Which DRS survivor option should I consider? Options 1 to 4 explained
How the four ways to take a Washington DRS pension work, what each one costs you each month, and what your spouse or partner gets.
When you retire, DRS asks you to pick one of four options. Option 1 pays the most but stops when you die. Options 2, 3 and 4 pay you less for life, then keep paying your survivor 100%, 50% or 66.67% of your benefit. If your survivor dies first, your pension goes back up to the Option 1 amount. The choice is final once retirement begins, with few exceptions.
The four options
These options apply to PERS, TRS, SERS and PSERS pensions. They come from the DRS: PERS Plan 2 page and the state rule on survivor options, WAC 415-02-380.
| Option | You get | After you die |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Single life | The highest amount | Payments stop. Any unused contributions go to your beneficiary as a lump sum. |
| 2: Joint and 100% | The lowest amount | Your survivor gets the same amount for life |
| 3: Joint and 50% | A little less than Option 1 | Your survivor gets half for life |
| 4: Joint and 66.67% | Between Options 2 and 3 | Your survivor gets two-thirds for life |
You can name only one survivor, and you can't change the choice after retirement begins, except in a few cases (see below). TRS Plan 1 also offers a "Maximum Option" that pays slightly more than Option 1 but leaves nothing to a beneficiary (DRS: TRS Plan 1).
In Plan 3, these options apply only to the pension. Your investment account is separate, so ask DRS how to name a beneficiary for it.
How much each option costs
DRS reduces your pension so that, on average, the total paid out is about the same whichever option you pick. The law calls the options "actuarially equivalent" (RCW 41.40.660). The reduction depends on the age difference between you and your survivor: the younger your survivor is compared with you, the bigger the cut, because the pension is likely to be paid longer.
DRS publishes the factors it uses. In its PERS table effective December 1, 2022, a Plan 2 or 3 member the same age as the survivor kept these shares of the Option 1 amount (DRS: PERS survivor option factors):
| Option | Same age | Member 10 years older |
|---|---|---|
| 2: 100% survivor | 81.9% | 72.7% |
| 4: 66.67% survivor | 87.2% | 80.0% |
| 3: 50% survivor | 90.1% | 84.2% |
DRS updates these factors from time to time, and its current ones are in the spreadsheets on its administrative factors page. Treat the table as a guide to the size of the cut, and use your official DRS estimate for your real numbers.
Sam is a made-up PERS Plan 2 member whose Option 1 pension is $3,000 a month. Sam's spouse is the same age. Using the 2022 factors above:
- Option 1: $3,000 a month to Sam; nothing to the spouse after Sam dies.
- Option 3 (50%): $3,000 x 0.901 = $2,703 to Sam; then $1,351.50 to the spouse.
- Option 4 (66.67%): $3,000 x 0.872 = $2,616 to Sam; then about $1,744 to the spouse.
- Option 2 (100%): $3,000 x 0.819 = $2,457 to Sam; then $2,457 to the spouse.
In Plans 2 and 3, Sam's pension would also get the yearly COLA once Sam had been retired a full year.
Spousal consent and who can be a survivor
If you are married, legally separated or in a registered domestic partnership, your spouse or partner must give notarized written consent if you choose Option 1 or name someone else as your survivor. The consent goes in with your application (DRS: PERS Plan 1). Without it, Plan 2 law tells DRS to pay a joint and 50% survivor benefit (RCW 41.40.660). DRS says the same for TRS Plan 1: without consent, the benefit is figured as Option 3 with your spouse as survivor.
You can name someone other than a spouse, such as an adult child, but federal rules limit the options when that person is much younger than you (DRS: PERS Plan 2):
| Age gap (non-spouse) | Options you can choose |
|---|---|
| 0 to 10 years | All options |
| 11 to 24 years | 66.67% or 50% |
| 25 years or more | 50% only |
If you retire before your required minimum distribution age, DRS can shrink the counted age gap. A disabled child may be exempt from these limits.
If you marry after retiring, you may get a one-time chance to add your new spouse as a survivor, between your first and second year of marriage. Ask DRS for the form, since survivor changes can't be made online.
If your survivor dies first
If you chose Option 2, 3 or 4 and your survivor dies before you, you can ask DRS to raise your pension to the Option 1 amount. This is often called a "pop-up". For most people who retired after 1996, the new amount is your original Option 1 amount plus the COLAs added before your survivor's death. The increase starts the first of the month after the death, and DRS may ask for a certified death certificate (WAC 415-02-380). It isn't automatic: you need to contact DRS.
The Plan 1 optional COLA
PERS Plan 1 and TRS Plan 1 have no automatic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). At retirement, Plan 1 members can choose an optional COLA, separate from the survivor choice. It lowers your starting pension, then adjusts it each July by Seattle-area inflation, up to 3% a year, after you've been retired a full year. It can never take your pension below where it started, and a survivor who receives your benefit keeps the COLA. The choice is permanent and is only offered when you apply (DRS: PERS Plan 1, DRS: TRS Plan 1).
So a Plan 1 member makes two choices at once: which survivor option, and whether to take the optional COLA. Ask DRS for estimates with and without it.
If you die before retiring
- Fewer than 10 years (Plans 1 and 2): your contributions plus interest go to your beneficiary.
- At least 10 years in Plan 1 or 2, or vested in Plan 3: your surviving spouse or partner may choose a monthly pension instead of the refund (DRS: PERS Plan 2).
In PERS Plan 2, that survivor pension is figured as if you had retired with the 100% survivor option, and it is reduced further if you weren't yet old enough for a full pension. There is no early retirement reduction if you were killed on the job (RCW 41.40.700). Keep your beneficiary up to date: DRS says a marriage or divorce before you retire can make an old designation invalid.
What to do next
- Ask DRS for an estimate showing every option. DRS's official estimate uses your real ages and the current factors.
- Look at your survivor's other income. Social Security survivor benefits, savings and life insurance all change how much a survivor pension matters. How Social Security survivor benefits fit in.
- Plan the paperwork. If your spouse will consent to Option 1 or another survivor, get the form notarized before you apply.
Our planner shows a pension, Social Security and a spouse's income together, so you can see what a survivor would have.
Open the retirement plannerCommon questions
Can I change my survivor option after I retire?
Generally no. DRS says the option becomes final once retirement begins. Exceptions include the pop-up if your survivor dies first and a one-time chance to add a new spouse after marriage.
What happens if I divorce after choosing a survivor?
A court order filed with DRS can affect the survivor benefit. Ask DRS and your attorney before and after a divorce; DRS's rules on property orders are in WAC 415-02-500.
Does my survivor get the COLA?
For Plan 1, DRS says a survivor who receives your benefit keeps the optional COLA if you chose it. For Plans 2 and 3, ask DRS to show the survivor amounts with COLAs in your estimate.
Which option costs the least?
Option 3 (50%) has the smallest cut of the survivor options, and Option 2 (100%) the largest.
Is the Plan 3 investment account covered by these options?
No. The options apply to the Plan 3 pension. The investment account is separate, and DRS can explain how its beneficiary works.
Where can I see the exact factors?
On the DRS administrative factors page, or in your official estimate. Call DRS at 800-547-6657 with questions.
General information, not advice. We aren't part of the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. Ask DRS for an official estimate of each option before you decide.