Yes! You can use AI to fill out Beneficiaries – Defined Contribution Retirement Plan
This form is a legal document provided by Fidelity for owners of defined contribution retirement plans to designate who will inherit the account assets upon their death. It is crucial for ensuring your assets are distributed according to your wishes and this designation supersedes any prior beneficiary information on file for the specified accounts. Today, this form can be filled out quickly and accurately using AI-powered services like Instafill.ai, which can also convert non-fillable PDF versions into interactive fillable forms.
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Form specifications
| Form name: | Beneficiaries – Defined Contribution Retirement Plan |
| Number of pages: | 1 |
| Language: | English |
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How to Fill Out Fidelity Beneficiary Designation Form Online for Free in 2026
Are you looking to fill out a FIDELITY BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION FORM form online quickly and accurately? Instafill.ai offers the #1 AI-powered PDF filling software of 2026, allowing you to complete your FIDELITY BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION FORM form in just 37 seconds or less.
Follow these steps to fill out your FIDELITY BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION FORM form online using Instafill.ai:
- 1 Navigate to Instafill.ai and upload the 'Beneficiaries – Defined Contribution Retirement Plan' form or select it from their template library.
- 2 Provide your personal information in Section 1, including your full name and marital status.
- 3 In Section 2, list all retirement plan account numbers that this beneficiary designation should apply to.
- 4 Complete Section 3 by entering the full details for your primary and contingent beneficiaries, including their names, Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, and the percentage of assets they should receive.
- 5 Carefully review all entered information for accuracy, then sign and date the form in Section 4.
- 6 If you are married and have designated a primary beneficiary other than your spouse, your spouse must sign the consent form in Section 5 in the presence of a Notary Public.
- 7 Download the completed, signed, and notarized (if applicable) form and submit it to Fidelity following the instructions provided on the form.
Our AI-powered system ensures each field is filled out correctly, reducing errors and saving you time.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Form Fidelity Beneficiary Designation Form
This form is used to add or change the beneficiaries for specific Fidelity defined contribution retirement plans, such as a Self-Employed 401(k), Profit Sharing, or Money Purchase Plan. It designates who will inherit the account assets upon your death.
Any owner of a Fidelity Self-Employed 401(k), Profit Sharing, or Money Purchase Plan who wants to name beneficiaries for the first time or update their existing designations should complete this form.
For the fastest processing, you should scan or take a photo of the entire completed form and upload it digitally at Fidelity.com/upload-DCRP-Bene. If you cannot upload it, you can find mailing instructions on Fidelity's website.
Yes, if you name anyone other than your spouse as a primary beneficiary, your spouse must sign the consent section in front of a notary. If your spouse is your sole primary beneficiary, their notarized signature is not required.
Primary beneficiaries are the first people to receive your account assets. Contingent beneficiaries will only inherit the assets if all of your primary beneficiaries have passed away before you.
Checking 'per stirpes' means that if one of your beneficiaries dies before you, their share will automatically pass to their children or descendants. If left unchecked, that share would instead be divided among your other surviving beneficiaries.
You must provide each beneficiary's full legal name, their Social Security Number or Taxpayer ID Number, their date of birth, and the percentage share of the assets they should receive.
No, this form completely replaces all prior beneficiary designations on file for the listed accounts. You must list every person you want to be a beneficiary, including those from your previous designation.
Yes, but you must submit a separate copy of this form for each account or group of accounts that will have a different set of beneficiaries. List the specific account numbers in Section 2 on each form.
The total share for your primary beneficiaries must equal 100%, and the same for your contingent beneficiaries. If you do not assign percentages, the assets will be divided equally among the beneficiaries in that category.
Yes, services like Instafill.ai use AI to help you accurately auto-fill form fields with your information, which can save time and help prevent common errors.
You can upload the PDF to the Instafill.ai platform, which will make the document interactive. You can then type your information directly into the fields and download the completed, ready-to-sign form.
