STRS Ohio Surviving Spouse Pension Benefits

Your Spouse Was an Ohio Teacher — What Happens Now

Under STRS Ohio's statutory order of succession, the surviving spouse comes first when no valid beneficiary designation applies. What you actually receive also depends on whether your spouse was still teaching or had already retired, and — if retired — which Plan of Payment they selected at retirement.

This is the overview for surviving spouses navigating the system for the first time.

If Your Spouse Died While Still Teaching (Active Member)

When an active DB Plan member dies with at least 5 years of qualifying service credit, the surviving spouse is a "qualified survivor" under ORC 3307.66. You'll choose between monthly annuity payments for life or a one-time lump-sum refund of your spouse's accumulated contributions.

Compare the monthly benefit calculations that apply to your spouse's account:

Dependent-based: 25% of your spouse's Final Average Salary (FAS) if you're the sole qualified survivor. If qualifying children also exist, the percentages increase — 40% for two survivors, 50% for three — and the total is divided between you and the children.

Service-based: If your spouse had 20+ years of service, this formula often produces a higher monthly amount — ranging from 29% of FAS (20 years) up to 60% of FAS (29+ years).

Retirement-based: If your spouse had met the requirements for service retirement at the time of death (32 years of service, or age 65 with 5 years), this formula calculates the benefit as if they had retired and selected Plan II Option 1 — 100% continuation to you.

The refund election becomes irrevocable once the check is issued. Choosing the monthly annuity also preserves eligibility for STRS Ohio's health care program if the member had enough service credit.

If Your Spouse Had Already Retired

When a service retiree dies, the Plan of Payment they selected at retirement controls everything:

• Plan I (Single Life Annuity): Monthly payments stop. The designated death-benefit beneficiary receives the separate $1,000 statutory benefit; any accumulated contributions in excess of amounts already paid are refunded to the estate. This is the hardest outcome for surviving spouses and the most common source of financial shock.
• Plan II (Joint and Survivor Annuity): Monthly payments continue to the named primary beneficiary for life. If you were named, Option 1 pays 100% of the benefit paid to your spouse, Option 2 pays 50%, and Options 3 and 4 provide other fixed or split arrangements.
• Plan III (Annuity Certain): If the guaranteed period hasn't expired, remaining monthly payments continue to the designated secondary beneficiary. Once the guarantee expires, payments stop.

You cannot change the Plan of Payment after your spouse's death. If your spouse elected Plan I, no monthly survivor pension exists regardless of how long the marriage lasted.

The $1,000 Death Benefit

Every DB service or disability retiree's death triggers a separate $1,000 lump-sum death benefit paid to the designated death benefit beneficiary. This is tax-free under ORC 3307.661 and is automatic — you don't have to choose it over anything else.

If your spouse purchased optional additional death benefit coverage ($1,000 or $2,000) at retirement or age 65, that amount is paid separately but is fully taxable.

Health Care Continuation

If your spouse retired or died as an active member on or after August 1, 2023, at least 20 years of total service credit is required for survivor health care eligibility; the earlier threshold was 15 years for members who retired or established benefit eligibility before that date. If your spouse was retired, you also must have been enrolled as an eligible dependent when they died.

Enrollment must happen within 31 days of the qualifying event. If you continue coverage as a retiree's dependent, you'll pay the full group premium rate — STRS Ohio's premium subsidy applies to primary benefit recipients, not covered dependents.

Medicare Part B enrollment is mandatory at age 65, or earlier if you are eligible because of disability. Declining Part B or failing to pay premiums results in automatic termination of STRS health coverage.

Social Security After the GPO Repeal

The Government Pension Offset, which used to reduce or eliminate Social Security survivor benefits for spouses of public pension recipients, was repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act on January 5, 2025. The repeal is retroactive to January 2024.

As a surviving spouse of an Ohio teacher, you can now claim full Social Security survivor benefits without any pension offset. If you never applied because GPO would have zeroed out the benefit, you must file a new application with SSA at 800-772-1213. Retroactive payments for new claims are limited to 6 months before your application date.

STRS Ohio survivor benefits and Social Security survivor benefits stack — claiming one does not reduce the other.

For the complete decision framework, claim workflow, and benefit comparison worksheets, see The STRS Ohio Survivor Benefits Guide.

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