How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at EMC Life
Beneficiaries are managed online, by phone or by mail. Trust paperwork is taken by phone or by mail
Estate planning with EMC Life policies centers on beneficiary designations—the single most important step for ensuring life insurance proceeds and annuity benefits reach the intended recipients without probate involvement. Unlike bank or brokerage accounts, insurance products are not retitled into trusts; instead, trusts are named as beneficiaries when estate tax planning or controlled distributions are needed.
EMC Life has 13 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support beneficiary 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 EMC Life
Beneficiary change form.
- Primary beneficiaries with full legal names, dates of birth, relationships, and percentage allocations totaling 100%
- Contingent beneficiaries if desired with their own percentage allocations totaling 100%
- For trusts: provide the full legal trust name, date established, and trust EIN
- Primary beneficiaries with full legal names, dates of birth, relationships, and percentage allocations
- Contingent beneficiaries if desired with their own percentage allocations
- For trusts: provide the full legal trust name exactly as it appears in the trust document, date established, and trust EIN
- For trusts: name the trustee as the contact person
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name (for each primary and contingent beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's relationship
- Full legal trust name, date established and trust EIN (when naming a trust). The trust name is given exactly as it appears in the trust document
- Trustee's name as the contact person (when naming a trust)
- Beneficiary change form, completed (when naming a trust, or for a change by mail)
- Policy number and personal identification (by phone)
- Policy number and insured information (on the mailed form)
- Your Social Security number or Tax ID, email address, date of birth and policy number (to register for the Policyowner portal)
- Full legal trust name exactly as it appears in the trust document
- Date the trust was established and the trust EIN
- Name the trustee as the contact person
Required Documents
- Assignment of ownership form, completed (for an ILIT ownership transfer)
- Certificate of Trust or trust abstract. Do not send the full trust document unless requested
- Trust name, date established and EIN
- Trust EIN documentation. IRS Letter 147C or SS-4 confirmation
- Trustee identification
What EMC Life says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is EMC Life's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary1
- Life insurance policy
Workplace Term Life and Workplace Whole Life certificates are portable. A certificate kept after leaving the employer still needs its beneficiary maintained with EMC National Life directly.1
A designation left with a former employer's HR department is not the designation EMC National Life pays on.1
Who can be named1
- A trust
A trust can be named as the beneficiary of an individual life insurance policy, so the death benefit pays directly into the trust.1
- A trust, life insurance policys
A group life insurance policy can typically have a trust named as beneficiary.1
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
Primary and contingent beneficiaries are named with percentage allocations, which must total 100% for each beneficiary tier.2, 1
What a designation takes to be effective
- All accounts
Only the policyholder can change beneficiary designations.1
Beneficiary forms EMC Life issues1
- Beneficiary change form
Sent by the institution on request.1
Return to
Fax: 1-800-439-9526
Mailing address: EMC National Life Company, P.O. Box 9202, Des Moines, IA 50306
What EMC Life's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- A designation and a will
Beneficiary designations override instructions in a will.1
- A minor as beneficiary
If a minor is named with no guardian appointed, EMC National Life states that the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act permits disbursement without guardianship papers, subject to each state's guidelines and limits.1
- Online access
EMC National Life's home page lists changing a beneficiary as one of the four things the Policyowner portal does: "Access policy information, make a premium payment, change your beneficiary or view fund values".3
Which accounts a trust can hold2
- Life insurance policy
An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) can own an individual life insurance policy. An existing policy can be transferred to an ILIT through an assignment of ownership.1
Group life insurance policies cannot be retitled to a trust.1
- Annuity
Annuity ownership can be transferred to a revocable living trust.1
Trust account forms EMC Life issues1
- Assignment of ownership form
For life insurance policys. Sent by the institution on request.1
Return to
Mailing address: EMC National Life Company, P.O. Box 9202, Des Moines, IA 50306
What EMC Life says about trust accounts1
- A trust as owner of a policy
EMC National Life does not set up ILITs.1
Sources3
- 1.EMC National Life customer service guidance
- 2.EMC National Life Policyowner portal
- 3.EMC National Life home page
Sources
Data sourced from EMC Life primary sources (21 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these EMC Life instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against EMC Life primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
EMC Life estate support
Customer Service
Phone
Courier or overnight delivery
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
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