How to Delete a Beneficiary During Divorce
During divorce, you might want to rearrange your assets to change beneficiaries either in your will, on your trust or at work. Changing your will and trusts follow the same procedure, but to change a work beneficiary, you'll have to follow office procedure. Change beneficiaries as soon as you're aware that you want to. There's no reason to delay, especially because, if something bad happens, benefits will be paid to the wrong person until the documents are changed.
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Instructions
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Insurance Beneficiaries
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1
Contact either your insurance agent or the person who handles insurance at your place of employment. Ask for a meeting.
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2
Explain that you're getting a divorce and that you need to remove a beneficiary from your plan.
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3
Give the agent the name of the beneficiary you wish to remove. He may have you fill out a form indicating your desire to remove the beneficiary. If so, fill it out and return it.
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4
Sign any paperwork given to you by your benefits coordinator. Replace the old beneficiary with a new beneficiary, if desired.
Trusts and Wills
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5
Contact your lawyer and ask for a meeting. Explain that you wish to change the terms of your trust or will.
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6
Ask to execute a codicil removing the named beneficiary from the will or trust.
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7
Give the lawyer any divorce paperwork you have to prove your reasons for removing the beneficiary. This is especially important if there are blocks against changing the document, such as there could be in an irrevocable trust.
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8
Read through the codicil. Be sure it completely invalidates any claim the beneficiary may have had on your trust before the divorce.
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Sign and date the codicil with a witness who can also sign and date it. Attach a copy of the codicil to each copy of your trust or will.
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