- Every pension includes a 50% survivor pension at no cost. You can instead take a 2% cut for a 66.67% survivor pension, a 3% cut for 75%, or a 6% cut for 100%. The choice is irrevocable and must be made before the first deposit.Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 20; p. 31, Joint Survivor Benefit Form
- Eligible survivors are your spouse; unmarried children under 18, or 18-22 and in school full time, or disabled before 18; and dependent parents, in that order. Survivors are not the same as beneficiaries, who get only a lump sum of leftover contributions if there is no survivor.Summary Plan Description (2026), pp. 19-20, Table 3; DPERS Actives Newsletter (Feb. 2025), p. 3
The four options
| Survivor gets | Your pension is cut |
|---|---|
| 50% survivor50% of your pension | no cut |
| 66.67% survivortwo-thirds of your pension | 2% |
| 75% survivor75% of your pension | 3% |
| 100% survivor100% of your pension | 6% |
The unreduced pension carries a 50% survivor pension at no cost. Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 20 (No reduction to member's pension = 50% survivor's pension) At retirement you choose the survivor percentage. The election is irrevocable and must be made before the first direct deposit. Survivors are, in order: spouse; unmarried children under 18 (or 18-22 and full-time students, or disabled before 18); dependent parents. A retiree can change the order with a notarized SOP-1 form. Summary Plan Description (2026), pp. 19-20, Survivor Pension, Table 3; p. 31, Joint Survivor Benefit Form; Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 14-15
All eight amounts in the Office of Pensions' example
The workshop's calculator example shows each option twice: on the full pension, and on the pension reduced for retiring at 55. Our engine gets the same eight amounts. Load the example.
Full pension, $2,380.56
| Option | Workshop | Ours | Survivor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $2,380.56 | $2,380.56 | $1,190.28 |
| 66.67% | $2,332.95 | $2,332.95 | $1,555.30 |
| 75% | $2,309.14 | $2,309.14 | $1,731.86 |
| 100% | $2,237.73 | $2,237.73 | $2,237.73 |
Reduced at 55, $2,094.89
| Option | Workshop | Ours | Survivor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $2,094.89 | $2,094.89 | $1,047.45 |
| 66.67% | $2,052.99 | $2,052.99 | $1,368.66 |
| 75% | $2,032.04 | $2,032.04 | $1,524.03 |
| 100% | $1,969.20 | $1,969.20 | $1,969.20 |
The survivor column is our figure from the option's percentage; the workshop shows only your amount. The online calculator rounds the base pension to cents, then applies the option reduction (slide 20 figures reproduce only that way). Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 20
If your spouse is under 50
A surviving spouse under 50 has the pension actuarially reduced for each month under 50, except while caring for an eligible child. The Board's actuarial tables are not published. Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 20, Surviving Spouse Under 50; 29 Del. C. §5528(e)
A surviving spouse under 50 gets a pension reduced by Board tables that aren't published, so we can't show that amount.
What would settle it: The Board of Pension Trustees' actuarial tables.
See death and survivor benefits for what happens if you die before retiring, early retirement for the reduced amount the options apply to, and the calculator for your own four amounts.
Questions
What survivor options does SEPP offer?
Four. Every pension already includes a 50% survivor pension at no cost. For a bigger survivor pension you take a permanent cut: 2% for two-thirds, 3% for 75%, 6% for 100%.
Can I change my choice later?
No. The choice is final and must be made before your first direct deposit.
Who counts as a survivor?
Your spouse; then unmarried children under 18 (or 18 to 22 and in school full time, or disabled before 18); then dependent parents.
Source: State Employees' Pension Plan Summary Plan Description, 2026 edition (PDF dated May 14, 2026), pp. 19-20, 31. Also: Office of Pensions workshop (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 14-15, 19-20; DPERS Actives Newsletter (Feb. 2025); 29 Del. C. §§ 5527, 5528. Last reviewed .