How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at USAA Life
Covers 7 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
USAA Member Services
USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
USAA Member Services
USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
Life Insurance Claims
USAA Life Insurance Company, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
For USAA Life policyholders, estate planning comes down to one critical step: making sure the right beneficiaries are named on every policy. Insurance proceeds bypass probate entirely and go directly to whoever is listed—regardless of what a will says. When estate tax planning or controlled distributions are a factor, a trust can be named as beneficiary instead.
Each of USAA Life's 7 policies has different rules for how it transfers at death. The sections below explain the options for each.
- Log in to your USAA account at usaa.com or through the USAA Mobile App
- Navigate to your life insurance or annuity policy
- Select the option to manage or update beneficiaries
- Add or edit primary beneficiaries with full legal names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, relationships, and percentage allocations totaling 100%
- Optionally add contingent beneficiaries with their own percentage allocations totaling 100%
- For trusts: select trust as beneficiary type and provide the full legal trust name, date established, and EIN
- Review and confirm your beneficiary designations
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- USAA membership is required (active-duty military, veterans, cadets, midshipmen, and eligible family members)
- Trusts can be named as beneficiaries on life insurance and annuity policies; provide full legal trust name, date established, and EIN
- Beneficiary designations require full legal name, SSN, date of birth, and relationship for each beneficiary
- Percentage allocations must total 100% for each beneficiary tier (primary and contingent)
- An irrevocable beneficiary has a vested interest in the death benefit; changing an irrevocable beneficiary requires both the policyholder and irrevocable beneficiary to sign
- Joint-owned contracts require each owner's signature on the beneficiary change form
- Massachusetts residents require a witness (not a designated beneficiary) to sign when changing beneficiaries
- Beneficiary designations override instructions in a will
- Unless a trust or custodial arrangement is designated as beneficiary, funds for a minor will be distributed to a court-appointed custodian
Sources
Data sourced from USAA Life primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these USAA Life instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against USAA Life primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
USAA Member Services
USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
USAA Member Services
USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
Life Insurance Claims
USAA Life Insurance Company, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
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