What to do when a TIAA account holder dies
Report the death to TIAA Beneficiary Services at 1-888-380-6428
When an account holder at TIAA passes away, the next step depends on how the retirement accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with TIAA Beneficiary Services (1-888-380-6428) to access and distribute the funds.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at TIAA:
Filing a claim
- Use TIAA's online Notification of Death form, or call TIAA Beneficiary Services at 888-380-6428 (weekdays 8am-7pm ET)
- The form asks for the deceased's Social Security number or account number, date of birth and date of passing, and your name, phone number, address and relationship to the deceased
- It also takes optional uploads: the death certificate and executor, small estate or trust documents
- Once TIAA learns of a participant's death, it can prepare and send each beneficiary a packet of information, including estimates of survivor benefits and any forms to complete
- Beneficiaries complete the forms to accept the inheritance and transfer the assets into their own name
Required Documents
- Death certificate and estate or trust documents, uploaded with the online notification, optional, when reporting the death onlineTIAA lists the death certificate, an executor or personal representative document, a small estate affidavit if applicable, and trust documents and trustee certification.
- Copy of the death certificate, for a TIAA Brokerage transfer on death accountPershing and TIAA Brokerage must receive a copy of the death certificate and any other documentation required to distribute the account.
- Certified or authenticated copy of the death certificate, for a TIAA Trust, N.A. transfer on death accountIssued by an official or agency of the place where the death occurred.
- Certified copy of the court order appointing the estate's legal representative, for a TIAA Trust, N.A. transfer on death account, when that representative requests the transfer
- Certified copy of the trust instrument, for a TIAA Trust, N.A. transfer on death account, when a trustee is the beneficiary
- Inheritance tax waiver, for a TIAA Trust, N.A. transfer on death account, from states that require it
- Settlement form for IRAs and Roth IRAs, for a TIAA Trust, N.A. IRA or Roth IRARequested from the Estate Settlement Team at 888-842-9001.
- Original death certificate, for a TIAA Trust, N.A. Private Asset Management account
- Private Asset Management settlement form, signed before a notary, for a TIAA Trust, N.A. Private Asset Management account
- Certified copy of Letters Testamentary or of Administration, when an executor or personal representative claims a Private Asset Management account
- Trust Certification and pages of the trust, when a trustee claims a Private Asset Management accountThe first page, signature page and page appointing the trustee from the trust document.
- Group Annuity Notification of Annuitant Death (F9800), for a TIAA group annuity, from the plan institution's representative
- The forms TIAA sends each retirement account beneficiary
Claims Contact
Website: Online portal →
Forms TIAA issues5
- Group Annuity Notification of Annuitant Death (F9800)
Completed by the plan institution's representative. Available to download.1
- Private Asset Management settlement form
Completed by a beneficiary, executor or trustee. Available to download. Must be notarized.2
- Settlement form for IRAs and Roth IRAs
Sent by the institution on request.2
- Affidavit of Domicile
Available to download.3
- Request and Authorization for Estate Valuation
Available to download.3
What happens to each kind of account2
- Annuity
If the deceased was already receiving TIAA retirement income, survivor benefits depend on the income option the deceased chose.4
- Investment account
On notice of the death, a TIAA Brokerage transfer on death account is moved into separate new accounts opened for the named beneficiaries. If no beneficiary survives the owner, the account passes to the estate.5
TIAA Trust may require each beneficiary of a TIAA Trust, N.A. transfer on death account to open an account with it or an affiliate to receive the property. If no beneficiary survives the owner, the property passes to the estate.6
With more than one beneficiary, TIAA Trust may liquidate a Private Asset Management account and transfer cash. If it distributes in kind, it rounds each position down to whole shares and pays the remainder in cash.2
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- TIAA Trust, N.A. Estate Settlement Team
TIAA Trust, N.A. Private Asset Management accounts, IRAs and Roth IRAs2
Phone: 1-888-842-9001
- EverBank, N.A.
