How to designate beneficiaries at USAA
Beneficiaries are managed online or by mail
The key to protecting your USAA accounts is making sure each one has a transfer mechanism in place—either a beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Without one, the account goes through probate, adding time, cost, and court involvement for your family.
With 10 product types, USAA offers a range of transfer options. Some accounts support Payable on Death (POD) designations, others can be retitled into a trust, and some require probate if no beneficiary is designated. The sections below break down each step.
Beneficiary form at USAA
Individual Retirement Account Designation of Beneficiary (form 08308-0824) (for IRAs).
Open the form →- Select the IRA plan (Roth, Traditional or Inherited) and list primary and secondary beneficiaries with name, relationship, address, birth date, Social Security number and a whole-number percentage
- To name a trust, attach the trust document's first page and signature page and a completed USAA Memorandum of Trust form
- Sign and date the form
- Upload it on usaa.com or in the USAA Mobile App: profile icon, Inbox, Send Documents to USAA, Upload Documents, with Banking as the recipient
- Or mail it to USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
- Or fax it to 800-531-5717
- Select the IRA plan (Roth, Traditional or Inherited) and list primary and secondary beneficiaries with name, relationship, address, birth date, Social Security number and a whole-number percentage
- To name a trust, attach the trust document's first page and signature page and a completed USAA Memorandum of Trust form
- Sign and date the form
- Upload it on usaa.com or in the USAA Mobile App: profile icon, Inbox, Send Documents to USAA, Upload Documents, with Banking as the recipient
- Or mail it to USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
- Or fax it to 800-531-5717
Required Documents
- Individual Retirement Account Designation of Beneficiary form, signed and dated (for an IRA)
- Each beneficiary's name and relationship (for each primary and secondary beneficiary on the IRA form)
- Each beneficiary's address (for each primary and secondary beneficiary on the IRA form)
- Each beneficiary's birth date (for each primary and secondary beneficiary on the IRA form)
- Each beneficiary's Social Security number (for each primary and secondary beneficiary on the IRA form)
- First page and signature page of the trust document (to name a trust as IRA beneficiary)
- USAA Memorandum of Trust form, completed (to name a trust as IRA beneficiary)
- Call USAA at 800-531-USAA (8722); USAA says any department can be reached through its main number
- USAA may require the documentation or authorizations it considers necessary for an account opened for a formal trust
Required Documents
- Documentation or authorizations USAA considers necessary (for an account opened for a formal trust)
- Select the IRA plan (Roth, Traditional or Inherited) and list primary and secondary beneficiaries with name, relationship, address, birth date, Social Security number and a whole-number percentage
- To name a trust, attach the trust document's first page and signature page and a completed USAA Memorandum of Trust form
- Sign and date the form
- Upload it on usaa.com or in the USAA Mobile App: profile icon, Inbox, Send Documents to USAA, Upload Documents, with Banking as the recipient
- Or mail it to USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
- Or fax it to 800-531-5717
- Select the IRA plan (Roth, Traditional or Inherited) and list primary and secondary beneficiaries with name, relationship, address, birth date, Social Security number and a whole-number percentage
- To name a trust, attach the trust document's first page and signature page and a completed USAA Memorandum of Trust form
- Sign and date the form
- Upload it on usaa.com or in the USAA Mobile App: profile icon, Inbox, Send Documents to USAA, Upload Documents, with Banking as the recipient
- Or mail it to USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
- Or fax it to 800-531-5717
Required Documents
- Individual Retirement Account Designation of Beneficiary form, signed and dated (for an IRA)
- Each beneficiary's name and relationship (for each primary and secondary beneficiary on the IRA form)
- Each beneficiary's address (for each primary and secondary beneficiary on the IRA form)
- Each beneficiary's birth date (for each primary and secondary beneficiary on the IRA form)
- Each beneficiary's Social Security number (for each primary and secondary beneficiary on the IRA form)
- First page and signature page of the trust document (to name a trust as IRA beneficiary)
- USAA Memorandum of Trust form, completed (to name a trust as IRA beneficiary)
What USAA says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is USAA's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary2
- IRA
A beneficiary is named on a Roth, Traditional or Inherited IRA with the Individual Retirement Account Designation of Beneficiary form.1
If no IRA beneficiary is named, the account is paid under the custodial agreement in effect at death.1
- Certificate of deposit
A USAA Secured CD cannot be made payable on death.2
Who can be named1
- A trust, IRAs
A trust can be named as an IRA beneficiary, with the trust document's first page and signature page and a completed USAA Memorandum of Trust form attached.1
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
Beneficiary forms USAA issues1
- Individual Retirement Account Designation of Beneficiary (form 08308-0824)
For IRAs. Available to download.1
Return to
Fax: 1-800-531-5717
Mailing address: USAA Federal Savings Bank, 10750 McDermott Freeway, San Antonio, TX 78288-0544
What USAA's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- When a designation takes effect
An IRA designation takes effect on the date the custodian receives it, if complete and acceptable, and revokes earlier designations.1
- What the owner keeps while living
POD payees have no interest in or access to the account until the owner's death.2
- Whether beneficiaries are told they are named
USAA has no obligation to tell a POD payee that the account exists.2
What USAA says about trust accounts2
Not in USAA's published guidance5
- A beneficiary designation form, for deposit accounts
- A POD designation procedure, for deposit accounts
- A trust account form
- A trust-account opening channel
- A trust-account processing time
Sources
Data sourced from USAA primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these USAA instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against USAA primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
USAA estate support
USAA Survivor Relations
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