Estate planning at BCU
How to protect 17 BCU accounts — manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust in-branch, and file death claims
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BCU Member Relations
Phone1-847-932-8166
Toll-Free1-800-388-7000
Emailaskbcu@bcu.org
Mailing Address
BCU, P.O. Box 8133, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
WebsiteLearn more→
BCU Member Relations
Phone1-847-932-8166
Toll-Free1-800-388-7000
Emailaskbcu@bcu.org
Mailing Address
BCU, P.O. Box 8133, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
WebsiteLearn more→
BCU Member Relations
Phone1-847-932-8166
Toll-Free1-800-388-7000
Mailing Address
BCU, P.O. Box 8133, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified May 2026
How your BCU accounts transfer at death depends on how each one is set up. As a membership-based credit union, BCU community charter covers Cook (north of 95th Street), DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties in Illinois, and Kenosha County in Wisconsin, plus Puerto Rico. Membership also available to employees, contractors, and temps of partner Fortune 100 companies and their extended families nationwide. With 17 account types, the transfer rules vary—getting the right designations in place now prevents delays and court involvement later.
BCU lets account holders update beneficiary designations online, in branch, and by phone, typically taking 10-15 minutes online; same-day processing at a branch. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
There are two sides to estate planning at BCU: setting things up while you're alive, and the process survivors follow after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust in-branch, and review 17 account types at BCU.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
6-step process, 6 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →BCU operates in select states, so estate planning procedures may vary by location. Confirm availability in your state before initiating trust funding or account changes.
Frequently asked questions
BCU allows checking, savings, money market, and certificate accounts to be retitled into a revocable or irrevocable trust. PowerPlus Checking is limited to one account per member and its tiered APY depends on monthly direct deposit and qualifying transaction thresholds; a trust-titled account must continue to meet those activity requirements to keep earning the Level 1 or Level 2 rate. Contact BCU Member Relations at 800-388-7000 to confirm how qualifying activity is tracked on a trust account.
IRAs are individual retirement accounts under federal tax law and cannot be owned by a trust without triggering taxable distribution. At BCU, Traditional, Roth, and Rollover IRAs (whether IRA savings or IRA certificates) cannot be retitled to a trust. A trust can instead be named as the IRA beneficiary using BCU's separate IRA beneficiary designation process, distinct from the POD designation used on deposit accounts.
Sources
Data sourced from BCU primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
B
BCU Member Relations
Phone1-847-932-8166
Toll-Free1-800-388-7000
Emailaskbcu@bcu.org
Mailing Address
BCU, P.O. Box 8133, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
WebsiteLearn more→
BCU Member Relations
Phone1-847-932-8166
Toll-Free1-800-388-7000
Emailaskbcu@bcu.org
Mailing Address
BCU, P.O. Box 8133, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
WebsiteLearn more→
BCU Member Relations
Phone1-847-932-8166
Toll-Free1-800-388-7000
Mailing Address
BCU, P.O. Box 8133, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified May 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your BCU accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
