How To Fill Out Beneficiary Designation (ET-2320)

Make sure that your form is accepted by ETF by following these guidelines when entering your information:

• Name only living persons as beneficiaries, unless you are naming a trust, your estate or an organization.
• Do not name the same person or organization as both a primary and secondary beneficiary.
• Do not use the word “or” when designating multiple beneficiaries.
• Do not impose any conditions on payment. Your designation will be rejected.
• Do not write in the margins of the form.
• Do not make any changes to the form. Your designation will be rejected.
• Do not name yourself as your beneficiary.
• Do not number your beneficiaries.
• Sign and date the form.
• Submit your signed form to ETF via mail or fax (see the directions in the Signature section).
• Contact ETF to get your questions answered about our beneficiary designation form.

1. Use your full legal name when filling out the form. Do not use abbreviations or nicknames.
2. If you are receiving a death benefit from a WRS account, put the name of the person’s account you are receiving.
3. Put the name of the ex (former spouse or partner) from whom you received the WRS account.
4. All identifying information must be filled out correctly so that your form will be accepted by ETF, including your social security or your ETF member ID number, birth date, and telephone number including area code.

5. Write the names of the first beneficiary(ies) you would like to receive your benefit after you die. You may name an individual(s), entity (such as a charity, business, religious organization, funeral home, etc.), trust, or estate. You may name more than one. All primary beneficiaries listed will receive EQUAL SHARES (equal amounts) of your benefit, unless you list different percentages. See the Naming a Beneficiary section for directions for naming a beneficiary. You must list the percentage in the same box as the beneficiary’s name.

Use the Beneficiary Designation - Alternate (ET-2321) if you want to specify who a primary beneficiary’s share will go to if they die before you do.  For instance, if you name your three cousins as your primary beneficiaries, you can name the children of each cousin as alternate primary beneficiaries.  Then, if one cousin dies before you do, their share will be divided between their children who are named as alternate primary beneficiaries.

6. Write the names of the main individual(s), entity (such as a charity, business, religious organization, funeral home, etc.), trust, or estate. You may name more than one. All secondary beneficiaries listed will receive EQUAL SHARES (equal amounts) of your benefit if ALL of the primary beneficiaries are deceased. See the Naming a Beneficiary section for directions for naming a beneficiary. You must list the percentage in the same box as the beneficiary’s name.

7. Unless you specify what benefit this form applies to, ETF will apply the benefits payable upon your death from this form to all benefit plans and accounts administered by ETF.

This form does not apply to the Wisconsin Deferred Compensation Program. Use the WDC Online Beneficiary Form to designate who will receive your WDC benefits upon your death.

If you wish to designate different beneficiaries for separate benefit plans or accounts, please contact ETF toll free at 1-877-533-5020 to request forms and special instructions.

8. Sign and date your form to have it accepted by ETF. If your form is not signed and dated, ETF cannot validate your form.

Fax your completed form to: (608) 267-4549

Mail your completed form to:

Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds
P.O. Box 7931
Madison, WI 53707-7931

Call 1-877-533-5020 (toll free) if you have any questions or need help filling out your form.

A beneficiary is a person(s) or entity you name to receive benefits upon your death. 

You may name:

• An individual (or multiple individuals)
• An entity (such as a charity, business, religious organization, funeral home, etc.)
• A Trust
• Your Estate

You may NOT name the individual, entity, trust or estate more than once on the form. For example, in the primary and secondary areas.

Click on a link below to find out how to name the designation on your form:

• Standard Sequence
• Assigning Percentages Instead of Equal Shares
• Naming a Minor Child
• Naming a Trust
• Naming Your Testamentary Trust
• Naming a Subtrust
• Naming an Entity: Charity, Business, or Religious Organization
• Naming a Future Child

Standard Sequence

If you don’t file a beneficiary designation with ETF, your benefits will be paid out in the order called “standard sequence” which is part of Wisconsin law. Payment is made to the person or persons in the lowest numbered group that contains one or more living persons.

Group 1. Your surviving spouse or domestic partner.

Group 2.  Your children (biological or legally adopted). If one of your children dies before you, that child’s share is divided among that deceased child’s children.

Group 3. Your parent(s)

Group 4. Your brother(s) and sister(s). If one of your siblings dies before you, that sibling’s share is divided between your deceased sibling’s children.

If there are no survivors in Groups 1 through 4, any death benefits will be paid to your estate.

Using standard sequence:

• You can file a beneficiary designation and write “standard sequence” in the primary designation area. Your benefit will then be paid according to the standard sequence in effect at the time of your death. If you get married or divorced, or have children or other life changes, standard sequence will follow those life changes. 
• If you never file a beneficiary designation, your benefit will be paid according to standard sequence at the time of your death. 

