Federal employees name beneficiaries separately for each benefit: SF 2823 for FEGLI life insurance, SF 3102 for FERS or CSRS lump-sum benefits, a TSP designation filed through My Account, and SF 1152 for unpaid pay; without a valid designation, each benefit is paid by a legal order of precedence that starts with your spouse (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
Most people assume one form, or their will, decides who receives their benefits when they die. For federal employees, that assumption is wrong in an expensive way. Your life insurance, your retirement lump sums, your TSP, and your final paycheck each have their own designation, kept by different offices, and none of them reads your will.
The good news is that the system has a sensible default. If you never file anything, federal law pays your benefits in a fixed order that starts with your spouse. The risk lives in the exceptions: a divorce, a remarriage, a child you want to protect, a trust, or a form you filed 20 years ago and forgot.
This guide covers each designation form, the order of precedence, how survivor annuities differ from beneficiary designations, and when to update everything.
Think of your beneficiary forms as four separate mailboxes. Each benefit is delivered to the name on its own box. Change your address on one, and the other three keep delivering to the old name.
01Why do federal employees have more than one beneficiary form?
Each federal benefit is governed by its own law and paid by its own office, so each has its own designation. Filing one does not update the others. OPM's own SF 3102 instructions warn against confusing it with SF 2823, the TSP designation, or SF 1152 (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
| Benefit | Form | Who keeps it | What it controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEGLI life insurance | SF 2823 | Your employing office; OPM or the Department of Labor after retirement or injury compensation | Who receives your life insurance proceeds |
| CSRS or FERS lump sums | SF 3102 | Your employing office for employees; OPM for retirees | Refund of contributions or unpaid annuity owed at death |
| Thrift Savings Plan | TSP beneficiary designation (TSP-3), completed through My Account | The TSP | Who receives your TSP account |
| Unpaid compensation | SF 1152 | Your employing office | Final pay, unused annual leave, and other money owed at death |
Source: OPM and TSP form instructions, retrieved 2026-10-11. The current SF 3102 combines and supersedes all prior versions of the SF 2808 and SF 3102, so one form now serves both CSRS and FERS.
02What is the order of precedence?
The order of precedence is the default line of payment set by federal law when no valid designation is on file. For FEGLI, OPM lists it as: your widow or widower, then your children in equal shares with the share of a deceased child going to that child's descendants, then your parents, then the executor or administrator of your estate, and then your next of kin under the law of your state of residence (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11). The SF 3102 and SF 1152 orders follow the same pattern.
- 01
Widow or widower
Your spouse at the time of your death.
- 02
Children
In equal shares, with a deceased child's share going to that child's descendants.
- 03
Parents
In equal shares, or all to the surviving parent.
- 04
Estate
The executor or administrator of your estate.
- 05
Next of kin
As determined by the law of your state of residence.
OPM says you do not need to file a designation if you are satisfied with this order (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11). A designation is worth filing if you want to name someone outside the order, such as a trust, a charity, a friend, or a stepchild; split benefits unevenly; or skip someone who would otherwise be paid.
The order of precedence is not a bad plan. It is just a plan you did not write.
03How does the SF 2823 work for FEGLI?
The SF 2823 names who receives your FEGLI life insurance. It must be received by the right office before your death. Employees file it with their employing office, and annuitants file it with OPM (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
- Covers your own coverage. One SF 2823 covers Basic, Option A, and Option B on your life. Option C, family coverage, is paid to you as the insured when a covered family member dies.
- Shares must add up. If you name more than one person, list each share as a fraction or percentage that totals the whole.
- Contingents help. Naming a contingent beneficiary prevents the proceeds falling back to the order of precedence if your primary beneficiary dies first.
- Canceling is a filing too. To return to the order of precedence, file a new SF 2823 stating "Cancel Prior Designations" (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
- Assignments and court orders take priority. If you assigned your coverage on form RI 76-10, or a qualifying court order directs payment, those control over the SF 2823.
Our FEGLI guide explains the coverage itself, and our FEGLI cost by age tool shows what each option costs.
04How does the SF 3102 work for FERS and CSRS benefits?
The SF 3102 names who receives any retirement lump-sum benefit payable at your death, such as a refund of your retirement contributions if no survivor annuity is payable, or annuity owed to you but not yet paid. For FERS employees, the employing agency must receive it before your death; retirees send it to OPM (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
The SF 3102 does not control survivor annuities. Survivor annuities for a spouse or former spouse are set by your election at retirement, a court order, or law, and children's survivor benefits follow their own eligibility rules (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
- Lump-sum benefitA one-time payment, such as a refund of contributions or unpaid annuity. Controlled by SF 3102 or the order of precedence.
- Survivor annuityA monthly benefit for a spouse, former spouse, or eligible child. Controlled by your retirement election, court orders, and law, not by SF 3102.
- Insurable interest annuityA survivor annuity you can elect at retirement for someone with a financial interest in your life, such as a dependent relative, subject to health and age rules.
Our survivor benefits guide covers the annuity election in full.
05How do you name a TSP beneficiary?
You name TSP beneficiaries online. The TSP's designating beneficiaries page directs you to log in to My Account, and its online process prefills the designation form based on your answers, which helps avoid errors that delay or reject a form (TSP, retrieved 2026-10-11).
