How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Reliance Standard
Covers 13 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be updated by phone
Customer Care Center
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care
Customer Care Center
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care
Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D)
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Premium Services
For Reliance Standard policyholders, estate planning comes down to one critical step: making sure the right beneficiaries are named on every policy. Insurance proceeds bypass probate entirely and go directly to whoever is listed—regardless of what a will says. When estate tax planning or controlled distributions are a factor, a trust can be named as beneficiary instead.
Across 13 product types, Reliance Standard policies vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through beneficiary designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
- Group life, voluntary life, and AD&D through an employer: Customer Care Center at 800-351-7500 (weekdays 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET)
- Individually owned (legacy) life policy: Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries at 800-955-4304
- Deferred annuity contract: Retirement Services at 800-435-7775
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- There is no online beneficiary change. The Annuity Owner Portal only lets you VIEW the beneficiary names on file -- an actual change requires the EF-3531 form by email, fax, or mail
- The Annuity Owner Portal is open only to natural-person owners. A trust-owned or corporation-owned annuity has no online access at all and must transact entirely on paper
- On EF-3531, a jointly owned annuity contract automatically makes the surviving owner the primary beneficiary
- Group beneficiary changes are processed by the employer's benefits administrator, so a change made at open enrollment does not reach Reliance Standard until the employer transmits it
- Percentage allocations must total 100 percent within each beneficiary tier
- A beneficiary designation on a life certificate or annuity overrides a will
- Minors cannot receive proceeds directly; name a custodian or a trust instead
Sources
Data sourced from Reliance Standard primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Reliance Standard instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Reliance Standard primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Customer Care Center
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care
Customer Care Center
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care
Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D)
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Premium Services
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