Adding or Modifying a Beneficiary

Before proceeding you must determine your current beneficiary status on eServe:

1. Do not have a beneficiary on file (see #1 below)
2. Already have a beneficiary on file (see #2 below)
3. Add a trust or Estate as your beneficiary (see #3 below)

1. No Beneficiary on File

If you do not have any beneficiaries on file, you cannot add one through self-service. You must contact Tufts Support Services via email with the following Beneficiary  information:

• Name
• Relationship to employee
• Date of Birth
• Primary Percent
• Contingent Percent
• Gender

2. Beneficiary on File

To add, change, or remove a beneficiary, you must first log into eServe. Go to the Employee Self Service Menu > Benefit Information > Benefits Summary link [not the dependents & beneficiaries link], and then click on the specific benefit where you want to add or change a beneficiary.*
        
Once you click on a specific benefit, for which edits are possible, the bottom of the page should display your current beneficiary allocations.
 
Click “edit” to change the percent that a current beneficiary will receive. If you wish to “remove” a beneficiary, enter 0%. (Note: A previous beneficiary record cannot be deleted.) You must save your changes.
 
If you want to add a beneficiary, from the same location first click "Edit" and then you will see the “Add a Beneficiary” to add a new beneficiary. Input the name, relationship, date of birth, address and primary and/or contingent % allocation. You must save your changes.

*Note that you can only do this on the benefits that a) you are currently enrolled in and b) that have beneficiaries (as opposed to dependents) like AD+D, Life, Supplemental Life. You would not have an Edit option next to Medical if you are not enrolled and even if you are enrolled, once you click on the information, you can only edit the existing Dependent's information, not add more Dependents, since this would need to be done through a Life Event instead). There are no Beneficiaries, just Dependents, on a Medical Plan.

3. Add a Trust or Estate as a Beneficiary

To add, change, or remove a beneficiary, you must first log into eServe. Go to the Employee Self Service Menu- Benefit Information-Benefits Summary link [not the dependents & beneficiaries link], and then click on the specific benefit where you want to add or change a beneficiary.

Once you click on a specific benefit, for which edits are possible, the bottom of the page should display your current beneficiary allocations.

Trust

Click on “Add a Beneficiary” to add a trust the as a beneficiary. For the First Name field, type “TRUST” In the Last Name field, type “SEE FILE”. Enter 0’s in the Social Security fields. If the trust is in someone’s name enter their date of birth or else enter your own DOB. You can use "Unknown" for Gender and "Other" for Relationship. Click Edit and enter 100% or whatever % in the Primary field. You must save your changes before exiting. 

Step 2) Provide Tufts University Human Resources with the relevant document(s) for your designated Trust. The documentation should include the name of the Trust, date the Trust was established, and any signature pages on the Trust. These are then kept on file in a secure record system in case they are needed in the event of a beneficiary claim.

Estate

To list an Estate as a beneficiary please indicate "The Estate Of" for the First Name and for the Last Name put the employee's full name.

First Name: The Estate Of
Last Name: Employee's Full Name

You can use your own Date of Birth for DOB; "Unknown" for Gender; "Other" for Relationship.

Click "Edit" and enter 100% or the preferred percentage in the Primary field. You must save your changes before exiting. 

Email relevant documents as an attachment to TSS@tufts.edu

For Retirement Plan Beneficiaries

Retirement Plan Beneficiaries are maintained with the Retirement Plan vendors and are not visible or accessible to TSS. You may make beneficiary elections online for your Tufts University Retirement Plans on Fidelity's NetBenefits website. Log in and click "Accounts & Benefits" then under "About You" select Update your beneficiaries. Fidelity will be your best resource for any questions in this area.