How to choose a life insurance beneficiary
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What is a life insurance beneficiary?
It’s the person or organization (such as a charity) that you designated to receive the death benefit payout if you pass away. And just as you can leave assets in a will to more than one person, you can designate multiple people or entities as beneficiaries in a policy.
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Naming a beneficiary is one of the most important parts of getting a life insurance policy, and shouldn't be treated as an afterthought. After all, the entire purpose of getting life insurance is to help take care of people you love — your beneficiaries — if you die unexpectedly. In fact, your life insurance purchasing process isn't complete until you've named an eligible beneficiary.
This guide to life insurance beneficiary rules will cover the key points you should consider, including:
What you need to know about the process
Can anyone be named as my beneficiary?
How to choose your beneficiaries
How to find out if you're a beneficiary named in a policy
What do I need to know about naming beneficiaries?
Choosing the right beneficiary is crucial. According to Guardian’s 12th Annual Workplace Benefits Study, twenty-eight percent of U.S. households would experience an adverse financial impact within one month should their family's primary wage earner die prematurely.1 With a life insurance policy and the right beneficiary assigned, households can minimize the financial stress associated with a loved one's passing. So, let’s begin: What is a life insurance beneficiary?
A beneficiary is someone designated in your policy to receive all or part of your life insurance death benefit.
There can be more than one beneficiary, and in practice, there often is.
A beneficiary doesn’t have to be a person — it can also be an entity such as a church, charity, or family trust.
Primary and contingent beneficiaries
The reality is, anyone can pass away unexpectedly. That’s why there are two basic types of beneficiaries named in a life insurance policy:
Primary beneficiaries: The person or people who are first in line to receive life insurance proceeds when the insured passes away. If they die before you, your benefit is paid to the remaining primary beneficiaries, or if none, to contingent beneficiaries.
Contingent beneficiaries: The person or people next in line to receive the benefit if — and only if — the primary beneficiary dies. The contingent beneficiary's meaning is essentially the "back-up" beneficiary. Contingents can also be designated as secondary beneficiaries, tertiary beneficiaries, and so on; a tertiary beneficiary gets the proceeds if the primary and secondary both pass away before you do. There can also be multiple contingent beneficiaries with some plans.
But let's consider another scenario, with more than one primary beneficiary: You want to leave your benefit to your adult children with your grandchildren next in line, but your children are still of childbearing age, so you're not even sure how many grandchildren there will ultimately be. There are two basic rules for defining generational inheritance:
Per stirpes: This means that if your primary beneficiary dies before you, their share is divided equally among his or her heirs. For example, let’s say your two children — John and Susan — are your primary beneficiaries, and each gets half the proceeds. Let's also say that John has three children.2 If John dies before you, then his three children would each get 16.66% of the proceeds (which equals 50%); the other 50% would go to Susan.
Per capita: This means that the proceeds are divided equally among all the surviving heirs. So, in the example above, there are now four beneficiaries. Each of John's offspring would get 25% of the benefit, and Susan would also get 25% as opposed to the 50% she would be entitled to per stirpes.
There are any number of reasons to select per stirpes or per capita depending on your situation. Still, it's important to understand how your life insurance proceeds will be allocated depending on the approach you choose.
Revocable and irrevocable beneficiaries
Your policy will ask you to designate your beneficiaries as either revocable or irrevocable. If a beneficiary is irrevocable, then you can’t change your mind without their consent – the death benefit must go to that person if they are still alive. Revocable means that you can make a change later on and decide to remove that beneficiary for another, without notifying them.
Some professionals say it may be best to consider making them all revocable, even a spouse. Why? Because your situation can change. Also, if you stay married, you could have the proceeds go directly to your children once they are adults. Or, at some point, your spouse could become incapacitated, and you may choose to leave your benefit to a guardian or trust charged with ensuring their care. One caveat: In some cases, even if they are revocable, you may still need the current beneficiary's consent for a change — for example, if a divorce agreement imposes specific restrictions.
Allocation among many beneficiaries
As noted, you can choose to have more than one beneficiary. For example, it’s relatively common for people in second marriages to allocate some of the proceeds to their new spouse and the rest to children from a previous spouse or partner. If you’re considering multiple beneficiaries, it’s important to understand how the life insurance payout will be managed and distributed.
To start with, you don’t have to allocate evenly: you can designate one beneficiary to get the largest share of the proceeds, with the others getting varying lesser amounts. Some policies let you choose between allocating by dollars or as a percentage of the total benefit. It may be best to allocate by percentage. Why? Because in a permanent life policy, the death benefit amount can change.
