22 U.S.C. § 4071j: Former spouses

Summary

A former spouse can get part of a participant’s benefits if they were married at least 10 years during the participant’s service that counts here, and at least 5 of those years happened while the participant was a Foreign Service member. Payments start the first day of the month after the divorce or annulment is final and stop the last day of the month before the former spouse dies or remarries before turning 55. If the couple was married for all the participant’s creditable service, the former spouse can get 50% of the benefits; if not, the former spouse gets a proportional share of that 50%. Payments count as income to the former spouse for federal tax purposes. A former spouse of someone on disability starts getting payments on the later of the disability start date or the date the participant would have qualified for a regular annuity, and the amount is based on that regular annuity. The former spouse can choose the payment method the participant could have picked, and the participant can choose for the rest, but the former spouse cannot pick a payment that would create a survivor annuity for someone who would survive the former spouse. The most a former spouse can get at one time is 50% of the total benefits minus what others are already receiving. A former spouse can also get survivor benefits. If they were married for the entire creditable service, they get 100% of the survivor benefit; if not, they get a proportional share of 100%. A former spouse who remarries before age 55, before starting benefits, is not eligible. A participant may not change elections in the retirement or thrift plans to reduce a former spouse’s rights. Special rules apply if a member moved into this system from the old Foreign Service system and a former spouse already had similar pro rata benefits. If a participant dies after at least 18 months of service, or a former participant dies with a deferred annuity and left a spousal agreement promising a survivor annuity, that survivor annuity is paid under these rules as if a court had ordered it.

Title 22, §4071j

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Entitlement to share in benefits; conditions; remarriage; payments as income to former spouse; disability annuitants; election regarding method of payment; maximum amount payable

(1)(A)Unless otherwise expressly provided by any spousal agreement or court order governing disposition of benefits under this part, a former spouse of a participant or former participant is entitled, during the period described in subparagraph (B), to a share (determined under paragraph (2)) of all benefits otherwise payable to such participant under this part if such former spouse was married to the participant for at least 10 years during service of the participant which is creditable under this subchapter with at least 5 of such years occurring while the participant was a member of the Foreign Service.

(B)The period referred to in subparagraph (A) is the period which begins on the first day of the month following the month in which the divorce or annulment becomes final and ends on the last day of the month before the former spouse dies or remarries before 55 years of age.

(2)The share referred to in paragraph (1) equals—

(A)50 percent, if such former spouse was married to the participant throughout the actual years of service of the participant which are creditable under this subchapter; or

(B)a pro rata share of 50 percent, if such former spouse was not married to the participant throughout such creditable service.

(3)A former spouse shall not be qualified for any benefit under this subsection if, before the commencement of any benefit, the former spouse remarries before becoming 55 years of age.

(4)(A)For purposes of title 26, payments to a former spouse under this section shall be treated as income to the former spouse and not to the participant.

(B)Any reduction in payments to a participant or former participant as a result of payments to a former spouse under this subsection shall be disregarded in calculating—

(i)the survivor annuity for any spouse, former spouse, or other survivor under this part, and

(ii)any reduction in the annuity of the participant to provide survivor benefits under this part.

(5)Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1), in the case of any former spouse of a disability annuitant—

(A)the annuity of the former spouse shall commence on the date the participant would qualify, on the basis of his or her creditable service, for an annuity under this subchapter (other than a disability annuity) or the date the disability annuity begins, whichever is later, and

(B)the amount of the annuity of the former spouse shall be calculated on the basis of the annuity for which the participant would otherwise so qualify.

(6)(A)Except as provided in subparagraph (B), any former spouse who becomes entitled to receive any benefit under this part which would otherwise be payable to a participant or former participant shall be entitled to make any election regarding method of payment to such former spouse that such participant would have otherwise been entitled to elect, and the participant may elect an alternate method for the remaining share of such benefits. Such elections shall not increase the actuarial present value of benefits expected to be paid under this part.

(B)A former spouse may not elect a method of payment under subchapter II, chapter 84 of title 5, providing for payment of a survivor annuity to any survivor of the former spouse.

(7)The maximum amount payable to any former spouse pursuant to this subsection shall be the difference, if any, between 50 percent of the total benefits authorized to be paid to a former participant by this part, disregarding any apportionment of these benefits to others, and the aggregate amount payable to all others at any one time.

(b)Entitlement to survivor benefits; determination of share; disqualification upon remarriage

(1)Unless otherwise expressly provided for by any spousal agreement or court order governing survivorship benefits under this part to a former spouse married to a participant or former participant for the periods specified in subsection (a)(1)(A), such former spouse is entitled to a share, determined under subsection (b)(2), of all survivor benefits that would otherwise be payable under this part to an eligible surviving spouse of the participant.

(2)The share referred to in subsection (b)(1) equals—

(A)100 percent if such former spouse was married to the participant throughout the entire period of service of the participant which is creditable under this subchapter; or

(B)a pro rata share of 100 percent if such former spouse was not married to the participant throughout such creditable service.

(3)A former spouse shall not be qualified for any benefit under this subsection if, before the commencement of any benefit, the former spouse remarries before becoming 55 years of age.

(c)Diminution of entitlement of former spouse prohibited

A participant or former participant may not make any election or modification of election under section 8417, 8418, or 8433 of title 5 or other section relating to the participant’s account in the Thrift Savings Plan or annuity under the basic plan that would diminish the entitlement of a former spouse to any benefit granted to the former spouse by this section or in a current spousal agreement.

(d)Transfer of participant from Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System; determination of benefit share

If a member becomes a participant under this part after qualifying for benefits under part I and, at the time of transfer, has a former spouse entitled to benefits under part I which are determined under section 4054 or 4055 of this title (as determined by the Secretary of State) and are similar in amount to a pro rata share division under section 4054 or 4055 of this title and the service of the member as a participant under this part is not recognized in determining that pro rata share, then subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall not apply to such former spouse. Otherwise, subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall apply.

(e)Death of participant entitled to deferred annuity; spousal agreement; payment of survivor annuity

If a participant dies after completing at least 18 months of service or a former participant dies entitled to a deferred annuity, but before becoming eligible to receive the annuity, and such participant or former participant has left with the Secretary of State a spousal agreement promising a share of a survivor annuity under subchapter IV, chapter 84, title 5, to a former spouse, such survivor annuity shall be paid under the terms of this part as if the survivor annuity had been ordered by a court.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1986—Subsec. (a)(4)(A). Pub. L. 99–514 substituted “Internal Revenue Code of 1986” for “Internal Revenue Code of 1954”, which for purposes of codification was translated as “title 26” thus requiring no change in text. Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 99–556 added par. (3).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1986 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 99–556 effective Jan. 1, 1987, see section 408 of Pub. L. 99–556, set out as a note under section 4046 of this title.

§4071j Former Spouses