To change the beneficiary on an AARP life insurance policy issued through New York Life, log in at nylaarp.com and use the “My Beneficiaries” tool under My Account, or complete the AARP beneficiary change form (New York Life Form 21131) and mail it to the AARP Operations office in Tampa. Either route asks for the same information about each person you name, so gather everything before you start.
What to Gather Before You Start
Have your policy number in front of you. For each person you plan to name, you’ll need five things:
- Full legal name, exactly as it appears on government-issued ID
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Current mailing address
- Phone number
New York Life uses the Social Security number, date of birth, address, and phone number to locate each beneficiary and pay claims without delay.1New York Life. New York Life Insurance Beneficiary Change Form The AARP FAQ page lists the same data points for any addition or change.2AARP Life Insurance from New York Life. Frequently Asked Questions
Decide the split before you open the form. Primary beneficiaries receive the death benefit first. Secondary (contingent) beneficiaries only receive it if every primary beneficiary has already died. Share percentages within each class must add up to exactly 100 percent.3New York Life. Change of Beneficiary Request Two children as equal primaries means 50 and 50; three means 33.34, 33.33, and 33.33.
Three Ways to Submit the Change
Online at nylaarp.com
Log in to your account (or create one). Click “My Account” and choose “My Beneficiaries.” You can add, edit, or delete beneficiaries directly from that screen. One thing to know: if only one beneficiary is on file, the system won’t let you delete that person first. You have to add the new beneficiary before removing the old one.2AARP Life Insurance from New York Life. Frequently Asked Questions
By Mail
Download Form 21131 from the nylaarp.com FAQ page, fill it out, sign and date it, and mail it to:
New York Life Insurance Company, AARP Operations
P.O. Box 30712
Tampa, FL 33630-37122AARP Life Insurance from New York Life. Frequently Asked Questions
Certified mail gives you a tracking number and delivery confirmation, which is cheap protection against a lost envelope.
By Phone
Call AARP Life Insurance at (800) 607-6957, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.4New York Life. AARP Life Insurance Program from New York Life A representative can walk you through the change or mail you a paper form.
Filling Out the Paper Form
Form 21131 has three sections. Most policyholders only need Section I, which covers the standard life insurance plan. Section II applies to Family plans that also cover a spouse. Section III applies if you have a rider insuring a child or another covered individual.3New York Life. Change of Beneficiary Request Read the instructions at the top before you start writing.
Each section has rows for primary and secondary beneficiaries. For every person, enter name, share percentage, date of birth, Social Security number, relationship to you, address, and phone number.3New York Life. Change of Beneficiary Request
Per Stirpes Designations
The form supports a per stirpes arrangement. If one of your secondary beneficiaries dies before you do, that person’s share passes to their own children rather than being redistributed among the surviving beneficiaries.3New York Life. Change of Beneficiary Request This is useful if you’ve named your adult children and want to protect grandchildren’s shares in case a child predeceases you.
Naming a Minor
A death benefit can’t be paid directly to a child under 18. The form includes UTMA/UGMA custodian fields where you name an adult to manage the funds until the child reaches the age of majority in their state, typically 18 or 21.3New York Life. Change of Beneficiary Request Enter the custodian’s name and contact information along with the minor’s name, Social Security number, date of birth, relationship, and share percentage.
Naming a Trust
To direct proceeds to a trust, enter the trust’s name and date in place of a Social Security number and date of birth. You also need to complete a separate Statement of Trust (New York Life Form 20885) and include it with your submission.3New York Life. Change of Beneficiary Request
Signing and Common Mistakes
Sign and date the bottom of the form. If your changes don’t fit, attach an additional page listing the affected policy numbers, and sign and date that page as well.3New York Life. Change of Beneficiary Request Missing signatures, blank date-of-birth fields, and shares that don’t total 100 are the most common reasons a form gets returned. If you make an error, reprint rather than initialing over corrections.
Situations That Can Complicate the Change
Community Property States
If you live in Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin, assets acquired during marriage are treated as jointly owned.5Internal Revenue Service. Publication 555 (12/2024), Community Property When premiums were paid with marital funds, your spouse may have a legal claim to part of the death benefit. Naming someone other than your spouse as sole primary without their written consent can create problems, and in some states, the surviving spouse’s community property interest overrides what the beneficiary form says. If this applies to you, get your spouse’s written release of their community property interest before submitting the change.
Irrevocable Designations
Most beneficiary designations are revocable, meaning you can change them at will. If your current beneficiary was designated as irrevocable, you cannot remove or replace that person without their written consent. Check your policy documents or call (800) 607-6957 to confirm your existing designation is revocable before you complete a new form.
A Beneficiary Who Receives SSI or Medicaid
Naming a person who receives Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid directly as a beneficiary can disqualify them from those benefits. SSI has a $2,000 individual asset limit, and a lump-sum insurance payout would exceed it immediately. In some states, losing SSI also triggers loss of Medicaid coverage. The alternative is to name a third-party special needs trust as the beneficiary. A third-party special needs trust has no Medicaid payback requirement when the beneficiary dies. An estate planning attorney can set one up, and you would then list the trust on the beneficiary form along with the Statement of Trust form.
After You Submit
New York Life reviews the form for completeness and checks that the change is consistent with the policy’s terms. Missing data delays processing. Watch for a written confirmation, and review every name, relationship, and percentage on it carefully. Typos are far easier to fix now than after a claim is filed. Store the confirmation with your policy documents so your executor or family can find it.
When to Review Your Designations
Marriage, divorce, the birth of a child or grandchild, and the death of an existing beneficiary all warrant a fresh look.
Divorce deserves particular attention. Roughly half of U.S. states automatically revoke a former spouse’s beneficiary status when the policyholder dies after a divorce, but coverage is not universal, and relying on automatic revocation is risky. The safer step is to file a new beneficiary designation after any divorce is finalized. If you actually want your former spouse to remain the beneficiary, submit a new designation confirming that intent, because an automatic-revocation statute in your state would otherwise cut them out.
Even without a major life event, reviewing your designations every few years catches an outdated address, a beneficiary whose circumstances have changed, or a share split that no longer matches your intent.