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

The form applies only to the disposition of your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account after your death. It is only necessary to designate a beneficiary if you want payment to be made in a way other than the following order of precedence:

1. To your widow or widower.
2. If none, to your child or children equally, and descendants of deceased children by representation.
3. If none, to your parents equally or to the surviving parent.
4. If none, to the appointed executor or administrator of your estate.
5. If none, to your next of kin who is entitled to your estate under the laws of the state in which you resided at the time of your death.

In this order of precedence, a child includes a natural child and an adopted child, but does not include a stepchild whom you have not adopted; parent does not include a stepparent, unless your stepparent has adopted you. By representation means that if one of your children dies before you do, that childs share will be divided equally among his or her children.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The statement above was extracted from the TSP-3 form. Be sure to read the full instructions on that form before submitting a Designation of Beneficiary to the TSP.