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HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 5Pt. 3Ch. 13Art. 7§ 21476 Survivor Benefit Option Rules

§ 21476 Survivor Benefit Option Rules

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 21476 Survivor Benefit Option Rules

Key Takeaways

  • •If you pick this retirement plan, you get paid every month until you die. After that, the person you chose (like your spouse) gets half of your monthly payment for their whole life.
  • •If you were part of certain special work groups when you retired, your chosen person might get half of only part of your payment, not the full half.
  • •If both you and the person you chose die, any money left from what you put into the retirement plan goes to the next person you picked (like your kid) in one big payment.
  • •This rule started for people who retired on or after January 1, 2018.

Example

John picks this retirement plan when he retires. He gets $2,000 every month. When John dies, his wife, who he chose as his beneficiary, starts getting $1,000 every month for the rest of her life.

John gets his full payment while he’s alive. After he dies, his wife gets half of what John was getting. This is how the plan works to take care of his wife after he’s gone.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 21476 Survivor Benefit Option Rules

(a) The 50 Percent Beneficiary Option 3 consists of the right to have a retirement allowance paid to a member until his or her death, and thereafter to have one-half of the member’s monthly allowance paid to his or her named beneficiary for life; provided that with respect to a member subject to Section 21624, 21629, or 21630 at retirement, the named beneficiary shall receive a monthly allowance equal to one-half of that portion of the member’s allowance that exceeds the amount of the allowance deemed payable to a survivor. (b) Upon the death of both the member and the named beneficiary, any remaining balance of the member’s accumulated contributions at retirement not used to fund the allowances paid to the member and the named beneficiary will be paid in a lump sum to the secondary beneficiary or beneficiaries named by the member. (c) This section shall apply to any member who retires on or after January 1, 2018. (Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 199, Sec. 22. (AB 2404) Effective January 1, 2017.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

50 Percent Beneficiary Option 3retirement allowancenamed beneficiarysecondary beneficiaryaccumulated contributions

Related Statutes

  • § 21475 Lifetime Beneficiary Retirement Option
  • § 21476.5 Survivor Benefit Option Rules
  • § 21477 Beneficiary Retirement Allowance Options
  • § 21290 Retirement Benefits In Divorce
  • § 21298 Nonmember Retirement Allowance Calculation

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 21476.
View Official Source