How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Nationwide
Covers 10 insurance, and 2 retirement accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
Nationwide Life and Annuity Service
Phone1-800-848-6331
Fax1-888-634-4472 (annuity); 1-888-677-7393 (life)
Mailing Address
Nationwide Headquarters, One Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH 43215-2220. Annuity forms: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182021, Columbus, OH 43218-2021. Life forms: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182835, Columbus, OH 43218-2835.
Annuity income products
Annuity and life sales / financial professionals
Mutual funds service
Retirement plans — Nationwide Retirement Solutions (457/401(k)/403(b))
Retirement plans — 401(k)/403(b) participants
TDD/TTY for the hearing impaired
Corporate headquarters
WebsiteLearn more→
Nationwide Life and Annuity Service
Phone1-800-848-6331
Fax1-888-634-4472 (annuity); 1-888-677-7393 (life)
Mailing Address
Nationwide Headquarters, One Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH 43215-2220. Annuity forms: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182021, Columbus, OH 43218-2021. Life forms: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182835, Columbus, OH 43218-2835.
Annuity income products
Annuity and life sales / financial professionals
Mutual funds service
Retirement plans — Nationwide Retirement Solutions (457/401(k)/403(b))
Retirement plans — 401(k)/403(b) participants
TDD/TTY for the hearing impaired
Corporate headquarters
WebsiteLearn more→
Annuity and Life CARE Team (Customers Are the Reason we Exist)
Phone1-800-848-6331
Fax1-888-634-4472 (annuity claims); 1-888-677-7393 (life)
Mailing Address
Annuity claims: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182021, Columbus, OH 43218-2021 (overnight: Nationwide Insurance, 1-LC-F4, 1 Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH 43215-2239). Retirement plan claims: Nationwide Retirement Solutions, PO Box 182797, Columbus, OH 43218-2797.
Retirement plan (457/401(k)/403(b)) beneficiary claims — Nationwide Retirement Solutions
Beneficiary financial guidance on inherited annuity proceeds (no cost, 9 AM - 6 PM ET weekdays)
TDD/TTY for the hearing impaired
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Beneficiary designations are the foundation of estate planning for Nationwide 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.
Nationwide has 12 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.
Governmental 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan401(k) / 403(b) Retirement Plan
1
Log in to your Nationwide annuity account at https://login.nationwide.com/access/web/login.htm?loginType=annuity
2
Navigate: Log in > Select your policy > Beneficiaries > Manage beneficiaries
3
Update the designations:
- Add or update primary and contingent beneficiaries
- Allocations must be whole percentages totaling exactly 100% — fractions may delay processing
4
For life insurance, log in at https://www.nationwide.com, select the "Forms" option, and upload the completed Application for Change of Beneficiary Designation (LAF-0119AO). If you do not have an online account: visit nationwide.com > Log in > Life insurance > Sign up.
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- Every beneficiary change form supersedes all previous designations — all primary and contingent beneficiaries must be re-listed, and "same" or "no change" is not accepted
- Allocations must be whole percentages totaling exactly 100%; fractional percentages are rejected
- Massachusetts: a witness signature is REQUIRED on the life insurance form (LAF-0119AO) for Massachusetts residents and Massachusetts-issued policies
- Community property states and territories (AZ, CA, GU, ID, LA, NV, NM, PR, TX, WA, WI): the annuity form requires either spousal consent or a signed owner indemnification
- Nationwide will not pay insurance proceeds to a minor — a court-appointed guardian of the estate, a conservator, a custodian under a state Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, or a trust are the customary recipients
- A trust beneficiary requires a Certification of Trust (legal name, effective date, authorized and successor trustees, trust TIN)
- Removing a spouse as primary beneficiary can permanently terminate a GLWB Joint Option or Spousal Protection rider while the rider charge continues
- Naming an irrevocable beneficiary on a life policy means the designation cannot later be changed without that beneficiary's consent, and other policy changes may require their signature
- Nationwide takes state divorce-revocation statutes into account when processing claims; the Indiana (Ind. Code 32-17-14) and Missouri (RSMo 461.003-461.081) beneficiary-revocation provisions are expressly incorporated into the annuity designation
Sources
Data sourced from Nationwide primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Nationwide instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Nationwide primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Nationwide Life and Annuity Service
Phone1-800-848-6331
Fax1-888-634-4472 (annuity); 1-888-677-7393 (life)
Mailing Address
Nationwide Headquarters, One Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH 43215-2220. Annuity forms: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182021, Columbus, OH 43218-2021. Life forms: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182835, Columbus, OH 43218-2835.
Annuity income products
Annuity and life sales / financial professionals
Mutual funds service
Retirement plans — Nationwide Retirement Solutions (457/401(k)/403(b))
Retirement plans — 401(k)/403(b) participants
TDD/TTY for the hearing impaired
Corporate headquarters
WebsiteLearn more→
Nationwide Life and Annuity Service
Phone1-800-848-6331
Fax1-888-634-4472 (annuity); 1-888-677-7393 (life)
Mailing Address
Nationwide Headquarters, One Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH 43215-2220. Annuity forms: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182021, Columbus, OH 43218-2021. Life forms: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182835, Columbus, OH 43218-2835.
Annuity income products
Annuity and life sales / financial professionals
Mutual funds service
Retirement plans — Nationwide Retirement Solutions (457/401(k)/403(b))
Retirement plans — 401(k)/403(b) participants
TDD/TTY for the hearing impaired
Corporate headquarters
WebsiteLearn more→
Annuity and Life CARE Team (Customers Are the Reason we Exist)
Phone1-800-848-6331
Fax1-888-634-4472 (annuity claims); 1-888-677-7393 (life)
Mailing Address
Annuity claims: Nationwide Life Insurance Company, PO Box 182021, Columbus, OH 43218-2021 (overnight: Nationwide Insurance, 1-LC-F4, 1 Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH 43215-2239). Retirement plan claims: Nationwide Retirement Solutions, PO Box 182797, Columbus, OH 43218-2797.
Retirement plan (457/401(k)/403(b)) beneficiary claims — Nationwide Retirement Solutions
Beneficiary financial guidance on inherited annuity proceeds (no cost, 9 AM - 6 PM ET weekdays)
TDD/TTY for the hearing impaired
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Nationwide accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