If you have a $200,000 whole life policy, the actual death benefit could be lower if you have an outstanding loan on the policy;3 alternatively, if your policy has received dividends, the amount could grow to, say, $250,000.4 If you have two beneficiaries at 50% each, there's no dispute: each receives $125,000. On the other hand, if you allocated $100,000 each, then there's nothing telling the life insurance company what to do with the remaining $50,000. That could result in a legal action between your heirs, likely the opposite of what you want.
Can anyone be named as my beneficiary?
Technically speaking, yes. Family members, business partners, charitable organizations, even friends, can all be designated as beneficiaries, but there are some caveats, especially if you're married. Here are some things to consider, depending on your relationship with a potential beneficiary:
Your spouse: Life insurance policies play a crucial role in estate planning and ensuring the financial confidence of your family after your death. People who are married with children still living at home commonly designate their spouse as the only primary beneficiary. After all, the most common reason for buying a life insurance policy is to help protect your family's financial well-being. However, if you live in a state with common property laws, you may need your spouse's consent to name anyone other than them as your primary beneficiary.
Other family members: As noted, it's not uncommon to divide the proceeds among a spouse and any adult children, but you can and perhaps should consider allocating a share to other family members. For example, if you have a parent who is financially dependent on you or a sibling with special needs, you may want to consider naming them in your policy.
Friends: This is not a problem (subject to the spousal permission caveat above). However, since friends can grow apart over the years, consider designating them as revocable beneficiaries.
People with whom you have a financial relationship: If someone co-signed your mortgage or a business loan, or helped pay for your education, they can be designated as beneficiaries to help ensure your financial obligations are met.
Minors: Minors cannot legally manage their own money. If you are unmarried with minor children and want to name them (or any other person below the age of legal consent), the life insurance company may require that you name a legal guardian as the beneficiary or designate one for them under the Uniform Transfers of Minors Act. In any case, you should know that the proceeds will not be paid until the court appoints or approves the minor's Guardian.
Your estate: You can choose to leave the entire policy proceeds to your estate, where it will be distributed after probate by your Executor according to the terms of your will, which you must have if you plan to go this route. Before doing so, you should discuss the tax implications with your accountant or financial professional.
A trust: an entity that can hold assets over time with a Trustee that you designate to distribute funds according to the conditions you set, for example, to take care of a family member with special needs or pay educational costs for grandchildren of different ages. You will need to set up the trust with an attorney beforehand, and you should discuss the tax implications with your accountant or financial professional.
A charity: A charity, nonprofit organization, or church can be named as a primary or contingent beneficiary.
Be sure to provide identifying information about your beneficiaries
It really isn't enough to provide only a name because different people can have the same name. Also, people can and do change their names over time. You want to make it as easy as possible for the life insurance company to identify the correct person when it comes time to distribute your death benefit, years or decades down the road. Try to provide the following information, at the very least, for each beneficiary:
Full name, correctly spelled, including any middle names
Any maiden or former names
Date of birth
Social security number
If not a U.S. citizen, their nationality and passport number
Finally, it's important to communicate with your beneficiaries about their designation and the steps they need to take to locate and claim the policy. So, after you have named them in your policy, let your beneficiaries know that they are included. And consider giving them a copy of your policy so they can contact the life insurance company if and when the time comes.
What if you want to change a beneficiary?
If a beneficiary is irrevocable, it is almost impossible to remove them from a life policy or change their share without their consent. For revocable beneficiaries, the change process is relatively easy, and you don’t need permission (unless it’s your spouse and you live in a common property state). For example, with Guardian, a beneficiary change can be done online in a few minutes by going to GuardianLife.com and signing in or registering for an account. Other life insurance companies may require a phone call or ask you to complete a paper form and return it.
How do I choose my beneficiaries?
That is an entirely personal question, and there is no wrong answer. But if, for whatever reason, your beneficiary choice isn't immediately clear, start by thinking about your life insurance coverage and how it fits into your overall financial plan. It can also help to ask yourself a few questions:
What stage of life are you in?
What is your purpose for getting life insurance?
Do you trust the person to use the proceeds appropriately?
If you are married with young children who depend on your income, the obvious answer will likely be to name your spouse as the primary beneficiary, so they can use the money to support your family in the best way possible. This can help mitigate the effects of your lost income on your family.
Of course, your situation may be different. You could be recently divorced with minor children and may have a more complicated arrangement, in which case, you may consider leaving the proceeds to a trust set up for the care of your children. If you are young and single, you may wish to name your parents as beneficiaries to provide them with needed extra help, or as reimbursement for student loans they are paying off on your behalf. Or you could be well into retirement, own a family business operated by two of your children, and choose to make the third child your beneficiary because you’re using life insurance to equalize the distribution of estate assets.
