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
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.
Nationwide Life and Annuity Service
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 and Life CARE Team (Customers Are the Reason we Exist)
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.
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.
- Add or update primary and contingent beneficiaries
- Allocations must be whole percentages totaling exactly 100% — fractions may delay processing
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
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.
Nationwide Life and Annuity Service
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 and Life CARE Team (Customers Are the Reason we Exist)
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.
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