What to do when a Alight account holder dies
Contact Alight — 7-step process, 8 required documents, and the employer's plan document sets the processing timeline, and alight does not publish a single one. a help request submitted through find your hr website is answered in 1-2 business days. retiree health claims carry a six-month submission deadline after the death, with a one-year outer limit.
Alight Financial Solutions Customer Service (Alight IRA and self-directed brokerage accounts)
Alight Financial Solutions, PO Box 563901, Charlotte, NC 28256-3901 (overnight, certified, and signature-required: 9300 Harris Corners Parkway, Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28269)
Alight Financial Solutions Customer Service (Alight IRA and self-directed brokerage accounts)
Alight Financial Solutions, PO Box 563901, Charlotte, NC 28256-3901 (overnight, certified, and signature-required: 9300 Harris Corners Parkway, Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28269)
Employer-specific Alight service center (employer plans); Alight Financial Solutions (Alight IRA and brokerage)
Employer plan claims: the mailing address is plan-specific and is provided by the employer's service center (find it at alight.com/find-your-hr-website). Alight Financial Solutions claims: PO Box 563901, Charlotte, NC 28256-3901
What happens to Alight retirement accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with Alight's Employer-specific Alight service center (employer plans); Alight Financial Solutions (Alight IRA and brokerage) (1-800-890-3200) to claim the funds.
Death claims at Alight can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Alight works as follows:
Filing a claim
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- The beneficiary's government-issued photo ID and tax identification number
- The plan's beneficiary distribution election, with the federal and state tax withholding elections
- The certification of trust and trust agreement if a trust is the beneficiary, or Letters Testamentary and the executor's instructions if the estate is the beneficiary
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID and tax identification number for the beneficiary
- The employer plan's beneficiary distribution election and tax withholding elections (sent by the employer's Alight service center)
- Beneficiary Distribution Request, for assets held at Alight Financial Solutions / BNY Pershing
- Affidavit of Domicile, for Alight Financial Solutions brokerage assets
- Certification of trust and trust agreement, if a trust is the named beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary and executor instructions (and, for Pershing-held assets, a court order), if the estate is the beneficiary
- Marriage certificate, when a surviving spouse claims the ERISA default spousal benefit
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
The survivor's counterparty is the employer's Alight service center, not Alight corporate — the corporate line (224-737-7000) is for general inquiries and cannot access a participant account. Everything about who gets paid comes from the employer's plan document: Alight executes it. The one place Alight publishes its own claim paperwork is Alight Financial Solutions (Alight IRA and self-directed brokerage), whose forms are at alightfinancialsolutions.com/forms_download.htm and whose accounts clear through BNY Pershing.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Alight
Alight asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist Alight requires.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Alight: The employer's plan document sets the processing timeline, and Alight does not publish a single one. A help request submitted through Find Your HR Website is answered in 1-2 business days. Retiree health claims carry a six-month submission deadline after the death, with a one-year outer limit. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Alight requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID and tax identification number for the beneficiary, and The employer plan's beneficiary distribution election and tax withholding elections (sent by the employer's Alight service center), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Not Alight corporate. Alight administers plans for employers, and each employer has its own service center. Go to alight.com/find-your-hr-website, search the decedent's employer, and use the contact information the tool returns. Alight releases plan service center details only through that tool for privacy and security reasons; if the search does not find the employer, the help form on that page is answered in 1-2 business days. The corporate number, 224-737-7000, is for general inquiries and cannot access a participant account. If the decedent held an Alight IRA or a self-directed brokerage account, call Alight Financial Solutions at 800-890-3200.
The Beneficiary Distribution Request at alightfinancialsolutions.com/forms_download.htm. It covers three different transactions: a beneficiary distribution paid directly to the beneficiary and reported under the beneficiary's tax ID; a beneficiary transfer into an inherited IRA, which is not a reportable distribution; and a direct rollover due to death from a qualified employer plan to a beneficiary IRA, which requires the plan administrator or trustee to sign. Alight Financial Solutions clears through BNY Pershing, so a beneficiary opening an inherited account also completes the Inherited Account Adoption Agreement (Traditional or Roth) and an Affidavit of Domicile. Where multiple primary beneficiaries inherit an IRA, a separate inherited account is established for each one.
More than a death certificate. For accounts held through Alight Financial Solutions, the clearing firm (BNY Pershing) requires a court order and instructions from the executor before it distributes assets to an estate, in addition to the Beneficiary Distribution Request, the certified death certificate, and an Affidavit of Domicile. This is a good reason to keep a living beneficiary or a properly drafted trust named: when the estate is the beneficiary, the account is dragged into probate and, for retirement assets, generally loses the longer inherited-IRA payout that a designated beneficiary would have had.
Alight's Employer-specific Alight service center (employer plans); Alight Financial Solutions (Alight IRA and brokerage) can be reached by phone at 1-800-890-3200, email at afscustomerservice@alight.com, and fax at 1-847-554-1444 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple Alight retirement accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Employer-specific Alight service center (employer plans); Alight Financial Solutions (Alight IRA and brokerage) can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from Alight primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Alight Financial Solutions Customer Service (Alight IRA and self-directed brokerage accounts)
Alight Financial Solutions, PO Box 563901, Charlotte, NC 28256-3901 (overnight, certified, and signature-required: 9300 Harris Corners Parkway, Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28269)
Alight Financial Solutions Customer Service (Alight IRA and self-directed brokerage accounts)
Alight Financial Solutions, PO Box 563901, Charlotte, NC 28256-3901 (overnight, certified, and signature-required: 9300 Harris Corners Parkway, Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28269)
Employer-specific Alight service center (employer plans); Alight Financial Solutions (Alight IRA and brokerage)
Employer plan claims: the mailing address is plan-specific and is provided by the employer's service center (find it at alight.com/find-your-hr-website). Alight Financial Solutions claims: PO Box 563901, Charlotte, NC 28256-3901
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