To whom does the death benefit get paid in the absence of primary beneficiaries?

The correct answer is that the death benefit typically gets paid to the deceased employee's estate in the absence of primary beneficiaries. When an individual passes away without designated primary beneficiaries, the established protocols for such circumstances come into play. In many cases, the estate is the next entity that claims the benefits. This ensures that the assets, including death benefits, can be distributed according to the deceased's will or, if no will exists, according to the laws of succession.

Although the option of paying to a secondary beneficiary might seem plausible, secondary beneficiaries only receive benefits if the primary beneficiaries are unable to claim them. Therefore, if there are no primary beneficiaries named at all, the benefits do not default to secondary beneficiaries but rather to the estate itself.

This clearly outlines why the correct understanding of beneficiary designations and the legal principles surrounding estate inheritance is vital for effective management of life insurance or similar death benefits.