To receive a pension based on your husband's work record, he must be partially or fully vested, depending upon the provisions of his plan, and you must be listed as a beneficiary of his pension (joint and survivor's option). If he is a state or local government worker, his benefits may terminate at his death. If your husband has had several jobs, he may be eligible for more than one pension. Go over his work records with him and contact his previous employers to determine if he may be entitled to retirement benefits.

Today, most pensions have a Joint and Survivor (J&S) annuity option that guarantees the pension to be paid over the lifetimes of both spouses, thereby providing income for a surviving spouse. If you and your spouse do not want the J&S option, you both must sign a notarized statement declaring that you do not want it. Some couples choose not to take the J&S option because it will reduce the worker's monthly benefit and both spouses have their own pensions.