How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at PIMCO
Covers 16 investment, and 6 retirement accounts — beneficiaries can be updated by phone
Shareholder Services
PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219294, Kansas City, MO 64121-9294 (A, C, R shares); PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219024, Kansas City, MO 64121-9024 (Institutional shares)
Shareholder Services
PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219294, Kansas City, MO 64121-9294 (A, C, R shares); PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219024, Kansas City, MO 64121-9024 (Institutional shares)
Shareholder Services (Death Claims)
PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219294, Kansas City, MO 64121-9294 (retail shares); overnight: 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Ste 219294, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307
Estate planning for your PIMCO investment accounts starts with understanding how each one transfers at death. Beneficiary designations and trust retitling both bypass probate, but the right approach depends on the account type, your tax situation, and how much control you want over distributions.
PIMCO has 22 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support Transfer on Death (TOD) designations, some can be retitled into a trust, and others will require probate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
- For retail accounts (A, C, R shares): call 800-426-0107 (Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM-7:00 PM CT)
- For institutional shares (Institutional, I-2, I-3, Administrative): call 800-927-4648 (Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM-6:00 PM CT)
- For ETFs: call 888-400-4383
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- PIMCO has no online beneficiary tool. Every beneficiary and TOD change is a paper form mailed to the transfer agent, SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc., in Kansas City, MO.
- TOD registration is limited to (1) sole-owner accounts held by a natural person and (2) natural persons holding as joint tenants with right of survivorship or tenants by the entirety. It is NOT available on accounts registered to a trust, a corporation, an association, tenants in common, UGMA/UTMA, or community property registrations.
- A trust CAN be named as a TOD beneficiary; SS&C requires the trust documents at the time of death. A UGMA or UTMA custodian cannot be a TOD beneficiary.
- Medallion Signature Guarantee (or Signature Validation Program stamp) is required to convert an existing PIMCO account to TOD registration -- but not to change beneficiaries on an existing TOD account or to submit the TOD form with a new account application.
- The TOD form defaults to Per Capita if you do not elect Lineal Descendants Per Stirpes.
- Spousal consent is required on an individually owned account when the primary beneficiary is someone other than (or in addition to) the spouse.
- Signing the TOD form indemnifies SS&C and PIMCO Funds against any loss if the TOD transfer is later found invalid, and lets them debit the TOD beneficiary's account to enforce that indemnity.
- If no primary beneficiary survives you and no contingent beneficiary survives all primary beneficiaries, the account is paid to your estate -- which puts it into probate.
- Beneficiary designations override instructions in a will.
Sources
Data sourced from PIMCO primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these PIMCO instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against PIMCO primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Shareholder Services
PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219294, Kansas City, MO 64121-9294 (A, C, R shares); PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219024, Kansas City, MO 64121-9024 (Institutional shares)
Shareholder Services
PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219294, Kansas City, MO 64121-9294 (A, C, R shares); PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219024, Kansas City, MO 64121-9024 (Institutional shares)
Shareholder Services (Death Claims)
PIMCO Funds, P.O. Box 219294, Kansas City, MO 64121-9294 (retail shares); overnight: 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Ste 219294, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307
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