What to do when a Nova 401(k) account holder dies
Contact Nova 401(k) — 7-step process, 4 required documents, and set by the plan and its custodian, not by nova. nova's role is a compliance review of the distribution request before approval; the payment itself is issued by the entity holding the plan's assets. nova does not publish a service-level timeline for death benefit distributions.
Nova 401(k) Associates front desk (employers and advisors)
Phone1-713-524-5192
Emailinfo@nova401k.com
Fax1-713-936-1417
Mailing Address
10777 Northwest Freeway, Suite 440, Houston, TX 77092
Arizona office
Arizona fax
WebsiteLearn more→
Nova 401(k) Associates front desk (employers and advisors)
Phone1-713-524-5192
Emailinfo@nova401k.com
Fax1-713-936-1417
Mailing Address
10777 Northwest Freeway, Suite 440, Houston, TX 77092
Arizona office
Arizona fax
WebsiteLearn more→
Nova Distributions Department (loans, distributions, withdrawals)
Phone1-832-431-5916
Fax1-713-979-0508
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
What happens to Nova 401(k) retirement accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with Nova 401(k)'s Nova Distributions Department (loans, distributions, withdrawals) (1-832-431-5916) to claim the funds.
To start a claim, contact Nova 401(k) by phone at 1-832-431-5916 or email documentation to distributions@nova401k.com. You will need the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Nova 401(k) works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Start with the EMPLOYER, not with Nova. Nova is the plan's third-party administrator: it does not hold the money and it is not the party that pays the benefit. The employer (plan sponsor) is where a death is reported and where the plan's distribution paperwork originates. For an owner-only Solo(k), where the deceased was the plan sponsor, go straight to step 2.
2
Contact Nova's distributions department: (832) 431-5916 or distributions@nova401k.com (https://nova401k.com/distributions-loans/). Nova states that it maintains a dedicated participant distribution phone line so participants can find out what they need to do to initiate a request and follow up on a pending one, and that its distributions team completes a compliance review of participant distribution requests before approval. Nova instructs that confidential or personally identifiable information NOT be sent by email — call the line or use the paperwork it provides.
3
Ask which entity holds the plan's assets. The money sits with the plan's custodian/trustee, and the payment is issued from there. Nova reviews and processes the request; it is not the payer.
4
Establish who is entitled to the benefit. The plan document governs, not the will:
- The beneficiary of record on file with the plan administrator controls, and overrides the will
- If there is no valid designation, the plan's default order applies (PPA Basic Plan Document, Section 6.2(e)): surviving spouse, then issue per stirpes, then surviving parents, then the estate — unless the employer elected a different order
- On a defined benefit or cash balance plan, a married participant's surviving spouse has the pre-retirement survivor annuity unless the spouse validly waived it with witnessed consent (Section 6.6)
- A divorce decree revokes a designation naming the former spouse unless the decree or a QDRO says otherwise (Section 6.2(f))
5
Provide proof of death and proof of your right to payment. Section 6.2(c) of the plan document lets the plan administrator require such proof of death and such evidence of a person's right to receive payment as it deems desirable, and makes the administrator's determination conclusive. In practice that means a certified death certificate, identification, and — if a trust or an estate is the beneficiary — the trust document or the Letters Testamentary / Letters of Administration.
6
Choose a payment form from those the plan document allows (Section 6.6(g)). The plan's adoption agreement decides which of these the specific plan offers:
- A single lump sum
- Partial withdrawals
- Installments over a period chosen by the beneficiary
- An annuity over the beneficiary's life expectancy
- A surviving spouse can generally roll the benefit into their own IRA; a non-spouse beneficiary can move it only to an inherited IRA
7
Plan the tax timing. Under the SECURE Act (IRC 401(a)(9)(H)), most non-spouse beneficiaries must empty an inherited retirement plan within 10 years of the participant's death; a surviving spouse and certain eligible designated beneficiaries have longer options. A trust named as beneficiary can be subject to a faster payout than an individual, which is why the trust's drafting matters here.
Required Documents
- The plan's distribution paperwork, obtained from the employer / plan sponsor or from Nova's distributions team — Nova does not publish a downloadable death benefit claim form
- Certified copy of the death certificate (proof of death, which the plan administrator may require under PPA Basic Plan Document, Section 6.2(c))
- Evidence of the claimant's right to receive payment, which the plan administrator may require under Section 6.2(c) — for a trust beneficiary, the trust document or a certification of trust; for an estate beneficiary, certified Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- Government-issued photo identification for the beneficiary
What to know at this institution
The single most useful fact about a Nova-administered plan: Nova is a THIRD-PARTY ADMINISTRATOR, not a custodian, not a bank, and not the party that pays the benefit. A beneficiary does not "claim from Nova." The employer sponsors the plan, the plan's trust and custodian hold the money, and Nova administers the plan and compliance-reviews the distribution request. Two contacts matter: the employer's HR department (or, for an owner-only Solo(k), the family of the deceased owner acting as sponsor) and Nova's distributions department at (832) 431-5916 / distributions@nova401k.com / fax (713) 979-0508 (https://nova401k.com/distributions-loans/). Nova explicitly asks that confidential or personally identifiable information not be sent by email. Under ERISA, a married participant's spouse has statutory rights in a 401(k), 403(b), or defined benefit plan: a non-spouse designation is only effective if the spouse consented in writing, witnessed by a plan representative or a notary public (PPA Basic Plan Document, Section 6.5(a)(2)). If the participant left no valid designation, the plan's default order pays the surviving spouse first, then issue per stirpes, then surviving parents, then the estate (Section 6.2(e)).
