[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 5, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 5CFR1651.3]

[Page 273-274]
 
                    TITLE 5--ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL
 
         CHAPTER VI--FEDERAL RETIREMENT THRIFT INVESTMENT BOARD
 
PART 1651_DEATH BENEFITS--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  1651.3  Designation of beneficiary.

    (a) Filing requirements. To designate a beneficiary of a TSP 
account, a participant must complete and file a TSP designation of 
beneficiary form with the TSP record keeper. A participant may designate 
more beneficiaries than the TSP form accommodates by attaching 
additional pages to the TSP designation of beneficiary form in 
accordance with the instructions on the form. A valid TSP designation of 
beneficiary remains in effect until it is properly canceled or changed 
as described in Sec.  1651.4.

[[Page 274]]

    (b) Eligible beneficiaries. Any individual, firm, corporation, or 
legal entity, including the U.S. Government, may be designated as a 
beneficiary. Any number of beneficiaries can be named to share the death 
benefit. A beneficiary may be designated without the knowledge or 
consent of that beneficiary or the knowledge or consent of the 
participant's spouse.
    (c) Validity requirements. To be valid, a TSP designation of 
beneficiary form must be:
    (1) Received by the TSP record keeper on or before the date of the 
participant's death; and
    (2) Signed by the participant and two witnesses. The participant 
must either sign the form in the presence of the witnesses or 
acknowledge his signature on the form to the witnesses. If the 
participant attaches an additional page or pages to the designation of 
beneficiary form, each additional page must be signed and witnessed in 
the same manner (by the same witnesses) as the form itself, and must 
follow the format of the TSP designation of beneficiary form. A witness 
must be age 21 or older. A witness designated as a beneficiary will not 
be entitled to receive a death benefit payment; if a witness is the only 
named beneficiary, the designation of beneficiary is invalid. If more 
than one beneficiary is named, the share of the witness beneficiary will 
be allocated among the remaining beneficiaries pro rata.
    (d) Will. A participant cannot use a will to designate a TSP 
beneficiary.

[70 FR 32216, June 1, 2005]