How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Lincoln Financial
Covers 19 insurance, and 2 retirement accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
Life Insurance Customer Service
Lincoln Financial Group, P.O. Box 21008, Greensboro, NC 27420-1008 (Overnight: 100 North Greene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401). Serves MoneyGuard, variable, term, whole and universal life products, including First Penn-Pacific policies. Lincoln routes by policy number, so this number works even if you do not know which team services your policy.
Life Insurance Customer Service (beneficiary, ownership and trust changes)
Lincoln Financial Group, Insurance Operations - G10-00, P.O. Box 21008, Greensboro, NC 27420-1008. Annuity beneficiary and trust-ownership forms go to a DIFFERENT office: Lincoln Financial Group, P.O. Box 2348, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2348 (fax 260-455-6310, AnnuityForms@lfg.com).
Individual Life Insurance Death Claims (Claim Dept. - 5310)
Lincoln Financial Group, Claim Dept. - 5310, P.O. Box 21008, Greensboro, NC 27420-1008 (Overnight: Lincoln Financial Group, Claim Dept. - 5310, 100 N. Greene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401)
For Lincoln Financial policyholders, estate planning comes down to one critical step: making sure the right beneficiaries are named on every policy. Insurance proceeds bypass probate entirely and go directly to whoever is listed—regardless of what a will says. When estate tax planning or controlled distributions are a factor, a trust can be named as beneficiary instead.
Across 21 product types, Lincoln Financial policies vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through beneficiary designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
- Full legal names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, relationships, and percentage allocations totaling 100%
- For a trust: the full legal trust name, the date the trust was established, and the trust's tax ID number (EIN) -- not the grantor's Social Security number
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- Trusts can be named as beneficiaries on both life insurance and annuity products
- Percentage or fraction allocations must total 100% for each beneficiary tier -- dollar amounts are not accepted
- Class designations ("my lawful children," "brothers and sisters of the insured") cannot be used; name each beneficiary individually
- A jointly owned annuity contract requires the paper Change of Beneficiary form (28493) signed by BOTH owners -- it cannot be changed online
- An altered form or one containing an erasure is rejected unless the current policy owner initials the alteration
- For annuities, check whether your contract pays the death benefit on the death of the OWNER or the death of the ANNUITANT -- the two are not always the same person and the distinction determines who the beneficiary designation actually protects
- Beneficiary designations override the instructions in a will
- Employer-sponsored group life and retirement plan beneficiaries are administered through the employer plan, not through Lincoln's individual channels
Sources
Data sourced from Lincoln Financial primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Lincoln Financial instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Lincoln Financial primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Life Insurance Customer Service
Lincoln Financial Group, P.O. Box 21008, Greensboro, NC 27420-1008 (Overnight: 100 North Greene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401). Serves MoneyGuard, variable, term, whole and universal life products, including First Penn-Pacific policies. Lincoln routes by policy number, so this number works even if you do not know which team services your policy.
Life Insurance Customer Service (beneficiary, ownership and trust changes)
Lincoln Financial Group, Insurance Operations - G10-00, P.O. Box 21008, Greensboro, NC 27420-1008. Annuity beneficiary and trust-ownership forms go to a DIFFERENT office: Lincoln Financial Group, P.O. Box 2348, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2348 (fax 260-455-6310, AnnuityForms@lfg.com).
Individual Life Insurance Death Claims (Claim Dept. - 5310)
Lincoln Financial Group, Claim Dept. - 5310, P.O. Box 21008, Greensboro, NC 27420-1008 (Overnight: Lincoln Financial Group, Claim Dept. - 5310, 100 N. Greene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401)
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