What to do when a OneDigital Retirement account holder dies
Contact OneDigital Retirement — 7-step process, 8 required documents, and set by the recordkeeper or custodian, not by onedigital. identifying the recordkeeper through the employer typically takes days; the claim itself commonly runs several weeks from the date the complete packet is received. the federal 10-year payout deadline (26 u.s.c. 401(a)(9)(h)) runs from the year of death regardless of how long the claim takes.
OneDigital (Atlanta headquarters)
Phone1-770-250-2900
Mailing Address
300 Galleria Pkwy SE, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30339
Payroll Support
WebsiteLearn more→
OneDigital (Atlanta headquarters)
Phone1-770-250-2900
Mailing Address
300 Galleria Pkwy SE, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30339
Payroll Support
WebsiteLearn more→
OneDigital does not operate a death-claims department. Use the headquarters line to reach the adviser on the account; the claim itself is filed with the plan's recordkeeper or the account's custodian.
Phone1-770-250-2900
Mailing Address
300 Galleria Pkwy SE, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30339
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
When a OneDigital Retirement account holder passes away, the next step depends on how the retirement accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with OneDigital Retirement's OneDigital does not operate a death-claims department. Use the headquarters line to reach the adviser on the account; the claim itself is filed with the plan's recordkeeper or the account's custodian. (1-770-250-2900) to access and distribute the funds.
The claim process begins with a phone call to 1-770-250-2900. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate available when making initial contact.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with OneDigital Retirement:
Filing a claim
1
Do not start with OneDigital. OneDigital's own Form ADV (Part 2A, Retirement, Item 15) states that it does not hold custody of retirement plan clients' assets and that plans must contract separately with a broker-dealer, insurance company, or trust company for custodial services. It has no claims department, no claim form, and no ability to release money.
2
Identify the entity that actually holds the asset:
- Employer plan (401(k), 403(b), pension): the employer / plan sponsor tells you which RECORDKEEPER holds the plan. Start with the deceased person's HR or benefits contact; the recordkeeper name is also printed on the participant's quarterly statement
- Path Forward 401(k) or 403(b) pooled employer plan: the recordkeeper and pooled plan provider is Ascensus
- Wealth-management or Private Client account: the CUSTODIAN is Charles Schwab & Co., Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, or Raymond James & Associates — whichever appears on the statement
- Nonqualified deferred compensation / executive benefits: the EMPLOYER pays, under the plan document
- Frozen pension that was annuitized: an INSURANCE COMPANY now owes the survivor benefit; the employer can identify it
3
Notify the plan sponsor (employer) in writing of the participant's death and ask them to open the death-benefit process with the recordkeeper. For a wealth account, notify the OneDigital adviser, who will open the estate process with the custodian.
4
Complete the paperwork the RECORDKEEPER or CUSTODIAN sends. It typically requires:
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary
- A distribution election (lump sum, inherited IRA transfer, or installments, as the plan allows)
- Tax withholding election (Form W-4R for nonperiodic retirement distributions)
- For a trust beneficiary: the certification of trust or trust agreement, plus the trustee's ID
- For an estate beneficiary: certified Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
5
Watch the payout clock. Under 26 U.S.C. 401(a)(9)(H) (the SECURE Act), most non-spouse beneficiaries — including most trusts — must fully distribute the inherited retirement account within 10 years of the year of death. A surviving spouse and other eligible designated beneficiaries have more options. This deadline is set by federal law, not by OneDigital or the recordkeeper, and no one will extend it.
6
If the participant was married and a non-spouse is named as primary beneficiary, expect the recordkeeper to ask for the spousal consent that was executed when the designation was made (26 U.S.C. 417(a)(2), which requires the consent to have been witnessed by a plan representative or a notary public). If no valid consent is in the file, the qualified plan generally pays the surviving spouse regardless of the form on file.
7
Use the OneDigital adviser for what an adviser is actually good for: identifying the recordkeeper or custodian, explaining the plan's distribution options, and modeling the tax consequence of a lump sum versus a 10-year drawdown. Call (770) 250-2900 if you cannot reach the adviser directly. The adviser cannot release funds or process the claim.
