficiary is invalid. If more than one beneficiary is named, the share of the witness beneficiary will be allocated among the remaining beneficiaries pro rata. (d) Will. A participant cannot use a will to designate a TSP beneficiary. [70 FR 32216, June 1, 2005] (a) Change. To change a designation of beneficiary, the participant must submit to the TSP record keeper a new TSP designation of beneficiary form meeting the requirements of §1651.3 to the TSP record keeper. If the TSP receives more than one valid TSP designation of beneficiary form, it will honor the form with the latest date signed by the participant. A participant may change a TSP beneficiary at any time, without the knowledge or consent of any person, including his or her spouse. (b) Cancellation. A participant may cancel all prior designations of beneficiaries by sending the TSP record keeper either a new valid designation of beneficiary form meeting the requirements of §1651.3, or a letter. If the participant uses a letter to cancel a designation of beneficiary, it must be signed and witnessed in the same manner as a TSP designation of beneficiary form; it must explicitly state that all prior designations are canceled; and the TSP record keeper must receive it on or before the date of the participant's death. (c) Will. A participant cannot use a will to change or cancel a TSP designation of beneficiary. [70 FR 32216, June 1, 2005] (a) For purposes of payment under §1651.2(a)(2), the spouse of the participant is the person to whom the participant was married on the date of death. A person is considered to be married even if the parties are separated, unless a court decree of divorce or annulment has been entered. State law of the participant's domicile will be used to determine whether the participant was married at the time of death. (b) If a person claims to have a marriage at common law with a deceased participant, the TSP will pay benefits to the putative spouse under §1651.2(a)(2) in accordance with the marital status shown on the most recent Federal income tax return filed by the participant. Alternatively, the putative spouse may submit a court order or administrative adjudication determining that the common law marriage is valid. [71 FR 9897, Feb. 28, 2006] If the account is to be paid to the child or children, or to descendants of deceased children by representation, as provided in §1651.2(a)(3), the following rules apply: (a) Child. A child includes a natural or adopted child of the deceased participant. (b) Descendants of deceased children. “By representation” means that, if a child of the participant dies before the participant, all descendants of the deceased child at the same level will equally divide the deceased child's share of the participant's account. (c) Adoption by another. A natural child of a TSP participant who has been adopted by someone other than the participant during the participant's lifetime will not be considered the child of the participant, unless the adopting parent is the spouse of the TSP participant. If the account is to be paid to the participant's parent or parents under §1651.2(a)(4), the following rules apply: (a) Amount. If both parents are alive at the time of the participant's death, each parent will be separately paid fifty percent of the account. If only one parent is alive at the time of the participant's death, he or she will receive the entire account balance. (b) Step-parent. A step-parent is not considered a parent unless the step-parent adopted the participant. If the account is to be paid to the duly appointed executor or administrator of the participant's estate under §1651.2(a)(5), the following rules apply: (a) Appointment by court. The executor or administrator must provide documentation of court appointment. (b) Appointment by operation of law. If state law provides procedures for handling small estates, the Board will accept the person authorized to dispose of the assets of the deceased participant under those procedures as a duly appointed executor or administrator. Documentation which demonstrates that the person is properly authorized under state law must be submitted to the TSP record keeper. If the account is to be paid to the participant's next of kin under §1651.2(a)(6), the next of kin of the participant will be determined in accordance with the state law of the participant's domicile at the time of death. (a) Designated beneficiary dies before participant. The share of any designated beneficiary who predeceases the participant will be paid pro rata to the participant's other designated beneficiary or beneficiaries. If no designated beneficiary survives the participant, the account will be paid according to the order of precedence set forth in §1651.2(a). (b) Trust designated as beneficiary but not in existence. If a participant designated a trust or other entity as a beneficiary and the entity does not exist on the date of the participant's death, or is not created by will or other document that is effective upon the participant's death, the amount designated to the entity will be paid in accordance with the rules of paragraph (a) of this section, as if the trust were a beneficiary that predeceased the participant. (c) Non-designated beneficiary dies before participant. If