Yes! You can use AI to fill out TIAA IRA Transfer or Rollover Authorization

Applicants often enter a version of their name (e.g., a nickname or omitting a middle initial) that does not exactly match the name on their account at the other financial institution. This mismatch will cause the sending institution to reject the transfer request, as they cannot verify the account holder's identity. To avoid this, carefully copy your full legal name exactly as it appears on the account statement you are required to submit with the form.

The form explicitly requires a copy of a recent statement (dated within the last 12 months) from the financial institution you are transferring funds from. People often forget to include this document, which is essential for TIAA to verify account details like the account number, owner's name, and address of the other institution. Forgetting the statement will halt the entire process until it is provided, causing significant delays.

Many financial institutions require a Medallion Signature Guarantee to authorize the release of assets, but applicants often overlook this step. They assume a standard signature is sufficient, only to have the transfer rejected by their old institution weeks later. You must proactively contact your current institution to ask if this guarantee is needed; if so, TIAA can help provide it, but the need must be identified upfront to prevent rejection.

In Section 3, applicants may enter a generic name like 'Fidelity' or a local branch address instead of the specific legal entity name and designated transfer processing address. This can cause the transfer request to be lost or sent to the wrong department, leading to weeks of delays. Always use the full company name and mailing address listed on your official account statement for transfer requests.

Applicants frequently guess the type of account they are rolling over (e.g., confusing a 401(k) with a 403(b) or a Traditional IRA with a SEP IRA) in Section 5. This is a critical error with significant tax implications that can lead to the request being rejected or processed incorrectly. If you are unsure, you must contact your current provider or check your account documents to confirm the exact plan type before filling out the form.

The form clearly states that a Traditional IRA from an external institution cannot be directly rolled over into a TIAA Roth IRA. However, users often miss this fine print and select this invalid combination, leading to an automatic rejection of their application. It is crucial to read all notes and understand the permissible transfer paths, such as transferring from a Traditional IRA to a TIAA Traditional IRA first, before attempting a Roth conversion.

When choosing to transfer only a portion of an account in Section 6, people create confusion by providing conflicting instructions, such as entering both a number of shares and a dollar amount for the same investment. This ambiguity forces the sending institution to halt the transaction and seek clarification, delaying the transfer. You must choose only one method per investment—either shares, percentage, or dollar amount—to ensure clear, actionable instructions.

Section 6 requires the account number from the *other* financial institution to identify which account to liquidate. Applicants sometimes leave this blank, assuming the information in Section 3 is sufficient, or mistakenly enter their TIAA account number. This omission makes it impossible for the sending institution to process the request, which will be returned as incomplete.

A missing signature or date in Section 8 is one of the most common and easily avoidable mistakes. An unsigned form is legally invalid and cannot be used to authorize the transfer of funds, causing the entire application to be rejected immediately. Always double-check that you have provided a full, legally valid signature and the current date before submitting the form. AI-powered tools like Instafill.ai can flag missing signature fields to prevent this error.

In Section 2, an applicant might select 'Transfer assets to a new TIAA IRA' when they already have an existing one, or vice-versa. This creates administrative confusion, potentially resulting in the creation of a duplicate account or the funds being misdirected. It's important to verify if you have an existing TIAA IRA and provide the correct account number if you do.

Non-U.S. citizens or residents often overlook the requirement to have a valid IRS Form W-8BEN on file. The form states this is necessary for non-resident non-citizens, but it's easily missed, leading to processing holds and an inability to take distributions in the future. If this applies to you, you must ensure a W-8BEN has been submitted within the last three years or include a new one with this application.

The instructions state to return all numbered pages of the form, even those that were not filled out. Applicants sometimes only send the pages with their information, but processing departments often require the complete document packet for compliance and context. Submitting an incomplete set of pages can cause the paperwork to be flagged as incomplete and returned. Since this form is a non-fillable PDF, a tool like Instafill.ai can convert it into an interactive, fillable version, making it easier to manage and ensure all pages are included in the final submission.