How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at MetLife
Covers 14 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
Individual Life Insurance Customer Service
Phone1-800-638-5000
Toll-Free1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
Individual life forms and requests: MetLife, P.O. Box 392, Warwick, RI 02887-0392
Other Individual Life Policies
Individual Annuity Contracts
Group Annuity Contracts
Group Life Claims
Group Benefits General
General Inquiries (1-800-METLIFE)
Brighthouse Financial — pre-2017 individual life and annuity policies
WebsiteLearn more→
Individual Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-638-5000
Toll-Free1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
Individual life claim: mail to the address printed in the claim kit (call 1-800-638-5000). Individual life forms and requests: MetLife, P.O. Box 392, Warwick, RI 02887-0392. Group life claims: MetLife Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 6100, Scranton, PA 18505-6100
Brighthouse Financial claims — pre-2017 individual policies (Mon-Fri 8:30am-6:30pm ET)
Brighthouse — life policies ending US or FM
Group Life Claims (Prompt 2)
Individual Annuity Claims
Group Annuity Contracts
WebsiteLearn more→
Individual Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
Individual life claim mailing address is printed in the claim kit (call 1-800-638-5000). Group life claims: MetLife Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 6100, Scranton, PA 18505-6100 (1-800-638-6420, Prompt 2). Policies issued by a Brighthouse entity are paid by Brighthouse Financial (1-800-882-1292), not MetLife.
Brighthouse Financial — most pre-2017 individual life policies and annuities
Brighthouse — policies ending US or FM
Brighthouse — Met/Tower and GenAm policies
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning with MetLife 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.
MetLife has 14 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support beneficiary designations, some can be retitled into a trust, and others will require probate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
MetLife Term Life Insurance (in-force individual policies)MetLife Whole Life Insurance (in-force individual policies)MetLife Universal Life Insurance (in-force individual policies)MetLife Variable Universal Life Insurance (in-force individual policies)MetLife Group Life Insurance (employer-sponsored)MetLife Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)MetLife Group Universal Life (GUL) InsuranceMetLife Group Variable Universal Life (GVUL) InsuranceMetLife Fixed Annuity (in-force contracts)MetLife Variable Annuity (in-force contracts)MetLife Immediate Income AnnuityMetLife Dental InsuranceMetLife Vision InsuranceMetLife Disability Insurance
1
Confirm which company issued the policy before you start. If the issuer is a Brighthouse entity, MetLife cannot change the beneficiary — go to brighthousefinancial.com or call 1-800-882-1292
2
For an individual MetLife policy, log in at online.metlife.com and open the policy's beneficiary section
3
For GROUP life through an employer, do not use this path — beneficiary changes are made in MyBenefits or through the employer's HR team
4
Enter primary beneficiaries:
- Full legal names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and relationships
- Percentage allocations totaling 100%
5
Add contingent beneficiaries and, if a trust is being named:
- The trust name exactly as written in the trust document
- The date the trust was established
- The trust's tax identification number (EIN)
6
Review, confirm, and keep the confirmation MetLife mails you. Processing is within 5 business days
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- CHECK THE ISSUING COMPANY. MetLife cannot change a beneficiary on a policy issued by a Brighthouse entity — those go to Brighthouse Financial at 1-800-882-1292 (policies ending US or FM: 1-833-208-3017; Met/Tower and GenAm policies: 1-877-638-0411)
- A trust beneficiary requires the LONG form (Form 31163), not the short form
- Group life beneficiary changes are made through the employer's HR team or MyBenefits (mybenefits.metlife.com), not through MetLife's individual-life channel
- For ERISA and non-ERISA 403(b) plans, use the dedicated Spousal Consent / Beneficiary Change form (Form 354)
- Spousal consent may be required for annuity beneficiary changes in community property states
- Only the policy OWNER can change beneficiaries. Once a policy has been assigned to an ILIT, the trustee is the owner and the insured no longer has that right
- All pages of the form must be returned; a partial submission delays processing
- A beneficiary designation controls over instructions in a will
Sources
- metlife.com
- eforms.metlife.com
- brighthousefinancial.com
- metlife.quadientcloud.com
- mybenefits.metlife.com
Data sourced from MetLife primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these MetLife instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against MetLife primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Individual Life Insurance Customer Service
Phone1-800-638-5000
Toll-Free1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
Individual life forms and requests: MetLife, P.O. Box 392, Warwick, RI 02887-0392
Other Individual Life Policies
Individual Annuity Contracts
Group Annuity Contracts
Group Life Claims
Group Benefits General
General Inquiries (1-800-METLIFE)
Brighthouse Financial — pre-2017 individual life and annuity policies
WebsiteLearn more→
Individual Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-638-5000
Toll-Free1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
Individual life claim: mail to the address printed in the claim kit (call 1-800-638-5000). Individual life forms and requests: MetLife, P.O. Box 392, Warwick, RI 02887-0392. Group life claims: MetLife Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 6100, Scranton, PA 18505-6100
Brighthouse Financial claims — pre-2017 individual policies (Mon-Fri 8:30am-6:30pm ET)
Brighthouse — life policies ending US or FM
Group Life Claims (Prompt 2)
Individual Annuity Claims
Group Annuity Contracts
WebsiteLearn more→
Individual Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-638-5000
Fax(908) 655-9586
Mailing Address
Individual life claim mailing address is printed in the claim kit (call 1-800-638-5000). Group life claims: MetLife Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 6100, Scranton, PA 18505-6100 (1-800-638-6420, Prompt 2). Policies issued by a Brighthouse entity are paid by Brighthouse Financial (1-800-882-1292), not MetLife.
Brighthouse Financial — most pre-2017 individual life policies and annuities
Brighthouse — policies ending US or FM
Brighthouse — Met/Tower and GenAm policies
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your MetLife accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
