Are Beneficiary Designations Protected in Iowa?
Iowa automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceIowa Code § 598.20A; § 598.20B; § 633A.3107Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
A beneficiary designation on life insurance, a retirement account, a payable-on-death bank account or a transfer-on-death brokerage account decides who receives that asset at death, in Iowa as everywhere. The designation controls over the will or trust, and an outdated one stays in force whatever the other documents say.
Yes. Iowa automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary on divorce for these asset types: life insurance, retirement accounts, pod accounts, tod accounts, annuitiesIowa Code § 598.20A; § 598.20B; § 633A.3107Verified Sep 15, 2026View source. An ERISA-governed employer plan (a 401(k), a pension) follows federal law instead and must be updated by hand whatever the state rule says.
Yes. The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preempts state law for an employer-sponsored plan such as a 401(k), a pension or group life insurance: the plan pays the designation on file with the plan administrator, and a qualified plan requires the spouse's consent to name anyone else (Egelhoff v. Egelhoff, 2001; Kennedy v. Plan Administrator, 2009). Iowa sets no spousal-consent requirement of its own for an individual account.
Iowa gives inherited IRAs partial protection from creditorsIowa Code § 627.6(8)(e), (8)(f); § 627.10Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; the reach can depend on whether the IRA came from a spouse and whether the case is in state or federal court. After Clark v. Rameker (2014), federal bankruptcy law does not protect an inherited IRA on its own.
No. Iowa does not default to per stirpes for beneficiary designationsIowa Code § 633.273; § 633D.9; § 633D.12(2)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source: when a named beneficiary dies before the account holder, the share lapses unless the designation says per stirpes or names a contingent beneficiary.
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Divorce
What divorce does and does not undo: beneficiary designations, your will, powers of attorney, and the one account your ex stays on until you change it.
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Marriage
What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.
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Retirement
Retirement changes your financial picture. Healthcare directives, beneficiary reviews, long-term care planning, and protecting what you've built.
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Serious Diagnosis
A serious diagnosis changes priorities. Healthcare proxies, financial powers of attorney, and the documents that ensure your wishes are honored.
Learn moreForms for Planning Your Estate in Iowa
Free forms for planning your estate in Iowa: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Last Will and Testament
In Iowa, a will is signed before 2Iowa Code § 633.279Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyIowa Code § 633.279Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Iowa allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Iowa Code § 144B.5Verified Jul 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
Iowa treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultIowa Code § 633B.105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryIowa Code § 633B.105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
Living Will
In Iowa, the living will is the Declaration relating to use of life-sustaining proceduresIowa Code chapter 144A (§§ 144A.1-144A.12), as amended by 2026 Iowa Acts, chapter 1071 (House File 2305) (effective July 1, 2026)Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.
Tools for Planning Your Estate in Iowa
Free tools for planning your estate in Iowa: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Iowa runs $3,140Estimate: 10 hours at $314, Clio's Iowa Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,710Estimate: 15 hours at $314, Clio's Iowa Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $864Estimate: 3 hours at $288, Clio's Iowa Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,728Estimate: 6 hours at $288, Clio's Iowa Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Iowa, four years at a public university cost about $82,188NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 12% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. Iowa's inheritance tax is repealed for deaths on or after January 1, 2025 (Iowa Code § 450.98, 2021 Acts ch 177 / SF 619), as is the qualified use inheritance tax (§ 450B.8). Iowa's estate tax (Iowa Code ch. 451) and generation skipping transfer tax (ch. 450A) were repealed outright by 2014 Acts ch 1076 §25. The Iowa Department of Revenue confirms: "Iowa inheritance tax is not applicable for deaths occurring on or after 1/1/25."Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Iowa costs an estimated $21,555Iowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees set by the court and capped at a statutory scheduleIowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Iowa, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateIowa Code § 633.211Verified Sep 10, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpesIowa Code § 633.219(1)Verified Sep 10, 2026View source.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Iowa runs $3,140Estimate: 10 hours at $314, Clio's Iowa Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,710Estimate: 15 hours at $314, Clio's Iowa Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
How Much Does a Will Cost?
An attorney-prepared will in Iowa runs $864Estimate: 3 hours at $288, Clio's Iowa Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,728Estimate: 6 hours at $288, Clio's Iowa Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $21,555Iowa Code § 633.198 ("such reasonable fee as may be determined by the court...but not in excess of the schedule of fees provided in this part for personal representatives" — § 633.197 ceiling: 6% first $1K, 4% next $4K, 2% over $5K)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?
Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.
How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?
In Iowa, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a willIowa Code § 232D.308 (guardian of person); § 633.566 (conservator of estate)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18Iowa Code § 599.1(1)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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Iowa Estate Planning Resources
In-depth guides covering Iowa probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.