A beneficiary is the person or people you choose to receive a benefit payable upon your death. There are two types of beneficiaries:
Primary Beneficiary
A primary beneficiary is first in line to receive your benefits upon your death.
Secondary Beneficiary
A secondary beneficiary (also known as a contingent beneficiary) will receive your benefits in the event that your primary beneficiary dies before you.
At Citi, you can name beneficiaries for various benefits, including:
It’s important to designate a beneficiary for your benefits because:
When you are naming and/or updating your beneficiaries, make sure to consider the following:
If you’ve recently experienced a life event, such as marriage, divorce or the death of a family member, you may need to update your beneficiary designations accordingly.
Keep in mind that children under age 18 can be named as beneficiaries; however, the proceeds may be sent in their name to their legal guardian and they may not be able to access the benefits until they are the legal age of consent.
Certain states have laws that regulate who you can and cannot name as a beneficiary, so make sure you contact the benefit plan administrator (such as MetLife or Optum Financial) before naming your beneficiary.
See the Benefits Handbook for more information on what happens if you don’t name a beneficiary for each benefit.
Naming a beneficiary is just one important step in planning for the unknown. MetLife Legal Plans provide access to a variety of legal resources that can help you prepare for the future, such as estate planning, will creation and more. You must elect this benefit during Annual Enrollment to have coverage.
To name and/or update your beneficiaries, follow the steps outlined below for each benefit. You can do this at any time throughout the year.
Before you add a new beneficiary, you will want to have the following information about your beneficiary available:
To add or update a beneficiary for Basic Life and AD&D insurance:
Note: Your beneficiary for Business Travel Accident/Medical (BTA/M) insurance is the same beneficiary that you designate for your Basic Life insurance.
To add or update a beneficiary for Group Universal Life (GUL) and Supplemental AD&D insurance, you must do so directly with MetLife.
To add or update a beneficiary for a Health Savings Account (HSA):
Alternatively, you can submit the Beneficiary Designation Form via mail.
To add or update a beneficiary for the Citi Retirement Savings Plan:
If you have questions about how to designate a beneficiary, contact the benefits plan administrator:
We are sincerely sorry to learn about the loss of your loved one. Please know that we are here for you and our goal is to make your interactions with Citi as smooth as possible.
To help you through this difficult time, we encourage you to review the Survivor Guide and speak with one of our Survivor Support Specialists. You can connect with a Survivor Support Specialist by calling the Citi Benefits Center via ConnectOne at 1 (800) 881-3938.
If your loved one was enrolled in the Citi Retirement Savings Plan, you may need to fill out one of the forms below.