At some point during the life insurance application process, you will be asked to name primary and contingent beneficiaries. Designating beneficiaries can be a challenge if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. A question that our customer success team gets asked a lot at this point is: “What exactly is a contingent beneficiary, and how does it differ from a primary beneficiary?”
When you buy a life insurance policy, it’s important to list both primary and contingent beneficiaries. To help with the process, we asked Haven Life’s customer success team to share their best insights with us on beneficiaries.
What is a beneficiary?
A life insurance beneficiary is a person who will receive the payout from a policy if you were to die. The proceeds from the payout can be used to help pay for financial needs – those that come with death, such as funeral arrangements and other end-of-life expenses, along with day-to-day bills like the mortgage and child care.
You can name two (or more) people as beneficiaries, outlining the percentage of the policy payout each would be given. You can also name a contingent beneficiary, who could receive the death benefit if something happened to the primary beneficiary. Think of a contingent beneficiary as your “alternate.” With most life insurance policies, you can change your beneficiary designation at any time.
For some, designating two primary beneficiaries — say, a spouse or partner and a parent — may make sense, especially if both could face financial hardship. For others, one primary life insurance beneficiary, with a contingent beneficiary named, makes the most sense. The latter is what we commonly see at Haven Life.
You can have more than one primary beneficiary and more than one contingent beneficiary; you simply need to designate what percentage of your life insurance proceeds you want to allocate to each of your primary beneficiaries. Haven Life, for example, permits up to 10 primary beneficiaries and 10 contingent beneficiaries. No matter how many primary beneficiaries you have, the total percentage allocated must equal 100%. How you divide that 100% is up to you, the policyholder.
What is a contingent beneficiary versus a primary beneficiary?
Essentially, when setting up your life insurance policy, you’ll designate a primary beneficiary (typically your spouse or partner), who will receive all death benefits if you, well, die. (There’s no way to sugar coat these things sometimes.)
Your contingent beneficiary would be your backup — this is the person who will receive those death benefits in the event that your primary beneficiary is unable to receive them.
Why should I designate a contingent beneficiary?
Life is full of unexpected outcomes. Selecting a contingent beneficiary is a prudent way to protect yourself and your loved ones from a number of “what-if scenarios,” such as your primary beneficiary not being alive at the time a claim is made.
Another reason you would want a contingent beneficiary listed is to avoid the death benefit proceeds becoming payable to the insured person’s estate should your primary beneficiary not be around, where it may be subject to estate taxes and a delay in disbursing money. (Note: If you’ve already set up a living trust and/or have a will established, this might not be an issue.)
How do I go about choosing a contingent beneficiary?
For many families, the choice is to designate a child or the person who would be the legal guardian of your children. If you don’t have children, consider a close family member or friend. If you would like to divide your benefits—for example, if you have multiple children—you can allocate a certain percentage of said benefits to each person.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering: Yes, you can name a charitable organization as a beneficiary.
What is a common mistake people make when picking a contingent beneficiary?
People often list children who are minors, in which case they also need to name a custodian. As surprising as it may be, the mistake some people make is naming a custodian who is also the primary beneficiary. This is not a suitable arrangement since the custodian would be deceased in order for this situation to come about in the first place.
How often should I review my beneficiaries?
People move. Relationships change. Life … happens. It’s a good idea to review your beneficiary(s) at least once a year to make sure your beneficiary designation is up to date. Remember, you can always change, add or remove beneficiaries. And if you don’t have a contingent beneficiary on your policy, consider adding one. You know what they say about peace of mind? You can never have too much of it.
Louis Wilson is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in a wide array of publications, both online and in print. He often writes about travel, sports, popular culture, men’s fashion and grooming, and more. He lives in Austin, Texas, where he has developed an unbridled passion for breakfast tacos, with his wife and two children.
Haven Life Insurance Agency (Haven Life) does not provide tax, legal or investment advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or investment advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and investment advisors before engaging in any transaction. Individuals involved in the estate planning process should work with an estate planning team, including their own personal legal or tax counsel.
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