Beneficiary Designations Provide Valuable Financial Protection for Your Loved Ones

Whether working or retired, every PSRS/PEERS member should have an updated beneficiary designation on file. Your PSRS/PEERS beneficiary designation indicates who should receive any benefits payable if you pass away.

If you are unsure who you have named as beneficiaries, it is easy to view your current designation using PSRS/PEERS Web Member Services. You can log in or register for access here.

Active (Working) Members

Even though you are not yet retired, your beneficiary designation is still important.

PSRS/PEERS offers valuable financial protection for your family if you die before retirement. Depending on a variety of factors, your beneficiary could receive either a lump sum payment of the contributions you paid in plus interest, or monthly benefit payments. You can learn more about survivor benefits on this website.

If you are an active member, it is also important to remember that life changes like marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child automatically void your pre-retirement beneficiary designation. Unless you file a new beneficiary designation, Missouri law determines your beneficiaries if you pass away.

All active members can update their beneficiary designation at any time in Web Member Services.

Benefit Recipients

If you are a service or disability retiree, you named a beneficiary or beneficiaries at retirement. Options for naming beneficiaries at service retirement depend on the benefit plan selected.

If you are a service retiree who selected the Single Life or a Term-Certain benefit plan, or if you receive disability benefits, you can update your beneficiary designation at any time in Web Member Services.

If you selected a Joint-and-Survivor benefit plan at retirement, you can change your beneficiary for monthly benefits only if you named your spouse and that spouse passes away or you divorce. If this occurs, contact our office for information and assistance.

However, as a Joint-and-Survivor benefit recipient, you can change the beneficiary named to receive any remaining balance of contributions and interest in your membership. This balance is paid out only if both you and your beneficiary for monthly benefits pass away before those funds are depleted. You can update this beneficiary in Web Member Services.

No matter what your career stage, we recommend that you take advantage of the financial protection PSRS/PEERS provides for your loved ones. Always keep your beneficiary designations up to date to ensure benefits payable to your survivors are distributed according to your wishes.