If you have a non-fillable or 'flat' PDF, you can use a service like Instafill.ai to convert it into an interactive, fillable form. This allows you to easily type your information instead of printing and filling it out by hand.
Compliance Fidelity Beneficiary Designation Form
Validation Checks by Instafill.ai
1
Ensures Primary Beneficiary Share Percentages Total 100%
This check verifies that the sum of all 'Share Percentage' values for the listed primary beneficiaries equals exactly 100%. This is critical to ensure the entire account balance is allocated without ambiguity. If the total is not 100%, the form will be rejected to prevent disputes and ensure the account owner's intentions are fully and clearly captured.
2
Validates Spousal Consent Requirement
This is a conditional logic check that verifies if the account owner is married and has designated a non-spouse as a primary beneficiary. If these conditions are met, the system validates that Section 5, 'Spouse’s Consent,' is fully completed, including the spouse's signature and notarization. Failure to provide this consent when required makes the beneficiary designation legally invalid and will result in the form's rejection.
3
Verifies Account Owner Signature and Date Presence
This check ensures that the account owner has signed in Section 4 and provided a valid date. The signature is the legal authorization that makes the beneficiary designations official and binding, replacing all prior designations. An unsigned or undated form is legally non-binding and will be rejected immediately.
4
Confirms Completeness of Individual Beneficiary Information
For every beneficiary listed (both primary and contingent), this validation ensures that all required fields are filled: Name, beneficiary type (Spouse, Non-Spouse, Trust, etc.), Social Security or Taxpayer ID Number, Date of Birth/Trust, and Share Percentage. Missing information for any beneficiary makes it impossible to properly identify or distribute assets to them. The form will be returned as incomplete.
5
Validates Social Security or Taxpayer ID Number Format
This check ensures that the 'Social Security or Taxpayer ID Number' for each beneficiary is entered in a valid format (e.g., XXX-XX-XXXX for an SSN or XX-XXXXXXX for a TIN). A valid ID is essential for uniquely identifying the beneficiary and for future tax reporting purposes. An incorrectly formatted ID will cause a processing failure and require correction.
6
Checks for Presence of at Least One Primary Beneficiary
This validation confirms that at least one primary beneficiary has been designated in Section 3. The entire purpose of the form is to name beneficiaries, and without at least one primary beneficiary, the form fails its core function. If no primary beneficiary is listed, the form is considered incomplete and cannot be processed.
7
Ensures Marital Status is Selected
This check verifies that the account owner has selected either 'Married' or 'Not Married' in Section 1. This information is not optional, as it directly determines whether the spousal consent rules and notarization requirements in Section 5 apply. The form cannot be processed without this selection due to its impact on legal requirements.
8
Validates Beneficiary Date of Birth/Trust Date
This check confirms that the 'Date of Birth/Trust' for each beneficiary is a valid, real date in MM DD YYYY format and is not a future date. This helps verify the existence and identity of the beneficiary. An invalid or future date is a data entry error that must be corrected before the form can be accepted.
9
Ensures Contingent Beneficiary Share Percentages Total 100%
If any contingent beneficiaries are listed, this check verifies that their 'Share Percentage' values sum to exactly 100%. Similar to the primary beneficiary check, this ensures the full account is allocated should all primary beneficiaries predecease the account owner. A total other than 100% creates ambiguity and will cause the form to be rejected.
10
Verifies At Least One Account Number is Provided
This validation ensures that at least one 'Retirement Plan Account Number' is listed in Section 2. The beneficiary designations must be linked to one or more specific accounts. Without an account number, the instructions are unusable, and the form will be rejected for being incomplete.
11
Prevents Duplicate Primary and Contingent Beneficiary Roles
This logical check scans the names of all primary and contingent beneficiaries to ensure no single person, trust, or entity is listed in both categories. A beneficiary's role must be either primary or contingent, not both, as this represents a logical contradiction in the distribution plan. Such an error will result in form rejection for correction.
