How to designate beneficiaries at Guideline
Beneficiaries are managed online
Guideline has changed ownershipAcquired, effective November 2025
Gusto completed its acquisition of Guideline on November 6, 2025. The product is now branded "Gusto 401(k) powered by Guideline" and the operating entity on every page footer is Gusto Retirement Services, LLC, held under Gusto Retirement Holdings, LLC (wholly owned by Gusto, Inc.). The Guideline brand, guideline.com, the my.guideline.com participant dashboard, and the help center at help.guideline.com are all still live; only the marketing product pages now redirect to gusto.com. Support email addresses are @retirement.gusto.com and the claims mailing address is Gusto, Inc., Attn: Retirement Care, Denver, CO.
Who inherits your Guideline retirement retirement accounts is determined by the beneficiary designation on file—not by your will. This makes keeping designations current one of the most important estate planning steps, especially because the choice of beneficiary also affects how inherited distributions are taxed.
The transfer rules at Guideline vary across 7 retirement accounts. Below is a breakdown of beneficiary options, trust funding, and which products support each method.
- 401(k): the Account Settings page
- IRA: Settings in the main menu, then Personal settings, then the Beneficiaries tab, then the Edit button within the IRA section
- Name, relationship, and percentage allocation (all allocations must total 100%)
- For a trust: trust name and trust date
- Minors, charities, and your estate can also be named
Required Documents
- Each beneficiary's name, relationship and percentage allocation. All allocations must total 100%
- Trust name and trust date (for a trust). Guideline does not collect the trust document when the designation is made
- Charity's tax ID (for a charity). Entered on the Account Settings page. Guideline states it will contact the charity directly to send the funds
- Spouse's notarized written consent (a married 401(k) owner naming anyone other than the spouse as primary beneficiary, or an IRA owner in a community property state doing so). Notarized consent is needed again for a later change to a different beneficiary
What Guideline says about beneficiaries
Each section is Guideline's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary2
- Employer retirement plan
A 401(k) or Solo 401(k) cannot be retitled into a trust. It is an individually owned account held under the plan document, with no joint, TOD or trust registration to move it into. A trust is named as beneficiary of the account instead.1
- IRA
An IRA cannot be retitled into a trust. It is an individually owned account held under the IRA agreement, with no joint, TOD or trust registration to move it into. A trust is named as beneficiary of the account instead.1
Who can be named5
- A trust
A trust can be named as beneficiary, by selecting trust as the beneficiary type and entering the trust name and trust date.1
- A charity or nonprofit
A charity can be named as beneficiary. Guideline states it will contact the charity directly to send the funds.1
- The estate
The estate can be named as beneficiary.1
- A minor
A minor can be named. Guideline states a court must appoint a legal guardian to receive the funds if the minor has not turned 18 when they inherit.1
- A business
A non-charitable, for-profit entity can be named. It must take the funds all at once, which Guideline warns can cause adverse tax consequences.1
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
What a designation takes to be effective
- Employer retirement plan
Naming a non-spouse primary beneficiary of a 401(k) requires the spouse's notarized written consent, and notarized consent again for any later change to a different beneficiary.1
- IRA
In a community property state, naming someone other than the spouse as primary beneficiary of an IRA requires the spouse's notarized written consent.1
What Guideline's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- A designation and a will
A 401(k) is never controlled by a will. A 401(k) beneficiary named in a will without the dashboard designation is distributed under the plan's default beneficiary language instead.1
- A beneficiary who dies first
If a primary beneficiary is unable to inherit, their portion is distributed evenly among the other primary beneficiaries before any secondary beneficiary can claim.1
- Divorce
A divorce does not automatically revoke a former spouse's rights to the account. A 401(k) plan document may remove a spouse on divorce, while an IRA may leave the former spouse in place until the designation is updated.1
Not in Guideline's published guidance1
- A beneficiary designation form
Sources1
Sources
Data sourced from Guideline primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Guideline instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Guideline primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Guideline estate support
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