A QPSA is a death benefit that is paid to the surviving spouse of a deceased employee.

The qualified pre-retirement survivor annuity, or QPSA, will be paid to recompense the surviving spouse for the loss of retirement benefits that would have otherwise been paid to the employee.

All vested participants in qualified plans are eligible for this benefit including defined-benefit and money purchase plans. However, spouses must have been married at least one year prior to being eligible for benefits.

Both employees and spouses must sign off on waivers of these benefits and they must be witnessed by either notary publics or authorized plan representatives. ERISA mandates how payments should be calculated based on when an employee dies during his/her employment with their company. If an employee dies within five years of retirement, 100% of his/her pension will go towards paying out any outstanding debts such as mortgage loans or credit card bills; 50% goes towards paying out any outstanding debts while 50% goes directly into the beneficiary's bank account; 25% goes towards paying out any outstanding debts while 75% goes directly into the beneficiary's bank account; 0% goes towards paying out any outstanding debts while 100% goes directly into the beneficiary's bank account; and 0% goes towards paying out any outstanding debts while 100% is deposited directly into their personal bank accounts without going through probate court proceedings first. In addition, there are other factors that determine how much each party receives such as whether or not they were married at least one year prior to receiving payment

The employer.