a beneficiary other than a beneficiary designated on a TSP designation of beneficiary form dies before the participant, the beneficiary's share will be paid equally to other living beneficiaries bearing the same relationship to the participant as the deceased beneficiary. However, if the deceased beneficiary is a child of the participant, payment will be made to the deceased child's descendants, if any. If there are no other beneficiaries bearing the same relationship or, in the case of children, there are no descendants of deceased children, the deceased beneficiary's share will be paid to the person(s) next in line according to the order of precedence. (d) Beneficiary dies after participant but before payment. If a beneficiary dies after the participant, the beneficiary's share will be paid to the beneficiary's estate. A copy of a beneficiary's certified death certificate is required in order to establish that the beneficiary has died, and when. [70 FR 32216, June 1, 2005] If a beneficiary dies at the same time as the participant, the beneficiary will be treated as if he or she predeceased the participant and the account will be paid in accordance with §1651.10. The same time is considered to be the same hour and minute as indicated on a death certificate. If the participant and beneficiary are killed in the same event, death is presumed to be simultaneous, unless evidence is presented to the contrary. If the participant's death is the result of a homicide, a beneficiary will not be paid as long as the beneficiary is under investigation by local, state or Federal law enforcement authorities as a suspect. If the beneficiary is convicted of, or pleads guilty to, a crime in connection with the participant's death which would preclude the beneficiary from inheriting under state law, the beneficiary will not be entitled to receive any portion of the participant's account. The Board will follow the state law of the participant's domicile as that law is set forth in a civil court judgment (that, under the law of the state, would protect the Board from double liability or payment) or, in the absence of such a judgment, will apply state law to the facts after all criminal appeals are exhausted. The Board will treat the beneficiary as if he or she predeceased the participant and the account will be paid in accordance with §1651.10. The TSP has created a paper form that a potential beneficiary must use to apply for a TSP death benefit. The TSP must receive this form before a death benefit can be paid. Any individual can file this form with the TSP record keeper. The individual submitting the form must attach to the form a certified copy of the participant' death certificate. The TSP record keeper's acceptance of this form does not entitle the applicant to benefits. [70 FR 32217, June 1, 2005] (a) Notice. The TSP record keeper will send notice of pending payment to each beneficiary. (b) Payment. Payment is made separately to each entitled beneficiary. The TSP will send the payment to the address that is provided on the participant's TSP designation of beneficiary form unless the TSP receives written notice of a more recent address. All beneficiaries must provide the TSP record keeper with a taxpayer identification number; i.e., Social Security number (SSN), employee identification number (EIN), or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), as appropriate. (c) Payment to the participant's spouse. The spouse of the participant may request that the TSP transfer all or a portion of the payment to a traditional IRA or eligible employer plan (including the spouse's TSP account, if he or she already has one). A transfer to a spouse's TSP account is permitted only if the spouse is not receiving monthly payments from the account. In order to request such a transfer, a spouse must use the transfer form provided by the TSP. (d) Payment to minor child or incompetent beneficiary. Payment will be made in the name of a minor child or incompetent beneficiary. A parent or other guardian may direct where the payment should be sent and may make any permitted tax withholding election. A guardian of a minor child or incompetent beneficiary must submit court documen tation showing his or her appointment as guardian. (e) Payment to executor or administrator. If payment is to the executor or administrator of an estate, the check will be made payable to the estate of the deceased participant, not to the executor or administrator. A TIN must be provided for all estates. (f) Payment to trust. If payment is to a trust, the payment will be made payable to the trust and mailed in care of the trustee. A TIN must be provided for the trust. (g) If a death benefit payment is returned as undeliverable, the TSP record keeper will attempt to contact the beneficiary. If the beneficiary does not respond within 60 days, the TSP will forfeit the death benefit payment to the Plan. The beneficiary can claim the forfeited funds, although they will not be credited with TSP investment returns. (h) A properly paid death benefit payment cannot be returned to the TSP. [62 FR 32429, June 13, 1997, as amended at 67 FR 49527, July 30, 2002; 68 FR 35510, June 13, 2003; 68 FR 74451, Dec. 23, 2003; 70 FR 32217, June 1, 2005] (a) Contested claims. Any