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:
- Basic Life Insurance
- Basic AD&D Insurance
- Citi Retirement Savings Plan
- Group Universal Life
- Supplemental AD&D Insurance
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
Why Name a Beneficiary?
It’s important to designate a beneficiary for your benefits because:
- It provides peace of mind. By naming a beneficiary, there is no confusion around who should receive your benefits in the event of your death.
- It saves time. Without a named beneficiary, you could delay the transfer of your benefits to your loved ones (and also cause a lot of extra paperwork).
- It helps secure your loved ones’ finances. By doing so, you ensure your loved ones have access to your benefits upon your death, such as the benefits paid out from Basic Life Insurance.
When you are naming and/or updating your beneficiaries, make sure to consider the following:
Life Events
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.
Your Beneficiary’s Age
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.
Where You Live
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.
Legal Resources through MetLife Legal Plans
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:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Address
- Phone number
Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
To add or update a beneficiary for Basic Life and AD&D insurance:
- Visit Your Benefits Resources (YBR™) by clicking on “Health and Insurance (YBR)” under “Want to Get to Our Best in Class Vendors Fast?” in the upper right hand corner of My Total Compensation and Benefits.
- On the home page, click on the “Beneficiary Information” link under “Resources.”
- On the Beneficiary Summary page, click on the “Basic Life” and/or “Basic AD&D” tab(s) to view your current beneficiary(ies). Here, you can add a beneficiary by clicking on the “Add Beneficiary” button or update your current beneficiary’s information by clicking on the “Choose Beneficiary” button.
Note: Your beneficiary for Business Travel Accident/Medical (BTA/M) insurance is the same beneficiary that you designate for your Basic Life insurance.
Group Universal Life and Supplemental AD&D Insurance
To add or update a beneficiary for Group Universal Life (GUL) and Supplemental AD&D insurance, you must do so directly with MetLife.
- Visit My Total Compensation and Benefits and click on “Group Universal Life” under “Want to Get to Our Best in Class Vendors Fast?” in the upper right hand corner to connect to the MetLife MyBenefits website.
- Under Group Life Insurance, select the “Beneficiaries” tab.
Health Savings Account
To add or update a beneficiary for a Health Savings Account (HSA):
- Visit Optum Financial, available through My Total Compensation and Benefits.
- Select “Manage HSA Investments” from the “I want to…” dropdown menu.
- Click on the “Update Profile” tab. Here, you can add or update your beneficiary(ies).
Alternatively, you can submit the Beneficiary Designation Form via mail.
Citi Retirement Savings Plan
To add or update a beneficiary for the Citi Retirement Savings Plan:
- Visit Your Benefits Resources (YBR™) by clicking on “Retirement Savings/401(k)” under “Want to Get to Our Best in Class Vendors Fast?” in the upper right hand corner of My Total Compensation and Benefits.
- On the home page, click on the “Beneficiary Information” link under “Resources.”
- On the Beneficiary Summary page, click on the “Citi Retirement Savings Plan” tab to view your current beneficiaries. Here, you can add a beneficiary by clicking on the “Add Beneficiary” button or update your current beneficiary’s information by clicking on the “Choose Beneficiary” button.
Questions?
If you have questions about how to designate a beneficiary, contact the benefits plan administrator:
- Basic Life and AD&D Insurance: Call the Citi Benefits Center via ConnectOne at
1 (800) 881-3938, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. - Group Universal Life and Supplemental AD&D Insurance: Call MetLife at
1 (888) 830-7380. - Health Savings Account: Call the Citi Benefits Center via ConnectOne at
1 (800) 881-3938, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. From the ConnectOne “benefits” menu, choose the “health and insurance benefits as well as TRIP and spending accounts” option. - Citi Retirement Savings Plan: Call the Citi Benefits Center via ConnectOne at
1 (800) 881-3938, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
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.