How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Sun Life
Covers 14 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
Sun Life, One Sun Life Executive Park, 96 Worcester St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
Sun Life, One Sun Life Executive Park, 96 Worcester St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
Death Claims / Beneficiary Services
Sun Life, Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 81365, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
Estate planning with Sun Life policies centers on beneficiary designations—the single most important step for ensuring life insurance proceeds and annuity benefits reach the intended recipients without probate involvement. Unlike bank or brokerage accounts, insurance products are not retitled into trusts; instead, trusts are named as beneficiaries when estate tax planning or controlled distributions are needed.
With 14 product types, Sun Life offers a range of transfer options. Some policies support beneficiary designations, others can be retitled into a trust, and some require probate if no beneficiary is designated. The sections below break down each step.
- Add primary beneficiaries with full legal names, dates of birth, relationships, and percentage allocations totaling 100%
- Add contingent beneficiaries if desired with their own percentage allocations totaling 100%
- For trusts: enter the full legal trust name, date established, and trust EIN
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- Trusts can be named as beneficiaries on group life, AD&D, and individual life policies
- Primary and contingent beneficiary percentage allocations must each total 100%
- If no contingent beneficiary is designated, the contingent defaults to the estate of the insured
- Group life beneficiary changes may require employer coordination depending on plan administration
- Members on Waiver of Premium must submit beneficiary changes directly to Sun Life, not through the employer
- Beneficiary designations override instructions in a will
- New York policies are administered separately through Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.)
- Individual term policies with SC or SU prefix are serviced separately at 877-431-7379
Sources
Data sourced from Sun Life primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Sun Life instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Sun Life primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Sun Life, One Sun Life Executive Park, 96 Worcester St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
Sun Life, One Sun Life Executive Park, 96 Worcester St., Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
Death Claims / Beneficiary Services
Sun Life, Group Life Claims, P.O. Box 81365, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
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