What Happens If I Die Before Retirement?

No one wants to think about dying before retirement—but if it happens, SCERS provides important financial protections for your loved ones. The type of benefit available depends on your eligibility, how long you’ve worked, and whether your death was related to your job.

This section gives an overview of what SCERS provides if a member passes away before retiring.

Key Factors That Affect Death Benefits

When a member dies before retirement, SCERS considers:

  • Whether the member was vested
    You are vested if you’ve earned five years of service credit, reached age 70, or qualify through reciprocity.
  • Whether the death was job-related
    If your death is service-connected, a different and higher benefit may apply.
  • Your designated beneficiaries and eligible survivors
    SCERS uses a legal order of priority that may override your beneficiary designation in some situations.

What Types of Benefits Might Be Payable?

SCERS offers three main types of pre-retirement death benefits:

  1. Basic Death Benefit
    • Paid if you were not vested
    • Includes a refund of your contributions plus a limited lump-sum payment
  2. Alternative Death Benefits
    • Paid if you were vested but your death was not work-related
    • Provides your eligible survivor with a monthly continuance benefit, a refund of your contributions, or a combination of continuance and limited lump-sum payment 
  3. Service-Connected Death Benefit
    • Paid if your death was caused by your job
    • Provides your eligible survivor with a monthly continuance benefit, a refund of your contributions, or a combination of continuance and limited lump-sum payment 
    • Includes a full lifetime monthly continuance for your eligible survivor
    • Additional benefit may apply for Safety members

These benefits are mutually exclusive—only one will be paid, based on your circumstances.

Who Is Eligible to Receive a Benefit?

Different rules apply depending on the benefit type, but generally:

  • Eligible survivors (e.g., spouse, registered domestic partner, minor children) have priority over named beneficiaries in most cases.
  • To qualify for monthly survivor benefits, your relationship must meet legal criteria, such as being married or partnered for at least one year before your death.
  • If there is no eligible survivor, a designated beneficiary may receive a lump-sum payment.

What Should You Do Today?

To ensure your loved ones are protected:

  • Keep your Member’s Affidavit updated with your current beneficiary.
  • Know who qualifies as an eligible survivor.
  • Inform your family that SCERS provides death benefits, and how they should contact us if needed.