OPM.gov Home  |  Subject Index  |  Important Links  |  Contact Us  |  Help

U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Advanced Search

This page can be found on the web at the following url:
http://www.opm.gov/retire/annuity/students/index.asp

Retirement Information & Services

Student Benefits

Students Ages 18-22

A surviving child who meets the Basic Eligibility Requirements as defined in the pamphlet Survivor Benefits for Children PDF File [278 KB] and is between the ages of 18 and 22, and is a full-time student at a recognized educational institution may be eligible for a monthly survivor annuity benefit.

If a person who meets these requirements is listed on the Application for Death Benefits, Standard Form 2800 PDF File [807 KB] we will send an Initial Certification of Full-Time School Attendance, RI 25-41 PDF File [140 KB] . This form is completed by the person who expects to receive the payments and by the school.  If a child under 18 receives annuity benefits, as the 18th birthday approaches, we notify the parent, guardian, or other payee of the date the annuity will stop and explain how to get continued benefits for a son or daughter who is a qualified student.   

Self-Certification Website

Students can also self-certify their full-time school attendance online at our Self-Certification of Full-Time School Attendance website.

Eligibility

A recognized educational institution is a school that has a faculty and requires study or training to be done at the school, and is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.  Examples include:

  • high schools
  • technical or vocational institutes
  • business schools
  • colleges
  • junior or community colleges
  • universities

Student benefits are not payable to students enrolled in correspondence courses, distance learning, “online” courses, Job Corps, elementary schools, United States military service academies, or any training programs, such as apprenticeship programs, where the trainee receives pay primarily as an employee.

The student must be attending day or evening classes at the school, with enough course work each semester or term to finish his or her education within the length of time generally considered normal by the school for a full-time day student.  Full-time students must have a sufficient subject load to allow them to graduate within the minimum time which is considered normal for a full-time student of the school.

High schools generally require 25 to 35 actual clock hours of class attendance each week to consider a student as full-time.  For special programs, they generally require a minimum of 20 hours per week.  Colleges, junior or community colleges, and universities generally require a minimum of 12 semester or quarter credit hours to graduate in the normal length of time.  For tuition purposes, a student carrying fewer credit hours may be designated as full-time.  Being designated full-time for tuition purposes does not necessarily establish eligibility for adult student benefits.  Vocational or technical schools generally require that students make this schooling their principal activity.  This means that the student spends as much as 40 clock hours each week in activities related directly to training in the school.  Normally, the activities take place at the school.

Work Study Programs

Acceptable work-study programs generally require some regularly scheduled class attendance; together, the class attendance and the work periods constitute a full-time course of training.  High school work-study programs are considered full-time if the school gives the student credit for successfully completing the work-study program.  Generally, cooperative programs are not full-time academic course work.  However, if the student receives full-time academic credit in a cooperative program and is not receiving pay primarily as an employee, the student may qualify for a monthly annuity.

Continued Eligibility

OPM may request periodic certification from you that the student continues to meet the eligibility requirements. OPM may also request at any time that you provide proof of the school enrollment.

Annuity benefits continue between school years unless the break is longer than 5 months or the student does not plan to continue full-time school attendance.  If the student plans to be out of school for more than 5 months, benefits are not paid during the break.  If he or she plans to return to school within 5 months, but does not do so, benefits stop at the end of the month before the change of plans.  Evidence of a change of plans includes entry into military service and failure to return to school on the date the new term begins.  You must notify us immediately if there is a break of more than 5 months between school years or the student does not plan to continue full-time school attendance.  Any benefits erroneously continued during the break must be repaid by the recipient.

A son or daughter whose annuity benefits as an adult student stopped because he or she is no longer a full-time student at a recognized school could qualify for benefits again before reaching age 22.  In such a case, please request reinstatement of the annuity. Call our toll-free number 1-888-767-6738 or write to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Retirement Surveys & Students Branch
1900 E Street; NW;
Washington, DC 20415-3563

Be sure to provide the child’s full name, the survivor annuity claim number (CSF number), and the full name of the deceased Federal employee or retiree.

Discontinuation of Student Benefits

Annuity benefits stop for the student at the end of the month before the one in which he or she:

  • turns 22 (however, if the 22nd birthday falls on or after September 1 and before the following July 1, payments continue to the end of the month preceding the one in which full-time schooling stops or to June 30, whichever comes first);
  • marries;
  • dies;
  • stops attending school;
  • transfers to a non recognized school;
  • changes to less than full-time school attendance;
  • enters military service or a U.S. military service academy (such as the U.S. Naval Academy); or
  • fails to submit proof that he or she is attending school full-time when we request it.

If the student’s 22nd birthday occurs on or after September 1 and before July 1 of the following year and the death of the employee/annuitant occurs during the same period, the student may be eligible for a monthly annuity.

Except when the student attains age 22 (or fails to submit proof that he or she is a student), you must notify us immediately at the above address when any of the events listed above occurs.  If benefits are paid after one of these events, the person who received the payment will be indebted to the Civil Service Retirement System, and repayment will be required.  OPM has the authority to enforce collection through court action and/or referral to a collection agency.