How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Midland National

Covers 7 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online

Midland National

Subsidiary of Sammons Financial Group, Inc.

midlandnational.com
Midland National logo

Life Insurance Customer Service

Fax1-877-841-6706
Mailing Address

Midland National - Life Insurance, One Sammons Plaza, Sioux Falls, SD 57193

Annuity Customer Service
Life Insurance (International)
Annuity (International)

Life Insurance Customer Service

Fax1-877-841-6706
Mailing Address

Midland National - Life Insurance, One Sammons Plaza, Sioux Falls, SD 57193

Annuity Customer Service
Life Insurance (International)
Annuity (International)

Life Claims

Fax1-877-841-6706
Mailing Address

Midland National Life Insurance Company, Life Division, P.O. Box 5973, Sioux Falls, SD 57117 (overnight: Life Division, One Sammons Plaza, Sioux Falls, SD 57193)

ANNUITY claims (different department, fax 877-586-0249)
Verified Jul 2026

Beneficiary designations are the foundation of estate planning for Midland National policies. Unlike bank accounts, insurance products cannot be retitled into a trust. Instead, the beneficiary designation itself determines who receives the proceeds and how quickly they're paid. Naming a trust as beneficiary is an option when more control over distributions is needed.

The transfer rules at Midland National vary across 7 policies. Below is a breakdown of beneficiary options, trust funding, and which products support each method.

Midland National Term Life InsuranceMidland National Universal Life InsuranceMidland National Indexed Universal Life InsuranceMidland National Fixed AnnuityMidland National Fixed Index AnnuityMidland National Multi-Year Guarantee Annuity (MYGA)Midland National Single Premium Immediate Annuity (SPIA)
1
Log in or register at my.midlandnational.com:
  • Select your policy or contract
  • Choose "Update personal or beneficiary information"
  • Follow the on-screen prompts to add, change, or remove beneficiaries
  • Provide full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, relationship, and percentage allocation for each beneficiary
2
Submit the change; processing times vary by request type

Required Documents

  • Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)

Special Requirements

  • Only the policy or contract owner can change a beneficiary designation
  • A beneficiary designation controls the death benefit; it is not overridden by a will
  • Percentage allocations must total 100% within each tier, and fractions are not accepted on Midland National's forms
  • Trusts, individuals, estates, and charitable organizations may all be named. A trust beneficiary requires the Certification of trust agreement (form 7519 life / 19306Y annuity; 26742Y for a charitable trust on an annuity)
  • LIFE POLICIES: if the death benefit payable to a trust will be $250,000 or more, the trustee will also have to file a notarized Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Release (form 12973) at claim time
  • ANNUITIES: if no per stirpes / per capita election is made, Midland National defaults to PER CAPITA — a predeceased beneficiary's children take nothing
  • A per stirpes election on an annuity requires a signed, dated list of the children with names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers
  • Spousal consent is recommended in the community property states (AK, AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI) on an ownership change
  • A designation naming "surviving children" will require a notarized Affidavit of surviving children (form 6506 life / 11734Y annuity) at claim time
SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·

Sources

Data sourced from Midland National primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.

Download these Midland National instructions

Download instructions for the whole estate

A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Midland National primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.

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