What to do when a Lincoln Financial account holder dies

Required Documents

• Completed Claimant's StatementFor an ERISA contract, the plan administrator must sign and approve it.
• Death certificateFor life claims, a copy may be required for claims of $500,000 and under and a certified copy is required over $500,000. For annuity claims, copies of all required documents are accepted at $100,000 or less.
• The version of the death certificate that lists the cause and manner of death, where the state issues more than one version
• Name-change documentation, if the beneficiary's name differs from the one on the beneficiary designationA copy of the legal document, such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree. Lincoln does not accept a driver's license as proof of a name change.
• Certification of Trustee Powers (CL11702 for a life policy, AN07086 for an annuity), when a trust is the beneficiaryWithout the life form, Lincoln requires the trust's title page, the page naming the current trustees, the signature page, any amendments and tax ID, plus the probated will and Letters for a testamentary trust.
• Court appointment and the estate's tax identification number, when the estate is the beneficiaryThe court-appointed executor completes the Claimant's Statement. Life claims take a copy of the court appointment, annuity claims a certified copy of the Letters Testamentary; a small estate affidavit may replace them.
• Certified court appointment and the beneficiary's own Social Security number, when the beneficiary is a minor or legally incompetentThe legal guardian, custodian or conservator completes the Claimant's Statement. For an incompetent beneficiary, the beneficiary's date of birth is also required.
• Distinctive Payee Arrangement (CL05984), when a life policy's beneficiary designation reads "children" or similarA separate Claimant's Statement must be completed by each child listed on the form.
• Annuity Affidavit of Heirship (CL11684A), when an annuity's beneficiary designation reads "children" or similarLincoln provides the form on request. A separate Claimant's Statement must be completed for each child listed on it.
• Power of attorney document, when an attorney-in-fact completes the Claimant's Statement for a beneficiaryIt cannot be more than three years old; if older, a Power of Attorney Affidavit stating it has not been revoked is required. The beneficiary's Social Security number is required, not the attorney-in-fact's.
• Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad and the Foreign Death Questionnaire, if the death occurred outside the United StatesThe report comes from the U.S. Embassy of the country where the death occurred. A certified death certificate is required, translated into English if it is in a foreign language.
• Certified death certificate for the beneficiary, if a beneficiary died before or after the insured but before the Claimant's Statement was submittedLincoln then reviews the contract and determines to whom the benefits are payable.
• Corporate resolution and the organization's tax identification number, when a corporation, a charity, or a custodian holding an annuity for the insured is the beneficiaryA representative named in the resolution completes the Claimant's Statement. On an annuity, a corporate or charity representative also signs a Distinctive Payee Arrangement.
• State tax waiver, consent or withholding form, where the state requires oneLincoln's annuity claims FAQ says an additional approved tax waiver or consent form may be required, and some states require their own withholding form.