12
Validates Notary Section if Spousal Consent is Given
When spousal consent in Section 5 is required and provided, this check confirms that the 'Certificate of Acknowledgement of Notary Public' section is fully and correctly completed. This includes the notary's name, signature, date, seal/stamp, and commission expiration date. An incomplete or improper notarization invalidates the spousal consent, leading to the rejection of the entire form.
Common Mistakes in Completing Fidelity Beneficiary Designation Form
Account owners mistakenly believe this form adds to their existing beneficiary list, when it actually replaces all prior designations. This happens because they overlook the instruction stating the form 'cancels any existing beneficiary information.' Consequently, previously named beneficiaries are unintentionally removed. To avoid this, always list every single person or entity you want as a beneficiary on the new form, even if they were named on a previous one.
If a married account owner names anyone other than their spouse as a primary beneficiary (even partially), the form requires the spouse's notarized signature in Section 5. This is a legal requirement that is frequently missed, causing the entire designation to be rejected. To prevent this, always secure your spouse's signed and notarized consent on the form if you are designating a child, trust, or other individual as a primary beneficiary.
The share percentages for all primary beneficiaries must total exactly 100%, and the same applies to contingent beneficiaries. People often make simple math errors or use fractions that don't add up perfectly, which can lead to unintended distributions as the firm may allocate the remainder to the first-listed beneficiary. To avoid this, double-check your math before submitting; AI-powered tools like Instafill.ai can automatically validate these totals to ensure they equal 100%.
Failing to provide a beneficiary's full legal name, Social Security Number (SSN) or Taxpayer ID Number (TIN), and date of birth is a common error. Using nicknames or omitting this data can create significant delays and legal hurdles for your heirs when they try to claim the assets. Always provide the complete, accurate information as it appears on a government-issued ID to ensure a smooth transition of assets.
The 'per stirpes' option is a legal term that many people don't fully understand, leading them to either check it or ignore it incorrectly. If checked, a deceased beneficiary's share will pass to their children; if unchecked, it will be redistributed among the other surviving primary beneficiaries. This choice has major implications for inheritance, so it's crucial to understand it or consult an advisor to ensure your assets are distributed as you intend.
Submitting the form without the account owner's signature in Section 4 is one of the most common and easily avoidable mistakes. An unsigned form is legally invalid and will be immediately rejected by the financial institution, causing significant processing delays. Always perform a final review to ensure you have signed and dated the form in the correct field before submission.
When designating a trust as a beneficiary, people often write an informal name (e.g., 'My Kids' Trust') instead of the full, legal name of the trust. They also frequently forget to include the trust's creation date and its Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). These omissions create ambiguity and can lead to serious legal challenges and delays in distributing the funds. Always use the exact legal name and provide all required identification details for the trust.
The account owner may have multiple retirement plans (e.g., a Self-Employed 401(k) and a Profit Sharing Plan) but only list one account number in Section 2. This results in the new beneficiary designation applying only to the listed account, leaving outdated beneficiaries on the others. To ensure all your plans are covered, carefully list every relevant retirement plan account number on the form.
Users sometimes list the same individuals in both the Primary and Contingent beneficiary sections, or list contingent beneficiaries in the primary section. Contingent beneficiaries only inherit if all primary beneficiaries have passed away before the account owner. This error can disrupt the intended order of inheritance. Ensure you only list primary heirs in the first part of Section 3 and secondary heirs in the 'Contingent Beneficiaries' section.
When spousal consent is required, the notarization in Section 5 must be completed correctly by a U.S. Notary, including the seal/stamp, signature, and date. Common errors include missing the notary seal, using a foreign notary, or having the notary fill out the section incorrectly. An improper notarization will invalidate the spousal consent and lead to the form's rejection. Carefully review the notary's work before submitting the document.
The form specifies an 'MM DD YYYY' format for dates of birth and trust dates, but users often enter it differently (e.g., MM/DD/YY). This can lead to data entry errors on the receiving end or cause the form to be flagged for manual review, slowing down the process. Using a tool like Instafill.ai can help by automatically formatting dates correctly as you enter them, ensuring compliance with the form's requirements.
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