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OverviewPreparing your estateWhen someone dies
OverviewPreparing your estateWhen someone dies
SimplyTrust forms
Letter of Instruction
Home→Financial Institutions→Reliance Standard→Preparing your estate

How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Reliance Standard

Covers 13 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be updated by phone

Reliance Standard

Subsidiary of Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

reliancestandard.com→
Reliance Standard logo

Customer Care Center

Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Emailcustomer.service@rsli.com
Fax267-256-3532
Mailing Address

Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care

Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
1-800-955-4304
Annuity Policyholders (Retirement Services)
1-800-435-7775
WebsiteLearn more→

Customer Care Center

Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Emailcustomer.service@rsli.com
Fax267-256-3532
Mailing Address

Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care

Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
1-800-955-4304
Annuity Policyholders (Retirement Services)
1-800-435-7775
WebsiteLearn more→

Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D)

Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
EmailLifeClaimsScan@rsli.com
Fax267-256-3518
Mailing Address

Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Premium Services

Life Claims Fax - New Claim
267-256-3518
Life Claims Fax - Existing Claim
267-256-3537
Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
1-800-955-4304
Annuity Death Claims (Retirement Services)
1-800-435-7775
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026

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.

Reliance Standard Group Term Life InsuranceReliance Standard Voluntary Group Term Life InsuranceReliance Standard Group AD&D InsuranceReliance Standard Voluntary AD&D InsuranceReliance Standard Short-Term Disability InsuranceReliance Standard Long-Term Disability InsuranceReliance Standard Voluntary Critical Illness InsuranceReliance Standard Voluntary Hospital Indemnity InsuranceReliance Standard Voluntary Group Accident InsuranceReliance Standard Group Dental InsuranceReliance Standard Group Vision InsuranceReliance Standard Individual Life Insurance (Legacy)Reliance Standard Individual Annuity (Legacy)
1
Call the line that matches your coverage -- Reliance Standard runs three separate service lines and the wrong one cannot see your policy:
  • 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
2
Give the certificate or contract number and your identifying information
3
For group coverage the representative will direct you back to your employer or plan administrator, because the employer holds the master policy and maintains the enrollment record. For an annuity, ask for the Beneficiary Change Request form (EF-3531)

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
SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·Updated July 12, 2026

Sources

  • reliancestandardlife.com
  • reliancematrix.com
  • reliancestandard.com
  • claims.reliancematrix.com

Data sourced from Reliance Standard primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.

Download these Reliance Standard instructions

Download instructions for the whole estate→

A 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.

Reliance Standard

Subsidiary of Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

reliancestandard.com→
Reliance Standard logo

Customer Care Center

Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Emailcustomer.service@rsli.com
Fax267-256-3532
Mailing Address

Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care

Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
1-800-955-4304
Annuity Policyholders (Retirement Services)
1-800-435-7775
WebsiteLearn more→

Customer Care Center

Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Emailcustomer.service@rsli.com
Fax267-256-3532
Mailing Address

Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care

Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
1-800-955-4304
Annuity Policyholders (Retirement Services)
1-800-435-7775
WebsiteLearn more→

Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D)

Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
EmailLifeClaimsScan@rsli.com
Fax267-256-3518
Mailing Address

Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Premium Services

Life Claims Fax - New Claim
267-256-3518
Life Claims Fax - Existing Claim
267-256-3537
Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
1-800-955-4304
Annuity Death Claims (Retirement Services)
1-800-435-7775
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026

Estate planning articles

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