How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Unum
Covers 10 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
Customer Service
The Benefits Center, P.O. Box 100158, Columbia, SC 29202-3158
Unum Portability and Conversion Unit
Unum, Portability and Conversion Unit, 2211 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04122
The Benefits Center - Group Life and Accidental Death Claims
The Benefits Center, P.O. Box 100158, Columbia, SC 29202-3158
Estate planning with Unum 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.
Unum has 10 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support beneficiary designations, some can be retitled into a trust, and others will require probate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
- ACTIVE group coverage: the beneficiary designation is held by your EMPLOYER, not by Unum. Unum form CL-1091 instructs the employer to supply "the most recent beneficiary designation form" at the time of a death claim, which is why the employer benefits/HR system (or its enrollment platform) is the system of record while you are employed
- PORTED coverage (you left the employer and kept group term at group rates): Unum itself holds the designation, and you file directly with Unum
- Make the change in your employer benefits/enrollment system, or ask HR for the designation form the employer keeps on file
- Name primary and contingent beneficiaries with percentages totaling 100% at each level
- For a trust: give the full legal trust name exactly as it appears in the trust document, the date the trust was established, and the trustee
- Log in to MyUnum for Members at https://services.unum.com to view your Unum coverage; for individually owned Unum policies, policy-change requests can be submitted with electronic signature at https://www.unum.com/support/employees/esign
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- While you are employed, Unum does not hold your group life beneficiary designation — your employer does. Confirm it with HR, not with Unum
- Form CS-1277 (ported coverage) cancels all prior designations; re-list everyone you want to keep
- If multiple beneficiaries are named with no percentages indicated, they share equally (CS-1277)
- Trusts can be named as beneficiary on group life, voluntary life, AD&D, and whole life
- Naming a minor triggers a minor-beneficiary/adult-representative process at claim time; a trust or custodial arrangement avoids it
- Beneficiary designations control over a will
- Ported and converted coverage is administered by a separate unit: Unum, Portability and Conversion Unit, 2211 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04122, 800-421-0344, PortabilityConversion@unum.com
Sources
Data sourced from Unum primary sources (18 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Unum instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Unum primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Customer Service
The Benefits Center, P.O. Box 100158, Columbia, SC 29202-3158
Unum Portability and Conversion Unit
Unum, Portability and Conversion Unit, 2211 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04122
The Benefits Center - Group Life and Accidental Death Claims
The Benefits Center, P.O. Box 100158, Columbia, SC 29202-3158
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