Accounts opened at TIAA Bank, which TIAA sold on August 1, 20237
What TIAA's agreement and guidance say6
- How proceeds are paid
TIAA financial consultants can help a beneficiary set up a schedule for receiving required distributions and calculate the amount to receive each year.8
- Debts owed to the institution
If a TIAA Brokerage transfer on death account has a debit balance at the death, Pershing or TIAA Brokerage may sell securities to satisfy it before anything is distributed to the beneficiaries.5
- Payment to a minor or incapacitated beneficiary
A minor beneficiary's share of a TIAA Brokerage transfer on death account is transferred to a custodial, fiduciary or guardianship account for the minor on receipt of appropriate documentation.5
- Indemnity a claimant may have to give
Before distributing a TIAA Trust, N.A. transfer on death account, TIAA Trust may require each beneficiary to sign an indemnification agreement in its favor, up to the value of the property that beneficiary receives.6
- Disputes between claimants
Whoever signs the Private Asset Management settlement form states that, with multiple beneficiaries, there are no known disputes over a beneficiary's entitlement or the amounts to be distributed.2
- Fees
TIAA Trust can value a Private Asset Management account's assets at the date of death and step up their cost basis for $2.40 per CUSIP per valuation date, deducted from the account. All beneficiaries must agree to the step-up.2
Sources8
- 1.TIAA Group Annuity Notification of Annuitant Death (F9800), 2/16
- 2.Private Asset Management settlement form for investment management accounts for individuals (P0337203), 09/23
- 3.TIAA Trust forms library
- 4.After a loved one passes away (A8962), 06/26
- 5.TIAA Brokerage Individual Transfer on Death Account Agreement (F11004), 7/23
- 6.TIAA Trust, N.A. Individual Transfer on Death Account Form (F41116), 9/23
- 7.TIAA Completes Sale of TIAA Bank to Private Investors; Bank Now Doing Business as EverBank, August 1, 2023
- 8.Taking the next step: A guide for beneficiaries (A30091), 06/26
Frequently asked questions
Most retirement account beneficiaries can be updated online through Manage beneficiaries at https://my.tiaa.org/private/partpreferences/beneficiary. On paper, the form follows the account. TIAA and CREF retirement plan, annuity, and IRA contracts use the Beneficiary Designation Form (F11468), mailed to TIAA, P.O. Box 1268, Charlotte, NC 28201-1268. A taxable TIAA Brokerage account uses the Individual Transfer on Death Account Agreement (F11004) and a TIAA Brokerage IRA uses the Designation of Beneficiary (F11015), both mailed to P.O. Box 1280, Charlotte, NC 28201-1280. TIAA Trust, N.A. accounts use F11555 (IRA) or F41116 (transfer on death), sent to TIAA Trust, 211 N. Broadway, Suite 1000, St. Louis, MO 63102-2733. Retail TIAA-CREF Funds use F11664, mailed to P.O. Box 219227, Kansas City, MO 64121-9227. On faxing, TIAA's sources differ: F11468, F11004, and F11015 list fax 800-914-8922 (704-595-5795 from outside the U.S.) and upload at tiaa.org/upload, while TIAA's contact page lists beneficiary designations among the documents to mail rather than fax. The life insurance form (F1008) and the non-qualified annuity form (F7737) state that a faxed request will not be accepted; the original signed and dated form goes to TIAA, P.O. Box 724508, Atlanta, GA 31139-1508.
On a retirement plan, often yes. TIAA's Beneficiary Designation Form (F11468) states that if you are married at your death, your spouse is entitled to at least 50%, up to 100%, of your death benefits under a plan covered by ERISA, your plan's provisions, or state law, and that TIAA pays your spouse regardless of your designation unless a valid spousal waiver is on file. A married participant who names someone other than the spouse needs the spouse's consent, signed in front of a Notary Public or Plan Representative, and F11468 directs you to your human resources administrator for any special employer rules. On a TIAA Brokerage IRA (F11015), a married owner in a community or marital property state (the form lists AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, and WI, among others) who does not name the spouse as sole primary beneficiary needs the spouse's notarized signature. On a life insurance policy (F1008), residents of the community property states the form lists need a notary signature.
Report the death with TIAA's online Notification of Death form at https://www.tiaa.org/public/digitaltransactions/digital-death-notification, or call TIAA Beneficiary Services at 888-380-6428, weekdays 8am-7pm ET. For retirement accounts, once TIAA learns of a participant's death it can prepare and send each beneficiary a packet of information, including estimates of survivor benefits and any forms to complete. For a group annuity, the employer's institutional representative can file the Group Annuity Notification of Annuitant Death (F9800), by fax to 800-914-8922 or by mail to TIAA, P.O. Box 1267, Charlotte, NC 28201-1267. TIAA Trust, N.A. accounts are settled through its Estate Settlement Team at 888-842-9001: the Private Asset Management settlement form asks for the original death certificate, a certified copy of Letters Testamentary or of Administration when claiming for a probate estate, and a notarized signature.
TIAA Beneficiary Services can be reached by phone at 1-888-380-6428 and fax at 1-800-914-8922 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from TIAA primary sources (32 pages reviewed). How we research.
TIAA death claims support
TIAA Beneficiary Services
Phone
Toll-free
TIAA Trust Estate Settlement Team
Life insurance, existing policy
Retail TIAA-CREF Funds
General TIAA service line
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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