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary
- The recordkeeper's or custodian's death benefit claim form (there is no OneDigital claim form)
- Distribution election (lump sum, inherited IRA, or installments, per the plan)
- Tax withholding election — IRS Form W-4R for nonperiodic retirement distributions
- Certification of trust or trust agreement, plus trustee ID, if a trust is the beneficiary
- Certified Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if the estate is the beneficiary
- The plan document or summary plan description, useful for confirming which payout options the plan actually allows
What to know at this institution
OneDigital is the plan's ADVISER. The chain of custody for an employer plan runs: employer (plan sponsor) -> recordkeeper -> custodian/trustee. The beneficiary claims from the recordkeeper. For a wealth-management client, the chain runs: OneDigital adviser -> custodian (Charles Schwab & Co., Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, or Raymond James & Associates, all independent of OneDigital per its Form ADV). Two federal rules dominate the outcome and neither is OneDigital's to waive: the surviving spouse's protection on qualified plans (26 U.S.C. 417(a)(2)), and the 10-year distribution window for most non-spouse beneficiaries (26 U.S.C. 401(a)(9)(H)).
Processing timelines at OneDigital Retirement: Set by the recordkeeper or custodian, not by OneDigital. Identifying the recordkeeper through the employer typically takes days; the claim itself commonly runs several weeks from the date the complete packet is received. The federal 10-year payout deadline (26 U.S.C. 401(a)(9)(H)) runs from the year of death regardless of how long the claim takes. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Documentation required by OneDigital Retirement includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary, and The recordkeeper's or custodian's death benefit claim form (there is no OneDigital claim form), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Not with OneDigital. OneDigital advises the plan; it does not hold the money. Its own Form ADV Part 2A states that OneDigital does not hold custody of retirement plan clients' assets and that plans must contract separately with a broker-dealer, insurance company, or trust company for custodial services. Start with the employer's HR or benefits contact and ask for the name of the plan's RECORDKEEPER (it also appears on the quarterly statement). The recordkeeper sends the death-benefit claim packet and pays the beneficiary. OneDigital's adviser can tell you who the recordkeeper is and walk you through the payout choices — call (770) 250-2900 — but cannot release the funds.
Your spouse's written consent. Under 26 U.S.C. 417(a)(2), a married participant's election to name anyone other than the spouse as primary beneficiary of a qualified plan requires the spouse's consent, and that consent must be witnessed by a plan representative or a notary public. This is why the beneficiary page on a recordkeeper portal usually cannot be finished entirely online for married participants. If a valid consent is not in the plan's file when the participant dies, the plan generally pays the surviving spouse regardless of what the beneficiary form says.
Yes — it makes it simpler. In the Path Forward 401(k) and 403(b) pooled employer plans (launched with Ascensus in March 2026), OneDigital serves as the 3(38) investment fiduciary and Ascensus is the pooled plan provider handling recordkeeping, trust, and custody. So the beneficiary designation lives on the Ascensus platform and the death claim is filed with Ascensus. OneDigital's role is the investment lineup, not the money movement.
With an insurance company. OneDigital's Form ADV notes that some of its advisers help sponsors of frozen defined benefit plans offload their liability for future payments to beneficiaries by purchasing an insurance annuity. When that happens, the obligation to pay the survivor benefit moves to the insurer that issued the annuity — the former employer can tell you which one. Two other pension facts matter for an estate: a pension cannot be retitled to a trust, and the survivor benefit is generally fixed by the payout form elected at retirement (for example a joint-and-survivor annuity), so a beneficiary form signed later does not change it. If the retiree elected a single-life annuity, payments may simply stop at death.
OneDigital Retirement's OneDigital does not operate a death-claims department. Use the headquarters line to reach the adviser on the account; the claim itself is filed with the plan's recordkeeper or the account's custodian. can be reached by phone at 1-770-250-2900 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple OneDigital Retirement retirement accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The OneDigital does not operate a death-claims department. Use the headquarters line to reach the adviser on the account; the claim itself is filed with the plan's recordkeeper or the account's custodian. can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from OneDigital Retirement primary sources (11 pages reviewed). How we research.
OneDigital (Atlanta headquarters)
Phone1-770-250-2900
Mailing Address
300 Galleria Pkwy SE, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30339
Payroll Support
WebsiteLearn more→
OneDigital (Atlanta headquarters)
Phone1-770-250-2900
Mailing Address
300 Galleria Pkwy SE, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30339
Payroll Support
WebsiteLearn more→
OneDigital does not operate a death-claims department. Use the headquarters line to reach the adviser on the account; the claim itself is filed with the plan's recordkeeper or the account's custodian.
Phone1-770-250-2900
Mailing Address
300 Galleria Pkwy SE, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30339
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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