Beneficiary Designation

Should you decide to change retirement plans during your reselection period, you may need to complete a new beneficiary designation form. Since the survivor benefits differ among the three retirement plans, a beneficiary designation filed while participating in one retirement plan will not be valid upon your change to a different plan.

If a designation is not filed with STRS Ohio, the succession of beneficiaries is set by Ohio law for the Defined Benefit Plan or the plan document for the Defined Contribution or Combined Plans. The succession of beneficiaries below applies to members who have filed a designation:

Defined Benefit Plan

1. Spouse and qualified children
2. Qualified children
3. Nonqualified children, share and share alike
4. Dependent parents
5. Parents, share and share alike
6. Estate

Qualified children are children who are: (1) under age 18; or, (2) under age 22, unmarried and attending school on at least a two-thirds of a full-time basis; or, (3) physically or mentally incapacitated and unmarried.

Combined Plan

1. Spouse
2. Children, share and share alike
3. Parents, share and share alike
4. Estate

Defined Contribution Plan

1. Spouse
2. Children, share and share alike
3. Parents, share and share alike
4. Estate

PDF versions of the beneficiary designation forms for the three STRS Ohio retirement plans are listed below. If a new designation form is not received, your account will be paid out under statutory succession in the event of your death before retirement.

Designation of Beneficiaries Before Benefit Payments for Defined Benefits Plan participants

Designation of Beneficiaries Before Benefit Payments for Defined Contribution Plan Participants

Designation of Beneficiaries Before Benefit Payments for Combined Plan participants

Contact STRS Ohio toll-free at 1-888-227-7877 Monday–Friday, from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. for more information or with any questions.