Estate planning at Paychex

Yes, for married participants. Form RS0016 states that "All married individuals will have one primary beneficiary unless the Spousal Waiver section is completed and notarized" -- and that one primary beneficiary is the spouse. To make a trust (or anyone else) the primary beneficiary instead, your spouse must sign the Spousal Waiver on RS0016 in the presence of a notary public. This cannot be done electronically, so even if you manage beneficiaries online in Paychex Flex, a non-spouse primary designation still needs the notarized paper waiver. RS0016 also warns that if you are unmarried when you sign and later marry, your new spouse automatically becomes primary beneficiary unless you file a new form with consent.