FRS Survivor Benefits: How to Claim Step by Step

You've just lost someone, and the state of Florida needs paperwork before it will send you anything. The FRS claim process isn't difficult, but it splits across two separate agencies and uses different forms depending on which plan the deceased was in—and most families don't discover that until they're already on hold.

Here's the actual sequence, from the first phone call through your first payment.

Day 1: Report the Death

For Pension Plan members, DROP participants, and Pension Plan retirees, call the Division of Retirement at 844-377-1888 (toll-free) or 850-907-6500. You can also submit notification through the portal at frs.fl.gov.

For Investment Plan participants, call the MyFRS Financial Guidance Line at 1-866-446-9377 and select Option 4 to reach Alight Solutions.

Have the deceased member's Social Security number, date of death, and your contact information ready. The Division will immediately halt monthly pension deposits—the member is entitled to the benefit for the calendar month in which they died, but any deposits for months after that must be returned.

Week 1: Gather Documents

Assemble these before you fill out a single form:

• Certified death certificate (the Division often requests copies both with and without cause of death)
• Your birth certificate or REAL ID-compliant proof of birth
• Marriage certificate (if you're the surviving spouse)
• Birth certificate for a minor child; court guardianship documents if required for the claim, such as when benefits exceed $15,000
• The member's most recent benefit statement, pay stub, or bank statement showing FRS deposits

Week 2-3: Submit the Right Forms

Which forms you need depends on the plan type and what you're claiming:

Pension Plan survivor benefit (monthly payments): Form FST-11b — Application of Beneficiary for Retirement Benefits. Submit to the Division of Retirement.

Contribution refund or DROP balance: Form FST-11g — Application of Beneficiary for Benefit Payment. Also goes to the Division.

Investment Plan account: Use the Investment Plan Death Benefit Claim Form through Alight Solutions at myfrs.com or by calling 1-866-446-9377.

Health Insurance Subsidy: Form HIS-1 (Pension Plan) or HIS-IP (Investment Plan). This is separate from your pension claim and must be filed independently.

Month 1-2: Processing and Verification

Once it receives a complete claim package, the Division of Retirement verifies your documents, confirms the retirement option on file, and calculates your benefit. Review typically takes 3 to 6 weeks. Once approved, monthly benefits are paid on the last state business day of each month, and approved claims are retroactive to the month following the member's death.

Investment Plan claims through Alight Solutions follow a separate process. Ask Alight for an estimate based on your claim.

Month 3+: Ongoing Payments and Tax Filings

Monthly pension payments are taxable as ordinary income. You'll receive a 1099-R from the Division of Retirement (for Pension Plan/HIS payments) or from Alight Solutions (for Investment Plan distributions) each January.

If you took a lump-sum distribution from DROP or the Investment Plan, 20% federal tax was withheld automatically on the cash portion. A direct trustee-to-trustee rollover to an IRA avoids that withholding entirely.

What Most Families Miss

The Health Insurance Subsidy is a separate application. Many surviving spouses don't realize they're eligible for up to $225 per month to offset health insurance costs. Retroactive HIS payments go back only 6 months before the application approval date, so file early.

The Florida FRS Survivor Benefits Guide includes the complete document checklist, call scripts for the Division of Retirement and Alight Solutions, and decision worksheets for choosing between lump-sum and lifetime benefit options.

See more Florida guides →