How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Alliant
Beneficiaries are managed by mail. Trust paperwork is taken online, by phone or by mail
There are two ways to keep your Alliant accounts out of probate: adding Payable on Death designations and retitling accounts into a trust. Because Alliant is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Both methods ensure your accounts transfer directly to the people you choose, without court involvement.
Alliant has 16 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support Payable on Death (POD) designations, some can be retitled into a trust, and others pass through the estate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
Beneficiary form at Alliant
Beneficiary Add/Delete Form (A333), IRA Beneficiary Designation/Change form (G311) (for IRAs) and Coverdell death beneficiary form (for coverdell education savings accounts).
Open the form →- First, middle, and last name, plus proportion (percentages must total 100%; if left blank, funds are distributed equally)
- Street address (the form states a P.O. Box is not accepted)
- Social Security Number or ITIN, date of birth, and relationship
- To name a trust: put the first word of the trust name in the First name field and the rest in the Last name field (e.g. First: "The", Last: "Smith Family Trust")
- For a trust, enter the trust's creation date in the DOB field, and the SSN or EIN associated with the trust in the SSN field
Required Documents
- Your name and member account number
- Share ID for each account. The Share ID is on your account statement
- Beneficiary's first, middle and last name
- Beneficiary's street address (not a post office box)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number or ITIN
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's relationship to you
- Percentage for each beneficiary. Percentages must total 100%. If left blank, funds are distributed equally
- Trust name, creation date, and the SSN or EIN associated with the trust (when naming a trust). The first word of the trust name goes in the First name field and the rest in the Last name field; the creation date goes in the DOB field
- Beneficiary Add/Delete Form (A333), signed and dated (for a Savings, Supplemental Savings, or Certificate account)
- IRA Beneficiary Designation/Change form (G311), completed (for an IRA or IRA certificate)
- Coverdell death beneficiary form, completed (for a Coverdell ESA)
- Type of trust, name of the trust, and the date it was established
- Names of the trustees and of the successor trustees
- Whether trustees may act independently or must act together
- Names of the beneficiaries (optional; used for share insurance purposes)
- Signature and notary seal, plus the most recent amendment if the trust has been amended
- A death certificate for any deceased trustee; if all original trustees are deceased, the successor trustee must obtain a Tax ID Number (EIN) from the IRS and provide the death certificates
- Government-issued photo ID for trustees who are not already Alliant members
Required Documents
- Trust Account Application (A530), completed
- Trust Agreement or Certification of Trust pages. Either is taken. Copies of the pages showing trust type, name, date established, trustees, successor trustees, whether trustees act together, beneficiaries, and the signature and notary seal
- Certification of Trust. Must name the trustee and successor trustee and carry the signature and notary seal
- Trust Agreement pages. The relevant pages, not necessarily the full document
- Most recent trust amendment (if the trust has been amended)
- Government-issued photo ID (for trustees who are not already Alliant members)
- Tax ID Number for the trust. An SSN or EIN
- Death certificate (for any deceased trustee)
- EIN obtained from the IRS (if all original trustees are deceased). The successor trustee obtains it and provides the death certificates
- IRS Form W-8BEN (for a trustee who is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. person)
- First, middle, and last name, plus proportion (percentages must total 100%; if left blank, funds are distributed equally)
- Street address (the form states a P.O. Box is not accepted)
- Social Security Number or ITIN, date of birth, and relationship
- To name a trust: put the first word of the trust name in the First name field and the rest in the Last name field (e.g. First: "The", Last: "Smith Family Trust")
- For a trust, enter the trust's creation date in the DOB field, and the SSN or EIN associated with the trust in the SSN field
Required Documents
- Your name and member account number
- Share ID for each account. The Share ID is on your account statement
- Beneficiary's first, middle and last name
- Beneficiary's street address (not a post office box)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number or ITIN
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's relationship to you
- Percentage for each beneficiary. Percentages must total 100%. If left blank, funds are distributed equally
- Trust name, creation date, and the SSN or EIN associated with the trust (when naming a trust). The first word of the trust name goes in the First name field and the rest in the Last name field; the creation date goes in the DOB field
- Beneficiary Add/Delete Form (A333), signed and dated (for a Savings, Supplemental Savings, or Certificate account)
- IRA Beneficiary Designation/Change form (G311), completed (for an IRA or IRA certificate)
- Coverdell death beneficiary form, completed (for a Coverdell ESA)
- Type of trust, name of the trust, and the date it was established
- Names of the trustees and of the successor trustees
- Whether trustees may act independently or must act together
- Names of the beneficiaries (optional; used for share insurance purposes)
- Signature and notary seal, plus the most recent amendment if the trust has been amended
- A death certificate for any deceased trustee; if all original trustees are deceased, the successor trustee must obtain a Tax ID Number (EIN) from the IRS and provide the death certificates
- Government-issued photo ID for trustees who are not already Alliant members
Required Documents
- Trust Account Application (A530), completed
- Trust Agreement or Certification of Trust pages. Either is taken. Copies of the pages showing trust type, name, date established, trustees, successor trustees, whether trustees act together, beneficiaries, and the signature and notary seal
- Certification of Trust. Must name the trustee and successor trustee and carry the signature and notary seal
- Trust Agreement pages. The relevant pages, not necessarily the full document
- Most recent trust amendment (if the trust has been amended)
- Government-issued photo ID (for trustees who are not already Alliant members)