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Assigning Percentages Instead of Equal Shares

You may assign a percentage of your benefit to your beneficiaries. The percentages listed must equal 100%. To assign percentage to a beneficiary, put the percentage before or after their name. For example:

Primary

50% to Jane Doe
50% to John Doe

Secondary

Jane Doe 25%
John Doe 25%
Jason Doe 50%

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Naming a Minor Child

ETF will pay the child’s court-appointed guardian, or the person ETF calls the child’s “natural guardian.” This is the person providing for or caring for the child, such as the child’s parent. ETF can also pay into a Uniform Transfer to Minors Account (UTMA) for the child.

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Name a Trust

Provide the following information on the beneficiary designation:

• The full name of the trust as it shows on the trust document
• The date the trust was created
• The name of the trustee, followed by the word “trustee”, or if you cannot provide a trustee, ETF may accept another contact person
• The trustee’s address

If you are the trustee of your own trust, you must provide the name and address of a successor trustee for us to contact after your death

The purpose of including the trustee’s name is to give ETF the name of a person to contact after your death, in order to locate the trust. ETF may reject your designation if a trust is named as a secondary beneficiary and you have named as trustee a person who is named as a primary beneficiary. In that case, please provide a successor trustee or other contact person.

Example of an acceptable trust designation:

The Appletree Family Revocable Trust, created May 4, 2020, Jane Smith, Trustee, 123 Maple St, Anywhere, WI. [name and address of successor trustee (if necessary)]

If you name a trust as your beneficiary, please do not include any trust paperwork along with your beneficiary form.  ETF does not need this paperwork at this time.

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Naming Your Testamentary Trust

Your testamentary trust is created by your last will and testament, and does not come into existence until after your death.

You must provide ETF with enough information that ETF can find and identify the trust at the time of payment to the trust. You must provide the following information on the beneficiary designation:

1. The name of the trust (this must be listed first) – if the trust under the will doesn’t yet have a name, please provide enough information so that we can identify the trust at a future date by using the phrase: “trust for the benefit of [insert name of beneficiary[s]] or trust under article 'x' of my will created under my last will and testament”.
2. The words “created under my last will and Testament”’ (do not include a date created).
3. The name of the trustee, followed by the word “trustee.” If you cannot provide a trustee, ETF may accept another contact person.
4. The trustee’s address and phone number.

The purpose of including the trustee’s name is to give ETF the name of a person to contact after your death, in order to locate the trust. ETF may reject your designation if a trust is named as a secondary beneficiary and you have named as trustee a person who is named as a primary beneficiary. In that case, please provide a successor trustee or other contact person.

You can name your own testamentary trust as your beneficiary by including it on the beneficiary form in the following format.  You cannot name someone else’s testamentary trust.

Amy Appletree Testamentary Trust, created under my last will and testament. Dennis Appletree, trustee, 127 Oak St., Dogwood, WI 53211, 608-xxx-xxxx    

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Name a Subtrust

If you name a subtrust as a beneficiary, you must provide ETF with enough information so that ETF can identify the subtrust at the time of payment. You must provide the following information on the beneficiary designation:

• The full name of the subtrust and the trust as they show on the trust document. The subtrust's name must be listed first to show that it is the named beneficiary. If the subtrust under the main trust doesn’t yet have a name, please provide enough information so that we can identify the subtrust at a future date by using the phrase: “subtrust for the benefit of [insert name of beneficiary[s]] or subtrust under article 'x' of my [main trust name] trust”
• The date the main trust was created
• The name of the trustee, followed by the word “trustee,” or if you cannot provide a trustee, ETF may accept another contact person
• The trustee’s (or other contact's) address
• If you are the trustee of your own trust, you must provide the name and address of a successor trustee (or other contact) for us to contact after your death.

The purpose of including the trustee’s name is to give ETF the name of a person to contact after your death, in order to locate the trust. ETF may reject your designation if a trust is named as a secondary beneficiary and you have named as trustee a person who is named as a primary beneficiary. In that case, please provide a successor trustee or other contact person.

Example of an acceptable subtrust designation:

Davis-Dogwood Children’s Trust created under the Davis-Dogwood Revocable Trust dated 01/23/2020, Jane Smith, Trustee, 123 Maple St, Anywhere, WI. [name and address of successor trustee (if necessary)]

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Name an Entity: Charity, Business, or Religious Organization

Provide the following information on the beneficiary designation:

• Full legal name
• Tax identification number
• Current address

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Name a Future Child

You can include children who are not yet born (or adopted) by writing in the following statement:

• “I also include as beneficiaries as if each were specifically and individually named herein, any and all of my natural and legally adopted children.”

This will include all marital and non-marital children (if any relevant paternity is established), whether the child’s date of birth is before or after your date of death. You may substitute "grandchildren" for "children" in the above example.

Alternatively, you can submit a new beneficiary designation form to us with any new children. Childbirth or adoption is a great time to review your beneficiary designation.

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