Prepare your letter of instruction to Nova 401(k)
Nova 401(k) asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist Nova 401(k) requires.
Build your letter of instructionProcessing timelines at Nova 401(k): Set by the plan and its custodian, not by Nova. Nova's role is a compliance review of the distribution request before approval; the payment itself is issued by the entity holding the plan's assets. Nova does not publish a service-level timeline for death benefit distributions. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Nova 401(k) requires The plan's distribution paperwork, obtained from the employer / plan sponsor or from Nova's distributions team — Nova does not publish a downloadable death benefit claim form, Certified copy of the death certificate (proof of death, which the plan administrator may require under PPA Basic Plan Document, Section 6.2(c)), Evidence of the claimant's right to receive payment, which the plan administrator may require under Section 6.2(c) — for a trust beneficiary, the trust document or a certification of trust; for an estate beneficiary, certified Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, and Government-issued photo identification for the beneficiary to process a death claim. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
No. Nova is a third-party administrator (TPA). Your employer hires Nova to design and administer the plan — plan documents, compliance testing, Form 5500 filings, and a compliance review of participant distribution requests before approval. The money itself sits in the plan's trust with the plan's custodian, and the beneficiary designation is a plan record held by the plan administrator. This is why a beneficiary never files a claim "with Nova" the way you would file a claim with an insurance company: the plan pays the benefit, and Nova processes the paperwork.
Start with the deceased person's employer or HR department — the employer is the plan sponsor and is where a death is reported and where the plan's distribution paperwork comes from. Then contact Nova's distributions department, which runs a dedicated participant distribution phone line at (832) 431-5916 (distributions@nova401k.com, fax (713) 979-0508, https://nova401k.com/distributions-loans/). Nova can tell you what the plan requires to initiate a death benefit distribution and can tell you which custodian holds the plan's assets. Nova instructs that confidential or personally identifiable information not be sent by email, so use the phone line rather than emailing a death certificate or Social Security number. If the deceased was an owner-only Solo(k) participant — their own plan sponsor — there is no HR department to call, and the distributions line is the starting point.
The plan document decides — not the will. Under the Nova 401(k) Associates PPA Basic Plan Document (Section 6.2(e)), if no valid beneficiary designation exists, or the named beneficiary died first with no contingent beneficiary named, the death benefit is paid in this order: the participant's surviving spouse, then the participant's issue per stirpes, then the participant's surviving parents in equal shares, then the participant's estate. An employer can elect a different order in its adoption agreement, so the specific plan's documents control. Only the last of those default steps routes the money through probate; the first three pay directly to people.
You can name a trust as beneficiary — that is the only way a trust ever connects to an employer retirement plan, because a 401(k), 403(b), or pension benefit can never be retitled into a living trust the way a bank or brokerage account can. If you are married and the plan carries spousal rights (401(k), 403(b), defined benefit, cash balance), naming the trust instead of your spouse requires your spouse's written consent. Under the plan document Nova's client plans adopt (Section 6.5(a)(2), applied to the pre-retirement survivor annuity by Section 6.6(b)), that consent must be irrevocable, must acknowledge the specific non-spouse beneficiary, and must be witnessed by a plan representative OR a notary public. A trust named as beneficiary can also be forced to take the money out faster than an individual would under the SECURE Act 10-year rule, so the trust's drafting matters. Governmental 457(b) plans are not subject to ERISA and may not require spousal consent — the plan document controls.
Nova 401(k)'s Nova Distributions Department (loans, distributions, withdrawals) can be reached by phone at 1-832-431-5916, email at distributions@nova401k.com, and fax at 1-713-979-0508 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple Nova 401(k) retirement accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Nova Distributions Department (loans, distributions, withdrawals) can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from Nova 401(k) primary sources (11 pages reviewed). How we research.
Nova 401(k) Associates front desk (employers and advisors)
Phone1-713-524-5192
Emailinfo@nova401k.com
Fax1-713-936-1417
Mailing Address
10777 Northwest Freeway, Suite 440, Houston, TX 77092
Arizona office
Arizona fax
WebsiteLearn more→
Nova 401(k) Associates front desk (employers and advisors)
Phone1-713-524-5192
Emailinfo@nova401k.com
Fax1-713-936-1417
Mailing Address
10777 Northwest Freeway, Suite 440, Houston, TX 77092
Arizona office
Arizona fax
WebsiteLearn more→
Nova Distributions Department (loans, distributions, withdrawals)
Phone1-832-431-5916
Fax1-713-979-0508
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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