- 01
Gather details
For each person: Social Security number, full name, date of birth, and address. For a trust or estate: the trustee's or executor's details.
- 02
Log in to My Account
on tsp.gov.
- 03
Answer the questions
The online process builds your designation and assigns shares.
- 04
Complete and submit
the form as the TSP directs, and keep a copy.
- 05
Check your statement
Confirm the TSP shows your designation on file.
The TSP is explicit that a will or other document cannot substitute for a designation on file at the time of death (TSP, retrieved 2026-10-11). If you have no designation, your TSP is paid by the order of precedence. Our TSP guide covers the account itself.
06Worked example: one change, four forms
Here is how a single life event can require four updates. This is an educational example.
- 01
The event
You divorce and later remarry. Your former spouse is still named on all four forms from 15 years ago.
- 02
FEGLI
Without a new SF 2823, your former spouse receives your FEGLI, unless a court order directs otherwise. Federal law, not state divorce law, controls FEGLI designations: in Hillman v. Maretta (2013), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld payment to a named former spouse.
- 03
TSP
Without a new designation, your former spouse receives your TSP account.
- 04
SF 3102 and SF 1152
Any lump sums and final pay go to your former spouse as named.
- 05
The fix
File a new SF 2823, a new TSP designation, a new SF 3102, and a new SF 1152, each with its own office, consistent with any court order from your divorce.
Your record, not our example
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07When should you update your beneficiary forms?
Update your designations after any life event that changes who you want to protect, and review them every few years even if nothing has changed.
- Marriage or remarriage. A new spouse is first in the order of precedence, but an old designation naming someone else still controls.
- Divorce. Federal designations are not automatically revoked by divorce.
- Birth or adoption. A designation naming specific children does not add new ones.
- Death of a beneficiary. Name a new primary or rely on your contingent.
- Setting up a trust. If your estate plan uses a trust, each federal designation must name it.
- Retirement. A good moment to review all four, since your filing office changes for some forms.
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08How can you check what is on file?
Ask each office. Your employing office can confirm SF 2823, SF 3102, and SF 1152 designations for employees, OPM holds designations for retirees, and your TSP designation can be checked through My Account. Keep your own copies of every form you file, with the date you sent it.
A simple habit helps: keep one folder, paper or digital, with a copy of every current designation, the date filed, and the office it went to. Your survivors will know where to look, and you will know at a glance when something is out of date.
09Moving forward with your designations
Beneficiary forms take minutes to file and are among the most consequential documents you will sign. Because each benefit has its own form and its own office, the only safe habit is to treat them as a set: when one changes, check all four.
From here, review the FEGLI guide for your coverage, the divorce guide if a court order is involved, and the survivor benefits guide for how annuities pass to a spouse.
FFEBA is an education organization. If you want someone to look at your own numbers, we can match you with a Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC), a professional trained on federal benefits. The FRC designation is listed with FINRA. The first review is free, nothing is booked until you choose a time, and you are never obligated to work with anyone we introduce. Get matched with an FRC.
10Questions federal employees ask
What is the SF 2823?
The SF 2823 is the Designation of Beneficiary form for FEGLI life insurance. Employees file it with their employing office; retirees and compensationers file it with OPM or the Department of Labor. It must be received before your death to be valid (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
What is the SF 3102?
The SF 3102 is the Designation of Beneficiary form for CSRS and FERS lump-sum benefits, such as a refund of contributions or unpaid annuity owed at death. It replaced earlier versions of the form, and it does not control survivor annuities, which are set by your retirement election and by law (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
How do I name a TSP beneficiary?
Log in to My Account on tsp.gov. The TSP's online process prefills the beneficiary designation form from your answers. You need each beneficiary's Social Security number, full name, date of birth, and address. A will cannot substitute for a TSP designation (TSP, retrieved 2026-10-11).
What is the order of precedence for federal benefits?
When there is no valid designation, federal death benefits are generally paid first to your widow or widower, then to your children and descendants of deceased children, then to your parents, then to the executor or administrator of your estate, and then to next of kin under state law (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
Do I need to fill out a beneficiary form?
Not if you are satisfied with the order of precedence. OPM says a designation is needed only if you want to name someone outside that order, split benefits differently, or change the order. Many people file one anyway to make their wishes explicit.
Does my will control who gets my FEGLI or TSP?
No. FEGLI, CSRS and FERS lump-sum benefits, the TSP, and unpaid pay are paid under federal designation forms and the order of precedence, not your will. Only a valid court order or assignment can change who is paid.
Reviewed by the FFEBA education team. Last reviewed October 2026.
Sources
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Designation of Beneficiary for the FEGLI Program, retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, SF 2823 Designation of Beneficiary, FEGLI, retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, SF 3102 Designation of Beneficiary (CSRS and FERS), retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, SF 1152 Designation of Beneficiary, Unpaid Compensation of Deceased Civilian Employee, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Thrift Savings Plan, Designating beneficiaries, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Thrift Savings Plan, Forms and resources, retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, FERS survivor benefits, retrieved 2026-07-05
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Death of an annuitant: life events, retrieved 2026-07-05
Every government figure on this page carries its source and retrieval date. Worked examples are educational estimates on the assumptions shown, not a projection of any person's benefit. FFEBA is an education organization, not a financial advisor.