Again, if you’re not sure who your beneficiaries should be, it may be a good idea to discuss your situation with a life insurance professional or financial professional with experience in all the ways to use life insurance. If you don’t know such a professional, ask a friend or colleague for a recommendation. Or, Guardian can connect you to a financial professional who can help.
What if you don’t name a beneficiary?
With most life insurance policies, the company may delay your application if no beneficiary is designated, or at the very least, reach out to you to remind you to do so. But if you persist and no beneficiary is named, the insurance company will default to paying the benefit to your estate.
This may slow down the distribution of assets because your estate will need to go through probate — the process of waiting for the courts to sanction the terms of your will. The benefits may also be subject to taxes and legal fees, which can reduce the sums eventually distributed to your heirs. On the other hand, if you and your tax, legal and financial professionals believe it will be advantageous to have the proceeds go to your estate, then you should state that in your policy by naming the estate as the primary beneficiary, instead of letting it happen by default.
Wondering if you’ve been named as a beneficiary? Here’s how to find out.
The best way to find out if you're a beneficiary is by asking the policyholder. If you think someone may have life insurance and could have named you as a beneficiary (for example, an aging parent), have an open conversation with them. If, in fact, that proves to be the case, ask them to provide you with policy details.
Unfortunately, that kind of conversation isn’t always possible, even if the policyholder is still alive: for example, they may be suffering from dementia. And while the insurance company should eventually try to contact you if you’re named as a beneficiary, if no one makes a claim, it could take some time until they know the policyholder has passed away. In any case, being proactive in your search can help ensure you receive any benefits you're entitled to in a timely manner. Steps to consider include:
Review relevant documents: Look for wills, trusts, and insurance policy paperwork that may mention you as a beneficiary. The beneficiary designation form in policy documents typically lists beneficiaries' names.
Check personal records: If the policyholder has passed away, search their personal papers, bank statements, or digital records for signs of life insurance premium payments or policy information.
Contact the deceased person’s employer: Many people have workplace life insurance; reach out to their former employer or labor union for information.
Use online resources: Here are two examples of tools that can help locate policies:
Check with state agencies: Contact your state's insurance department or commissioner’s office. Many states have websites that can help you look for insurance policies.
Reach out to insurance companies: If you know or believe there was a policy with a specific insurer, contact them directly. They may require proof of your relationship to the deceased and a death certificate.
If none of these steps yields success, be patient: Insurance companies commonly use the Social Security "Master Death File" to identify deceased policyholders. When they learn of a death, they try to contact beneficiaries, but this process can take time.
Practices and reminders for naming life insurance beneficiaries
Here are a few important tips and reminders when it comes to life insurance beneficiaries:
Naming a contingent beneficiary is highly recommended: The death benefit will go to the contingent (back-up) beneficiary in the case that the primary beneficiary dies before the life insurance policyholder passes away.5
Setting up a trust is recommended if you have minor children: Legal minors cannot receive life insurance payouts. Instead, parents generally should look into setting up a trust, then naming that trust or its manager as the beneficiary. Then, the assets can be used to support the children (following the trust’s policies) and passed on to the trustees once they come of age.
Reviewing beneficiary information after major life events is recommended: The birth of a new child, marriage, divorce, or a major career change can all potentially affect your household finances, and may warrant a second look at your beneficiaries.
Life insurance payouts are generally income tax-free: This can be beneficial for family estate planning and tax-efficient distribution of wealth after your death. Life insurance may be used alongside an investment account, an annuity, and more in a comprehensive estate plan.
Understanding life insurance payout options
The beneficiary is the person who will receive the payout when the insured individual passes away. However, it is equally important to understand how they will receive that payout. This varies by policy, but here are some of the basics:
Lump sum benefits: Many policies use a "lump sum" payout, which means the entire benefit is paid at once. This is very common, and because life insurance benefits aren't generally considered subject to income tax, there's no need to worry about hefty tax implications.6
Installment benefits: Some policies offer installment payouts, either on a monthly or annual basis. This payout option is less common, but can be beneficial to cover living expenses without requiring the beneficiary to manage a large amount of money.
Retained asset accounts: A retained asset account is a feature of some life insurance policies where the death benefit remains under management by the insurance company, but the beneficiary can tap into it at any time. It functions similarly to a savings account, earning interest and generally allowing the beneficiary to access funds at any time.