Estate planning at USAA
How to protect 11 USAA accounts — manage beneficiaries by phone, fund a trust by mail, and file claims through USAA's USAA Survivor Relations (all product lines)
USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
USAA Survivor Relations (all product lines)
Bank Survivor Relations Team
USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
How your USAA accounts transfer at death depends on how each one is titled and whether a beneficiary is on file. Of those, 10 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. Getting these details right keeps assets out of probate and ensures they reach the intended recipients.
Managing beneficiaries at USAA is straightforward—changes can be made by mail and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes to complete form; 1-2 weeks for processing. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
USAA has documented procedures for both preparing accounts during your lifetime and handling claims when an account holder passes away.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries by phone, fund a trust by mail, and review 11 account types at USAA.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact USAA's USAA Survivor Relations (all product lines) to file a claim. 4-step process, 8 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Reach USAA's USAA Survivor Relations (all product lines) at 1-800-292-8294 for help with any of these procedures.
Frequently asked questions
No. USAA currently requires a paper form for POD beneficiary designations on deposit accounts and IRA beneficiary designations. Contact USAA at 1-800-531-8722 or 1-855-204-0378 to request the appropriate form. Completed forms must be returned by mail (or fax for IRA forms to 1-800-292-8177).
USAA sold its brokerage and managed portfolio business to Charles Schwab in May 2020. Schwab is now the exclusive provider of investment and wealth management services for USAA members. Retitling a former USAA brokerage account to a revocable trust must be handled through Charles Schwab using Schwab's trust account procedures. USAA Federal Savings Bank retains only deposit accounts (checking, savings, CDs) and IRA CDs.
Sources
Data sourced from USAA primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
USAA Survivor Relations (all product lines)
Bank Survivor Relations Team
USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your USAA accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
