Estate planning at MetLife
How to protect 14 MetLife accounts — manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust by mail, and file claims through MetLife's Life Insurance Claims
Individual Life Insurance Customer Service
Phone1-800-638-5000
Toll-Free1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
MetLife, PO Box 10356, Des Moines, IA 50306-0356
Other Individual Life Policies
Individual Annuity Contracts
Group Annuity Contracts
Group Life Claims (Mon-Thu 8am-8pm ET, Fri 8am-5pm ET)
Group Benefits General
General Inquiries (1-800-METLIFE)
Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
MetLife, PO Box 10356, Des Moines, IA 50306-0356. Claims mailing: MetLife Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 6100, Scranton, PA 18505-6100
Other Individual Life Policies
Individual Annuity Contracts
Group Annuity Contracts
Group Life Claims (Mon-Thu 8am-8pm ET, Fri 8am-5pm ET)
Group Benefits General
General Inquiries (1-800-METLIFE)
WebsiteLearn more→
Individual Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
MetLife Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 6100, Scranton, PA 18505-6100
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Apr 2026
MetLife offers 14 insurance products that play a central role in estate planning. Because policy proceeds pass directly to named beneficiaries—bypassing probate entirely—keeping designations current is one of the highest-impact steps policyholders can take.
MetLife lets account holders update beneficiary designations online, by mail, and by phone, typically taking 10-15 minutes online; 15-20 minutes by mail; processing within 5 business days. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to name a trust as the policy beneficiary or establish an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT).
There are two sides to estate planning at MetLife: setting things up while you're alive, and the process survivors follow after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust by mail, and review 14 account types at MetLife.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact MetLife's Life Insurance Claims to file a claim. 6-step process, 9 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Reach MetLife's Life Insurance Claims at 1-800-638-5000 for help with any of these procedures. Email inquiries can be sent to INDlifeclaims@metlife.com.
Frequently asked questions
Log in to your MetLife account at online.metlife.com and navigate to your policy's beneficiary management section. You can also download the Change of Beneficiary form -- Short Form (Form 55783) for simple individual changes or Long Form (Form 31163) for trusts and entities -- from MetLife's eforms portal. Submit by mail to MetLife, PO Box 10356, Des Moines, IA 50306-0356 or by fax to 1-877-549-5834. You can also call 1-800-638-5000 for assistance. All pages of the form must be returned. MetLife processes beneficiary changes within 5 business days and mails a confirmation.
MetLife spun off most of its U.S. retail individual life insurance and annuity business to Brighthouse Financial in 2017. MetLife no longer issues new individual life insurance policies directly to consumers. However, MetLife continues to service all existing in-force individual policies (whole life, term life, universal life, variable universal life) and actively sells group life insurance, group benefits, dental, vision, disability coverage, and retirement income solutions through employers. If you hold an existing MetLife individual policy, your coverage and service continue with MetLife.
Yes. A trust can be named as beneficiary on a MetLife fixed or variable annuity. To designate a trust as annuity beneficiary, download and complete the Annuity Beneficiary Change form available at metlife.quadientcloud.com/app/eforms/ (DOCID: ANN-BENE) or by calling 1-800-638-7732. To transfer annuity ownership to a trust (non-qualified annuities only), complete the annuity ownership change form together with the Trustee-Entity Certification form (Form 14988). If the trust is intended to qualify as a designated beneficiary for stretch distribution purposes, also complete the Trust Look-Through Treatment Certification (Form 46429). Provide the full trust name as it appears in the trust document, the date the trust was established, and the trust EIN. Submit by mail to MetLife, PO Box 10356, Des Moines, IA 50306-0356, or by fax to 1-877-549-5834. Note: spousal consent may be required in community property states.
Sources
Data sourced from MetLife primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Individual Life Insurance Customer Service
Phone1-800-638-5000
Toll-Free1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
MetLife, PO Box 10356, Des Moines, IA 50306-0356
Other Individual Life Policies
Individual Annuity Contracts
Group Annuity Contracts
Group Life Claims (Mon-Thu 8am-8pm ET, Fri 8am-5pm ET)
Group Benefits General
General Inquiries (1-800-METLIFE)
Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
MetLife, PO Box 10356, Des Moines, IA 50306-0356. Claims mailing: MetLife Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 6100, Scranton, PA 18505-6100
Other Individual Life Policies
Individual Annuity Contracts
Group Annuity Contracts
Group Life Claims (Mon-Thu 8am-8pm ET, Fri 8am-5pm ET)
Group Benefits General
General Inquiries (1-800-METLIFE)
WebsiteLearn more→
Individual Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
MetLife Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 6100, Scranton, PA 18505-6100
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Apr 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your MetLife accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
