Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

Code of Federal Regulations Title 5. Administrative Personnel § 5.843.205 Designation of beneficiary—form and execution

Current as of January 02, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) A designation of beneficiary must be in writing, signed and witnessed, and received in the employing office (or in OPM, in the case of a retiree, or a compensationer, or a separated employee) before the death of the designator.

(b) A change or cancellation of beneficiary in a last will or testament, or in any other document not witnessed and filed as required by this section, will not have any force or effect.

(c) A witness to a designation of beneficiary is ineligible to receive payment as a beneficiary.

(d) Any person, firm, corporation, or legal entity may be named as beneficiary.

(e) A change of beneficiary may be made at any time and without the knowledge or consent of the previous beneficiary. This right cannot be waived or restricted.

(f) A designation of beneficiary is automatically cancelled whenever a separated employee is paid the unexpended balance.

(g)(1) If the shares designated equal less than 100 percent, the undesignated portion will be paid according to the order of precedence provided in section 8424 of title 5, United States Code.

(2) If the shares designated exceed 100 percent, each designee's share will be in proportion to the share originally designated. Each share is computed by multiplying the percentage designated for that designee by a fraction whose numerator is 100 and whose denominator is the total number of percent designated.

Previous Part of Code Next Part of Code
Back to Chapter List

Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Code of Federal Regulations Title 5. Administrative Personnel § 5.843.205 Designation of beneficiary—form and execution - last updated January 02, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/cfr/title-5-administrative-personnel/cfr-sect-5-843-205/

FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.

Was this helpful?

Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes

A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law.

Go to Learn About the Law

Latest Blog Posts

For Legal Professionals

Learn About The Law

Get help with your legal needs

FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.

Go to Learn About the Law

Need to Find an Attorney?

Search our directory by legal issue

Enter information in one or both fields (Required)

Copied to clipboard