What to do when a Talcott Resolution account holder dies

There is no single Talcott claims line -- the number depends on the product, and for annuities also on when the contract was bought. Life insurance: 1-800-243-5433 (traditional) or 1-800-231-5453 (variable). Annuity purchased BEFORE 2024, which covers the Hartford legacy and Union Securities contracts: 1-800-862-6668, or 1-877-372-2935 if the contract was already annuitized. EverGuard or EverStead contract from 2026: the Talcott Retail Service Center at 1-855-342-5834, which is a separate operation with its own P.O. Box (14027 rather than 14293, both Lexington, KY 40512). Structured settlements and pensions: 1-800-678-2282. Pathways: 1-844-863-4055. Abbey Life: abbeylife@talcottresolution.com. Claim forms are not published as public PDFs -- the forms site is login-gated -- so a beneficiary normally has to call the correct line to have the forms issued.

No -- name the trust as beneficiary instead. Transferring ownership of a deferred annuity to a trust can cost the contract its tax deferral: IRC Section 72(u) treats an annuity held by a non-natural person as if it had been distributed, which can trigger tax on the gain in the year of transfer. Naming the trust as primary beneficiary gets the same estate-planning result -- the death benefit passes to the trust outside probate -- without that risk. Note the related Talcott rule that surprises people: when a non-natural entity such as a trust already OWNS an annuity, that same entity is required to be the beneficiary. Confirm the tax consequences with your own advisor, and call 1-800-862-6668 for legacy contracts or 1-855-342-5834 for EverGuard and EverStead.

Yes. Unlike the annuities, the life policies (variable universal life, universal life, whole life, and term life) can be assigned to an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, which is the standard way to keep the death benefit out of your taxable estate. Request the ownership transfer/assignment form through the life servicing line -- 1-800-243-5433 for traditional or 1-800-231-5453 for variable. You will need trust certification, the trust title and signature pages, trustee identification, and the trust EIN. The new owner signature must show trustee capacity, for example "Jane Doe, Trustee of the Doe Family Trust dated 04/12/2021." Group coverage cannot be assigned this way, because the certificate holder does not own the underlying contract.