FRS Spousal Consent Form SA-1: When Your Spouse Must Sign

When the SA-1 Is Required

If you're married and select Option 1 or Option 2 on your FRS pension, your spouse must sign Form SA-1 — the Spousal Acknowledgment Form — in the presence of a notary public. Both your signature and your spouse's signature must be notarized.

The form confirms your spouse understands that Options 1 and 2 do not provide a lifetime survivor annuity. Under Option 1, your pension stops entirely when you die — your beneficiary receives only a refund of your contributions, if any, that exceed the benefits you received. Under Option 2, payments continue only for 10 years total; if you die after that window, your beneficiary gets nothing.

When It's Not Required

If you select Option 3 or Option 4 and name your spouse as joint annuitant, no spousal acknowledgment is needed — these options provide a lifetime survivor annuity to that joint annuitant.

If you're not legally married at the time of filing, Form SA-1 is not required regardless of which option you choose.

The Conversation Most Couples Avoid

Form SA-1 forces a conversation that many households have been putting off. The retiring member often wants Option 1 — the maximum monthly check — because it provides the most income during retirement. The non-working or lower-earning spouse often wants Option 3 — the survivor annuity — because it guarantees income protection if the member dies first.

The monthly difference is real. For a member with a $3,800 Option 1 benefit, Option 3 might pay $3,150 — a $650 per month reduction for life. Over 20 years of retirement, that's $156,000 less in total payments. But if the member dies in year 5 under Option 1, the spouse receives zero ongoing pension income.

There's no objectively right answer. The trade-off depends on the spouse's own retirement income, savings, Social Security benefits, health insurance options, and risk tolerance. What matters is that both spouses understand the consequences before the notary stamps the form.

What If Your Spouse Refuses to Sign

The Division of Retirement will not process your retirement application for Option 1 or Option 2 without a completed, notarized Form SA-1. If your spouse refuses to sign, you have two practical paths:

1. Switch to Option 3 or Option 4, which doesn't require SA-1 and provides the survivor protection your spouse is seeking.
2. Resolve the disagreement, which may involve a detailed financial comparison showing how other income sources (Social Security, savings, life insurance) would cover the survivor gap under Option 1.

A standoff over Form SA-1 can stall your application past the 30-day filing window, causing your effective retirement date to slip and costing you months of pension payments.

Divorce and the SA-1

If a pre-retirement Domestic Relations Order exists from a prior divorce, it may restrict your retirement choices, including requiring Option 3 or Option 4 and designating your ex-spouse as a joint annuitant. In that case, Form SA-1 may not apply to the options available under the order.

Check for any existing DRO or QDRO against your FRS record well before you file Form FR-11. Discovering a decades-old court order at the last minute can upend your entire retirement plan.

The Florida FRS Retirement Guide covers the spousal acknowledgment process, the Option 1 vs Option 3 math comparison, and the questions to work through with your spouse before signing.

See more Florida guides →