FRS Joint Annuitant Option 3 After Death: 100% Continuation Explained

Option 3 is the most generous survivor protection in the FRS Pension Plan. When a retiree who selected Option 3 dies, the named joint annuitant receives 100% of the retiree's monthly pension amount for the rest of their life. The check doesn't shrink. It doesn't expire after a set number of years. It continues at the full amount until the joint annuitant dies.

If your spouse or family member chose Option 3 before retiring, this is how it works.

What Option 3 Actually Pays

The joint annuitant receives exactly the same monthly amount the retiree was receiving. If the retiree was getting $2,800 per month, the joint annuitant gets $2,800 per month—for life. There is no reduction, no percentage cut, and no time limit.

The trade-off happened at retirement. Option 3 reduces the retiree's monthly benefit compared to Option 1 (the maximum single-life amount) because the system is pricing in the longer expected payout period across two lifetimes. That reduction was baked into every check the retiree received, and it means the survivor benefit is already fully funded.

Who Qualifies as a Joint Annuitant

Not everyone can be named. Florida Statutes Section 121.021(28) limits joint annuitants to:

• The member's surviving spouse
• A natural or legally adopted child under age 25, or one who is physically or mentally disabled and incapable of self-support
• A parent or grandparent who received at least half their financial support from the member at the time of death
• A person for whom the member was legal guardian and provided at least half their support

Adult children over 25 (who are not disabled), siblings, friends, trusts, and estates cannot qualify as joint annuitants. If the records appear to name someone outside these categories, ask the Division to confirm which benefit designation controls.

Remarriage Does Not End the Benefit

A surviving spouse receiving an Option 3 continuation benefit does not lose it by remarrying. The benefit continues for life regardless of marital status changes.

How to File

Submit Form FST-11b (Application of Beneficiary for Retirement Benefits) to the Division of Retirement along with a certified death certificate, your birth verification, and proof of your relationship to the deceased. Call 844-377-1888 to request the claim packet and confirm your joint annuitant status.

Once approved, your monthly payments are retroactive to the month following the retiree's death. Payments go out on the last state business day of each month.

Option 3 vs. Option 4

Families sometimes confuse these two. Option 4 also provides a lifetime survivor benefit, but at a reduced rate—two-thirds (66.67%) of the monthly amount, not 100%. Option 4 pays a slightly higher benefit while both the retiree and joint annuitant are alive, but the survivor takes a one-third cut after the first death.

If you're unsure which option was selected, contact the Division of Retirement. They can pull the original retirement application and tell you exactly what's on file.

For a side-by-side comparison of all four options, the document checklist, and a benefit comparison worksheet, see the Florida FRS Survivor Benefits Guide.

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