- Tax ID Number for the trust. An SSN or EIN
- Death certificate (for any deceased trustee)
- EIN obtained from the IRS (if all original trustees are deceased). The successor trustee obtains it and provides the death certificates
- IRS Form W-8BEN (for a trustee who is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. person)
- First, middle, and last name, plus proportion (percentages must total 100%; if left blank, funds are distributed equally)
- Street address (the form states a P.O. Box is not accepted)
- Social Security Number or ITIN, date of birth, and relationship
- To name a trust: put the first word of the trust name in the First name field and the rest in the Last name field (e.g. First: "The", Last: "Smith Family Trust")
- For a trust, enter the trust's creation date in the DOB field, and the SSN or EIN associated with the trust in the SSN field
Required Documents
- Your name and member account number
- Share ID for each account. The Share ID is on your account statement
- Beneficiary's first, middle and last name
- Beneficiary's street address (not a post office box)
- Beneficiary's Social Security number or ITIN
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's relationship to you
- Percentage for each beneficiary. Percentages must total 100%. If left blank, funds are distributed equally
- Trust name, creation date, and the SSN or EIN associated with the trust (when naming a trust). The first word of the trust name goes in the First name field and the rest in the Last name field; the creation date goes in the DOB field
- Beneficiary Add/Delete Form (A333), signed and dated (for a Savings, Supplemental Savings, or Certificate account)
- IRA Beneficiary Designation/Change form (G311), completed (for an IRA or IRA certificate)
- Coverdell death beneficiary form, completed (for a Coverdell ESA)
What Alliant says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Alliant's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary4
- Payable-on-death account
Beneficiaries can be named on Savings, Supplemental Savings and Certificate accounts, the three account types on the A333 form.1
Beneficiaries may not be added to a checking account.2
- Certificate of deposit
Beneficiary designations are per Share ID, so the beneficiaries on a certificate can differ from those on the savings account.1
A beneficiary cannot be added to a certificate over the phone.1
- IRA
IRA beneficiaries are named on the IRA Beneficiary Designation/Change form (G311), which supports secondary beneficiaries. The A333 form is not accepted for IRAs, IRA certificates or Coverdell ESAs.3
An IRA certificate follows the IRA's own designation.3
- Coverdell education savings account
A Coverdell ESA beneficiary is named on the Coverdell death beneficiary form, which the Responsible Individual completes.4
Who can be named2
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
What a designation takes to be effective
Beneficiary forms Alliant issues3
- Beneficiary Add/Delete Form (A333)
Completed by the account owner. Available to download.1
Return to
Fax: 1-773-462-2124
Mailing address: Alliant Credit Union, Attn: Account Services, P.O. Box 66945, Chicago, IL 60666-0945
- IRA Beneficiary Designation/Change form (G311)
For IRAs. Available to download.3
Return to
Fax: 1-773-462-8735
- Coverdell death beneficiary form
For coverdell education savings accounts. Completed by the Responsible Individual. Available to download.4
Return to
Fax: 1-773-462-8735
What Alliant's agreement says about beneficiaries4
- A designation and a will
The signed A333 form supersedes any accommodation you made in your will for the disposition of your Alliant accounts.1
- Changing or revoking a designation
The signed form supersedes any prior Alliant beneficiary designation. To remove beneficiaries, complete the Delete section on the reverse with the Share ID and the names to be removed.1
- A beneficiary who dies first
On a deposit account, if a beneficiary dies before the owner, that share is split equally among the surviving beneficiaries.1
- Changing the owner of a policy or account
A joint owner is added or removed on the separate Account Ownership Add/Delete Form (A334), not the beneficiary form. It carries the same exclusion for IRAs, Coverdell ESAs and their certificates.5
Which accounts a trust can hold3
- Trust account
A trust can hold Trust Savings, Trust Checking or a trust certificate, all titled in the name of the trust and the trustees.6
Under the account agreement, a trust account requires a $1.00 minimum on deposit in the Trust savings account.2
- Certificate of deposit
Alliant frames the trust certificate around a distribution date: "a 24-month certificate for money meant to be distributed in two years."6
- IRA
IRAs cannot be held in an Alliant trust account.6
Trust account forms Alliant issues1
- Trust Account Application (A530)
Available to download.7
Return to
Mailing address: Alliant Credit Union, Attn: Special Services, P.O. Box 66945, Chicago, IL 60666-0945
What Alliant says about trust accounts5
- Whether a new account is opened
Alliant opens a new account in the name of the trust and does not rename an existing individual account. Funds are moved from the individual account into the trust account after it is open.6
Under the account agreement, the account is opened in the name of a trust created outside Alliant and governed by a separate agreement. Alliant drafts nothing.2
- Checks and cards on a trust account
Trust accounts are not eligible for Visa debit cards, savings ATM cards or credit cards. Trust Checking is available, with no debit card.6
- Membership
Trust accounts are not eligible for loans, mortgages, home equity products or IRAs. Alliant tells trust owners to keep a separate individual membership for those.6
Asked whether both a trust account and an individual membership can be held, Alliant answers "Absolutely, and we encourage you to do so."6
- Which state governs the account
The trust account application is governed by Illinois law.7
- The institution's right to refuse a designation or an account title
Under section 23 of the account agreement, Alliant may refuse trust, will or court-ordered account instructions that expose it to claims unless the member indemnifies it, posts a bond or provides other protection. It may also require written authorization for account changes.2
Not in Alliant's published guidance1
- Processing time for a beneficiary change
Sources
Data sourced from Alliant primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Alliant instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Alliant primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Alliant estate support
Special Services (trust accounts)
Phone
Member Care Center
Mailing address
Website
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