What to do when a BPAS account holder dies
Report the death to BPAS's Beneficiary Claims at 1-866-401-5272
After an account holder at BPAS dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact BPAS's Beneficiary Claims at 1-866-401-5272 with the proper legal authority documents.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what BPAS requires:
Filing a claim
- Ask HR to check its own files for a paper beneficiary designation as well as the BPAS portal. The two are separate records, and the paper one is not in BPAS's system
- The plan sponsor notifies BPAS and provides the certified death certificate
- You can also call the BPAS Participant Service Center at 1-866-401-5272 to open the file. BPAS still routes beneficiary verification back through the plan sponsor
- If the participant used Online Beneficiary Designation (OBD), BPAS holds a time-stamped record; the employer can pull it from its Beneficiary List and Beneficiary Change History reports
- If the participant filed on paper, BPAS has no record of it; the designation sits only in the employer's HR file
- If the participant was married and the named primary beneficiary is not the spouse, ask the employer whether a notarized Spousal Consent form was completed
- If no valid designation exists, the plan document's default beneficiary order controls. It is in the Summary Plan Description, in the portal Resource Center
- Lump sum distribution
- Rollover to an inherited IRA, if eligible
- Installment payments, if available under the plan
- BPAS routes paperwork by form type rather than to one claims lockbox, so the cover page controls
- The Operations Center that receives participant paperwork is BPAS, 126 Business Park Dr Bldg 2, Utica, NY 13502, fax 315-292-6450
- Documents cannot be sent by email. BPAS states: "For security purposes and your protection, we're not able to email documents containing personal and financially identifiable information."
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Completed distribution election form
- Government-issued ID for the beneficiary
- Trust documents, if a trust is the named beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if the estate is the beneficiary
- Tax withholding election form
- The employer's copy of any paper beneficiary designation, if the participant designated on paperBPAS will not have it.
Forms BPAS issues1
- Distribution election forms
Completed by the beneficiary. Sent by the institution on request.1
What happens to each kind of account3
- Employer retirement plan
BPAS is a third-party administrator and recordkeeper, not the plan and not the plan fiduciary. It states that verifying the current beneficiary after a participant's death "remains with the Plan Sponsor," so the employer decides who the beneficiary is and BPAS pays what the sponsor instructs.2
BPAS "doesn't enter paper designations into our recordkeeping system" and asks employers to keep paper forms "for reference should an employee pass away." Its plan sponsor reports, Beneficiary List and Beneficiary Change History, cover designations "made online" only.1
On ERISA plans, a married participant naming anyone but the spouse signs a Spousal Consent form with the spouse before a notary and returns it to HR. BPAS says the designation "isn't valid without a properly completed Spousal Consent form" and reports missing ones to sponsors as "Outstanding Spousal Consent Forms."1
- Pension
Defined benefit and cash balance pensions are on a separate portal with no online beneficiary designation. The beneficiary or surviving spouse may be entitled to a survivor annuity, depending on the plan terms.1
- IRA
BPAS IRAs (Roadways Express IRA and AutoRollover IRAs) have no plan sponsor in the chain. The account holder names beneficiaries directly with BPAS, so the beneficiary record is wholly BPAS's.1
Where a small balance was rolled into a BPAS AutoRollover IRA after the participant left the employer, the account is no longer tied to the former employer's plan and the claim runs through BPAS alone.1
What BPAS provides to the estate1
- Tax forms
BPAS handles tax reporting for the distribution. Form 1099-R is mailed no later than January 31 and can be downloaded from the Library in the participant account; if it has not arrived by February 15, BPAS asks that you call 1-866-401-5272.1
Allow 5-10 business days for distribution processing. It may vary with the plan type and the plan sponsor's review requirements.
BPAS's Beneficiary Claims can be reached by phone at 1-866-401-5272 and fax at 1-315-292-6450 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from BPAS primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
BPAS death claims support
Beneficiary Claims
Phone
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your BPAS accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need and see ordering info for your state.
Do I Need Probate?
Find out if an estate needs probate or qualifies for simplified procedures.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax, and inheritance tax for an estate.
