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Death and the TSP

John Faith
July 1, 2014

When a retired federal employee dies, notification should not only be made to the Office of Personnel Management but to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) if the deceased was a participant. Notification should be made as soon as possible to the TSP by a family member or a representative of the deceased.

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If an individual dies who is still an active employee in the federal service or a member of the uniformed services, then the report of death should be made to the deceased employing agency or service. If the employer is a former or retired employee, the family member or representative should call the TSP at 1-877-968-3778 to speak to a TSP service representative.

With the TSP, it is important to move forward as quickly as possible in providing the necessary information to the TSP so that a determination of potential beneficiaries can be made. After completing the forms, a TSP-17 for regular employees and a TSP-U-17 for the uniformed services, a death certificate must accompany the submission. The completed form and all supporting documents can be mailed to TSP Death Benefits Processing Unit-P.O. Box 4450, Fairfax Virginia 22038-4450 or you may overnight it to ATTN: TSP Death Benefits Processing Unit, 12210 Fairfax Town Center, Unit 906, Fairfax, VA 22033.