The Estate Desk

Last verified 2026-10-27; facts checked against the primary sources below

How do I report a CalPERS or CalSTRS death, and what death benefits can the family claim?

Last verified: October 27, 2026

The short answer: Call CalPERS at 888-225-7377 (888 CalPERS), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CalPERS). For CalSTRS, submit the online Notification of Death or call 800-228-5453, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CalSTRS). Each system then sends the survivor benefit application. What the family can claim depends on whether the person was still working or retired: CalSTRS pays a one-time death benefit of $7,488 after a retiree dies (CalSTRS), and CalPERS pays a Retired Death Benefit of $500 to $5,000, set by the former employer (CalPERS PUB 60).

CalPERS benefits apply to state, school and public agency employees (CalPERS). CalSTRS is the California State Teachers' Retirement System. If the person earned service under both, report the death to each one separately.

CalPERS and CalSTRS death reporting at a glance

CalPERS CalSTRS
Phone 888-225-7377, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed state holidays (CalPERS) 800-228-5453, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CalSTRS)
Online The online death notification page said "This Application Is Currently Unavailable" on October 27, 2026; use the phone, mail or fax (CalPERS) Online Notification of Death form, with an email confirmation after you submit (CalSTRS FAQ)
Mail CalPERS Disability & Survivor Benefits Division, Survivor Benefits, P.O. Box 942715, Sacramento, CA 94229-2715 (CalPERS) CalSTRS, P.O. Box 15275 MS 43, Sacramento, CA 95851-0275 (CalSTRS FAQ)
Fax (916) 795-3933 to report the death; TTY (916) 795-3240 (CalPERS) 916-414-5783 for the death certificate (CalSTRS FAQ)
What happens next CalPERS mails a survivor benefit application package with the forms and a list of required documents. Call to ask for a secure link to apply online instead (CalPERS) If a benefit is payable, a caseworker contacts the primary contact by letter to complete the survivor benefits application (CalSTRS; FAQ)

How do you report a death to CalPERS?

Call 888-225-7377, mail or fax the notice, or go in person to CalPERS headquarters or a regional office. The person's employer may also report the death (CalPERS). Have this ready (CalPERS):

CalPERS sends the application package only after the death is reported (CalPERS). Return the completed application by mail to the P.O. Box 942715 address above or by fax to (800) 959-6545 (CalPERS).

Any CalPERS check issued after the death must be returned. If the payment went into the person's bank account by direct deposit, CalPERS asks the bank to send it back (CalPERS).

How do you report a death to CalSTRS?

Use the online Notification of Death or call 800-228-5453. CalSTRS needs the person's full name, Social Security number or CalSTRS Client ID, date of birth and date of death, plus your name, relationship, mailing address, phone number and email (CalSTRS FAQ; CalSTRS).

Attach a scan of the death certificate when you submit the online form. It can only be attached to the original submission. After that, mail it, fax it to 916-414-5783, or hand-deliver it to a CalSTRS drop-off location (CalSTRS FAQ).

CalSTRS says it generally pays survivor benefits within 120 days of receiving all necessary information, not 120 days from the death. A missing marriage certificate, declaration of domestic partnership, death certificate or Recipient Designation form can delay payment (CalSTRS). Any payment issued after the death is due back to CalSTRS and will be deducted from benefits paid to the beneficiaries if it is not returned (CalSTRS).

What CalPERS death benefits can the family claim?

CalPERS says it cannot know exactly what is payable until it has reviewed all the required documents (CalPERS). These are the benefits it lists.

Member status Benefit What CalPERS says it is
Active (still working) Basic Death Benefit Return of the member's contributions and interest through the date of death, sometimes plus a one-time payment based on earnings (CalPERS)
Active Group Term Life Insurance A $5,000 lump sum; CalPERS says school and public agency employees are not eligible (CalPERS)
Active 1957 Survivor Benefit Monthly allowance to an eligible spouse, registered domestic partner or minor child, equal to half the highest service retirement benefit the member could have received on the date of death (CalPERS)
Active 1959 Survivor Benefit Monthly allowance to eligible survivors if the member was enrolled in the 1959 program and was not covered by Social Security (CalPERS)
Active Pre-Retirement Option 2W Monthly allowance to an eligible spouse or registered domestic partner, figured as if the member retired on the date of death; school employees are not eligible (CalPERS)
Active Special Death Benefit Monthly allowance for survivors of safety members whose death was job related, equal to half of average monthly salary, up to 75 percent for a violent death depending on the number of children (CalPERS)
Inactive (left the job more than four months before death, for reasons unrelated to health) Limited Death Benefit Return of contributions and interest only (CalPERS)
Retired Retired Death Benefit A set lump sum between $500 and $5,000, based on employer contracts and legislation. With more than one employer, the highest amount is paid (CalPERS PUB 60)
Retired Pro Rata Payment The allowance for the month of death, prorated through the date of death (CalPERS)
Retired Option 1 Balance Any unused contributions, if the retiree chose Option 1. CalPERS says contributions are usually used up 10 to 12 years after retirement (CalPERS)
Retired Temporary Annuity balance The remaining payments in a lump sum, if the retiree died before receiving them all (CalPERS)
Retired Lifetime Option Monthly allowance to the named beneficiary, if the retiree chose Option 2, 2W, 3, 3W or 4 at retirement (CalPERS)
Retired Survivor Continuance Monthly allowance to an eligible survivor if the former employer contracted for it: one-half of the retiree's unmodified benefit if the retiree was not covered by Social Security, one-quarter if they were (CalPERS PUB 60)

The Retired Death Benefit is not paid by CalPERS if the retiree later worked under another California public retirement system that pays a similar benefit (CalPERS PUB 60).

