Survivor Benefit Plan — Foundation and Line of Duty
What SBP Provides
SBP Foundation
Military pay stops when a member dies.
SBP Function
The survivor benefit plan provides a monthly income to survivors of retired military personnel upon the member's death.
Government Program
SBP Program
The survivor benefit plan is a government program for retiring members to ensure their eligible survivors receive a portion of their military retired pay as a monthly annuity after their death.
Cannot Be Outlived
SBP Spouse Cannot Outlive
The plan was structured so a surviving spouse cannot outlive the annuity, and cost-of-living adjustments are incorporated to offset inflation.
Automatic Coverage
Automatic SBP Coverage
RegAF members with a spouse or dependent children are automatically covered by the survivor benefit plan at no cost while they remain on RegAF status.
Line of Duty — Pre-Retirement Eligible
Pre-Retirement Death LOD
The member's death must be classified in 'line of duty' for an annuity to be payable if the member is NOT yet retirement eligible (has not accrued 20 years of RegAF status) on the date of death.
Annuity Calculation
55% Annuity (Total Disability)
The annuity payable is 55 percent of the retired pay the member would have been entitled to receive if retired with a total disability rating on the date of death.
Not in Line of Duty — Retirement Eligible
Not LOD But Retirement Eligible
An annuity may also be payable if the member's death is classified 'not in line of duty' as long as the member was retirement eligible on the date of death.
Annuity Calculation
55% Annuity (Years of Service)
In this case, annuity payable is 55 percent of the retired pay the member would have been entitled to receive if retired for years of service on the date of death.
Children-Only Election
Children-Only SBP
The surviving spouse of a member who dies in the line of duty while on RegAF status may request the survivor benefit plan be paid only to the member's children, avoiding the reduction caused by a spouse's receipt of dependency and indemnity compensation — the survivor benefits paid by the VA when a member's death is determined to have resulted from a service-connected cause.