Retirement accounts after a death in Ohio: what the estate inventory can miss
Workplace retirement accounts usually pass by beneficiary designation, outside probate. How executors and families find them.
Most workplace retirement money does not pass through the will. It goes to the beneficiary named with the plan. That is why an estate inventory, which lists probate assets, can miss it entirely, and why a family may not know an old account exists.
Who gets the money
- A named beneficiary claims directly from the plan. The money does not enter the probate estate.
- A surviving spouse often has rights by law: pension plans generally must offer a survivor annuity, and 401(k)-type plans generally treat the spouse as beneficiary unless the spouse signed a waiver.
- No valid beneficiary: the plan's default rule applies, often the spouse, then the estate. Then the executor claims it for the estate.
Ohio public pensions
For people who worked for the state, a school or a local government, OPERS, STRS, SERS and Ohio Police & Fire keep unclaimed member money inside the system. It can be claimed by the right survivor or the estate on application.
How to find accounts
- Get the work history. The decedent's Social Security earnings statement lists employers by year.
- Screen each employer. Attovar's estate screen traces every employer's plans through mergers and closures and drafts a records request for the executor to sign.
- Check tax records. The executor can obtain the decedent's IRS Wage and Income transcripts, which list IRAs and payouts for the last 10 years.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor: What you should know about your retirement plan (survivor benefits)
- OPERS
- STRS Ohio
- SERS
Reviewed October 2026. Information only, not legal or tax advice.