Who receives a CalPERS benefit?

CalPERS pays the valid beneficiary designation on file. Without one, it pays in a set order that starts with the spouse or registered domestic partner, then children, parents, and brothers and sisters, before the probated estate (CalPERS). Marriage, a new child, a divorce or a refund of contributions revokes the designation (CalPERS). A spouse or registered domestic partner may be entitled to a community property share of contributions even when someone else is named (CalPERS). If the family disagrees about who should be paid, take it to your reviewing attorney before you sign the application.

What CalSTRS death benefits can the family claim?

CalSTRS has two kinds of survivor coverage. Coverage B applies if the member joined on or after October 16, 1992, or chose Coverage B in the 1992 to 1993 election. Coverage A applies to earlier members who did not choose Coverage B (CalSTRS; Coverage A). The member's coverage shows in the myCalSTRS account or the Retirement Progress Report (CalSTRS).

Member status Benefit What CalSTRS says it is
Active, Coverage A One-time death benefit $7,488, paid to the named recipients, or to the estate if no one was named. Requires at least one year of service credit (CalSTRS)
Active, Coverage A Monthly survivor benefit (family allowance) Paid to a surviving spouse or registered domestic partner, eligible dependent children, or dependent parents. Reduced by other public benefits such as Social Security or workers' compensation (CalSTRS)
Active, Coverage B One-time death benefit $29,952, paid to the named recipients, or to the estate if no one was named. Requires at least one year of service credit (CalSTRS)
Active, Coverage B Monthly survivor benefit Paid to a surviving spouse or registered domestic partner and eligible dependent children. Not reduced by Social Security or other public survivor benefits. A spouse can choose a refund of contributions instead, but then the children get no monthly benefit (CalSTRS)
Active, less than one year of service Refund The one-time benefit recipient receives the member's contributions and interest (CalSTRS)
Retired, Coverage A or B One-time death benefit $7,488 to the named recipients, or to the estate if no one was named (CalSTRS)
Retired, with an option Monthly option benefit Paid to the option beneficiary under the option the retiree chose (CalSTRS)
Retired, Member-Only Benefit Final amounts No monthly benefit continues. The one-time benefit recipient gets the benefit accrued but unpaid for the month of death, plus any contributions and interest left after benefits already paid (CalSTRS)
Retired Defined Benefit Supplement balance May go to the option beneficiary or to the recipients on the Recipient Designation form, depending on the annuity option (CalSTRS)

CalSTRS says the one-time death benefit amounts are adjusted periodically by the Teachers' Retirement Board (CalSTRS). The figures above are the ones on its pages on October 27, 2026. CalSTRS's own example: a retiree who died on the 15th of the month with a $950 monthly benefit and no remaining contributions left a payment of $7,963, the $7,488 death benefit plus a half month of benefit (CalSTRS).

Which documents does the family need?

Document CalPERS CalSTRS
Death certificate A copy showing the cause or manner of death, for every member status (CalPERS) A copy must be sent (CalSTRS)
Completed survivor benefit application Required (CalPERS) Completed with the caseworker after notification (CalSTRS)
Marriage certificate, or proof the marriage ended Required (CalPERS) Missing one can delay payment (CalSTRS)
Domestic partnership certificate, or proof it ended Required (CalPERS) Missing one can delay payment (CalSTRS)
Survivor's birth certificate If the survivor will get a monthly allowance (CalPERS) Ask the caseworker
Children's birth certificates If children are to be paid; may not be required for a retiree (CalPERS) Ask the caseworker
Letters testamentary or letters of administration If the probated estate is to be paid (CalPERS) If the estate is paid because no recipient was named (CalSTRS); ask the caseworker which papers
Certification of trust If a trust is to be paid (CalPERS) Ask the caseworker
Recipient Designation form Not applicable Missing names and addresses of the recipients can delay payment (CalSTRS)
Award letters from other public systems Not applicable Required for Coverage A, so CalSTRS can adjust the family allowance (CalSTRS)

CalPERS accepts copies; you do not need to mail originals. Certificates must be ones issued and filed by a government office such as the county clerk or vital records (CalPERS). Order extra certified death certificates now. Banks and insurers will each want one too.

Is a CalPERS or CalSTRS death benefit taxable?

This is only what each system says about how it withholds and reports.

Before choosing between a lump sum, a rollover and a monthly benefit, ask a tax professional. The inherited IRA rules apply once money is rolled into an inherited IRA.

Does a CalPERS or CalSTRS pension go through probate?

Usually not. Both systems pay the named beneficiary or recipient first. The estate is paid only when no one was named, or under CalPERS's statutory order after the closer relatives (CalPERS; CalSTRS). When the estate is the payee, CalPERS asks for letters testamentary or letters of administration (CalPERS). Whether the rest of the estate needs probate is a separate question: see do I need probate in California.

The Estate Desk handles this for California families. theestatedesk.com

Primary sources