Is the start date of a federal pension survivor annuity the date the survivor started receiving payments or the date the deceased retiree started receiving payments?

The survivor's annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) generally begins to accrue on the day after the employee's or retiree's death, not when the survivor starts receiving payments. It is generally not tied to the date the deceased retiree started receiving payments

For more details, you can check out these resources:

• Survivor Benefits - U.S. Office of Personnel Management
• Learn more about survivor benefits and retirement