Yes! You can use AI to fill out Fidelity Investments® Beneficiary Distribution Form

The form's first page maps distribution types to specific sections that must be completed. Beneficiaries, often overwhelmed, may fill out unnecessary sections or, more critically, skip required ones, such as forgetting the tax withholding section for a lump-sum payment. This results in an incomplete application and significant processing delays. To prevent this, carefully follow the instructional chart on page one for your chosen distribution option.

The form requires a Medallion Signature Guarantee for certain transactions, like distributions over $100,000 or when an employer signature is not provided. A frequent error is obtaining a notary stamp, which is not a valid substitute and will lead to the form's rejection. You must visit a qualified financial institution that participates in the Medallion program to obtain the correct guarantee. AI-powered form fillers like Instafill.ai can highlight this critical requirement to prevent such errors.

Submitting the form without all required documentation is a primary cause for rejection. Beneficiaries often forget to include a certified copy of the decedent's death certificate or, for in-plan transfers (Section 2E), the required letter of acceptance from the receiving institution. This oversight forces a complete resubmission of the paperwork. A smart form-filling tool can generate a final checklist to ensure all necessary documents are gathered before mailing.

Section 6 requires an authorized signature from the decedent's employer (plan sponsor) in many cases, but beneficiaries are asked to verify if it's needed. Many will skip this step, assuming it's optional, which can halt the entire process. Plan sponsor approval is often a non-negotiable requirement to authorize a distribution, and its absence will cause the form to be returned. It is crucial to contact Fidelity or the employer to confirm if this signature is necessary.

When the beneficiary is a trust or an estate, the form requires the entity's legal name and Tax ID Number (TIN). Trustees or executors commonly enter their own personal name and Social Security Number in the primary beneficiary fields instead. This creates an identity mismatch that must be corrected, delaying the process. Always enter the entity's information first as requested in Section 1A.

For distributions that are eligible for a rollover but are paid directly to the beneficiary, a 20% federal tax withholding is mandatory. Beneficiaries often check the box in Section 4 to 'elect not to have federal income taxes withheld,' not realizing it doesn't apply in this scenario. While the mandatory rule will be enforced anyway, this incorrect election causes confusion and indicates a misunderstanding of the distribution's tax consequences.

When completing a direct rollover to another institution (Section 2C), beneficiaries must provide the full, correct name of the receiving custodian/trustee and the specific account number. Common mistakes include writing a generic name like 'My IRA' or omitting the account number entirely. This ambiguity forces Fidelity to contact the beneficiary for clarification, delaying the transfer of funds. Using a tool like Instafill.ai can help validate that these fields are completed correctly.

The Minimum Required Distribution (MRD) rules in Section 3 are highly complex and a major source of errors. Beneficiaries may select a calculation method they are not eligible for or provide conflicting instructions, such as specifying a payment amount while also asking Fidelity to calculate it. These mistakes require manual intervention and correction, delaying payments. Since this form is often a non-fillable PDF, a tool like Instafill.ai can convert it to an interactive version that guides users through the complex MRD logic to prevent errors.

The form provides two distinct addresses: a P.O. Box for regular mail and a street address for overnight mail. A common mistake is sending an overnight package (via UPS or FedEx) to the P.O. Box, which will result in it being returned as undeliverable. This simple but critical error can add weeks to the processing time while the beneficiary waits for the returned package and resends it to the correct address.

After navigating the form's complexities, it is surprisingly common for a beneficiary to forget to sign and date it in Section 5. An unsigned form is legally invalid and cannot be processed under any circumstances. This simple oversight immediately halts the request and requires the form to be sent back for a signature, causing unnecessary and frustrating delays in accessing the funds.