challenge to a proposed death benefit payment must be filed in writing with the TSP record keeper before payment. All contested claims will be referred to the Board. The Board may also consider issues on its own. (b) Payment deferred. No payment will be made until the Board has resolved the claim. (a) Locate and identify beneficiaries. (1) The TSP record keeper will attempt to identify and locate all potential beneficiaries. (2) If a beneficiary is not identified and located, and at least one year has passed since the date of the participant's death, the beneficiary will be treated as having predeceased the participant and the beneficiary's share will be paid in accordance with §1651.10 (b) Payment to known beneficiaries. If all potential beneficiaries are known but one or more beneficiaries (and not all) appear to be missing, payment of part of the participant's account may be made to the known beneficiaries. The lost or unidentified beneficiary's share may be paid in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section at a later date. (c) Abandoned account. If no beneficiaries of the account are located, the account will be considered abandoned and the funds will revert to the TSP. If there are multiple beneficiaries and one or more of them refuses to cooperate in the Board's search for the missing beneficiary, the missing beneficiary's share will be considered abandoned. In such circumstances, the account can be reclaimed if the missing beneficiary is found at a later date. However, earnings will not be credited from the date the fund is abandoned. The TSP may require the beneficiary to apply for the death benefit with a TSP form and submit proof of identity and relationship to the participant. [62 FR 32429, June 13, 1997, as amended at 70 FR 32217, June 1, 2005] (a) Right to disclaim. The beneficiary of a TSP account may disclaim his or her right to receive all or part of a TSP death benefit. If the disclaimant is a minor, the parent or guardian of the minor must sign the disclaimer. (b) Valid disclaimer. The disclaimer must expressly state that the beneficiary is disclaiming his or her right to receive either all or a stated percentage of the death benefit payable from the TSP account of the named participant and must be: (1) Submitted in writing; (2) Signed by the person (or legal representative) disclaiming the benefit; and (3) Received before the TSP pays the death benefit. (c) Invalid disclaimer. A disclaimer is invalid if it is revocable or directs to whom the disclaimed benefit should be paid. (d) Disclaimer effect. The disclaimed share will be paid as though the beneficiary predeceased the participant, according to the rules set forth in §1651.10. [68 FR 35510, June 13, 2003] Payment made to a beneficiary(ies) in accordance with this part, based upon information received before payment, bars any claim by any other person.
Title 5: Administrative Personnel
PART 1651—DEATH BENEFITS
Section Contents
§ 1651.1 Definitions.
§ 1651.2 Entitlement to funds in a deceased participant's account.
§ 1651.3 Designation of beneficiary.
§ 1651.4 How to change or cancel a designation of beneficiary.
§ 1651.5 Spouse of participant.
§ 1651.6 Child or children.
§ 1651.7 Parent or parents.
§ 1651.8 Participant's estate.
§ 1651.9 Participant's next of kin.
§ 1651.10 Deceased and non-existent beneficiaries.
§ 1651.11 Simultaneous death.
§ 1651.12 Homicide.
§ 1651.13 How to apply for a death benefit.
§ 1651.14 How payment is made.
§ 1651.15 Claims referred to the Board.
§ 1651.16 Missing and unknown beneficiaries.
§ 1651.17 Disclaimer of benefits.
§ 1651.18 Payment to one bars payment to another.
§ 1651.1 Definitions.
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§ 1651.2 Entitlement to funds in a deceased participant's account.
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§ 1651.3 Designation of beneficiary.
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§ 1651.4 How to change or cancel a designation of beneficiary.
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§ 1651.5 Spouse of participant.
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§ 1651.6 Child or children.
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§ 1651.7 Parent or parents.
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§ 1651.8 Participant's estate.
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§ 1651.9 Participant's next of kin.
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§ 1651.10 Deceased and non-existent beneficiaries.
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§ 1651.11 Simultaneous death.
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§ 1651.12 Homicide.
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§ 1651.13 How to apply for a death benefit.
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§ 1651.14 How payment is made.
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§ 1651.15 Claims referred to the Board.
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§ 1651.16 Missing and unknown beneficiaries.
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§ 1651.17 Disclaimer of benefits.
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§ 1651.18 Payment to one bars payment to another.
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