Ameriprise Estate Settlement Claim Form 116189: Filing and Signatures

To claim a deceased person’s Ameriprise accounts, call 800-862-7919 to report the death, then complete the Ameriprise estate settlement claim form (Form 116189 for brokerage and advisory accounts) along with the supporting documents listed in the personalized packet Ameriprise mails you. Return everything to the estate settlement office in Minneapolis. Processing typically takes a few business days once the paperwork arrives in good order.¹

Start the Claim

Call 800-862-7919 and tell the operator you need to report a death. You’ll be connected to an estate settlement specialist. If you know who the deceased person’s financial advisor was, you can also go through that advisor, who can request a claim packet on your behalf.¹

As soon as Ameriprise is notified, it restricts the deceased person’s accounts. Nothing can be moved or sold until the completed claim form and all required documents reach the corporate office in good order. Market value still fluctuates during the hold; the assets are restricted, not frozen in price.¹

Each claimant receives a packet tailored to that person’s situation. Required documents vary from one claimant to another, so don’t assume your list matches a sibling’s or co-beneficiary’s list for the same account.²

Documents to Gather Before You Fill Anything Out

Every claimant needs a certified copy of the death certificate. Order several from the vital records office in the state where the death occurred, because other institutions will ask for one too.

If assets pass through the estate rather than directly to a named beneficiary, you’ll also need court-issued letters of authority: Letters Testamentary if there’s a will, or Letters of Administration if there isn’t. For Ameriprise to accept them, the court order must bear an official court seal or the probate judge’s signature.¹

You’ll submit IRS Form W-9 with your Taxpayer Identification Number so the IRS can track taxable distributions, interest, and dividends paid out of the account.³

Some states require an estate or inheritance tax waiver before Ameriprise can release assets. If that applies to you, it will be called out in your packet.¹

Make Sure You Have the Right Form

Form 116189, the Estate Settlement Claim – Beneficiary Directed form, covers Ameriprise brokerage accounts, advisory accounts, and certificates issued by Ameriprise Certificate Company. Bank deposit products settle separately; those proceeds are paid as a check mailed to the address on the form.⁴

Insurance products and annuities use their own claim statements because the tax treatment differs. If you aren’t sure which form applies to a given account, call 800-862-7919 or ask the account’s advisor to send pre-filled forms flagged to the specific account numbers.

Completing Form 116189

Personal Information

You’ll provide your full legal name, Social Security number or Tax Identification Number, date of birth, phone number, email, and residential address. A P.O. box isn’t accepted as the residential address. You’ll also indicate your citizenship and your relationship to the deceased account holder.⁴

If you’re claiming on behalf of an estate, trust, or organization, select the entity claimant type rather than individual. That choice changes how the account is re-registered and how tax reporting flows.

Distribution Options

This is the section with the most lasting consequences, because it decides how you receive the money and how it’s taxed. Options differ for spouse and non-spouse beneficiaries and depend on the account type.

For inherited IRAs:

A spouse beneficiary can roll the assets into their own Ameriprise IRA, transfer them into an inherited IRA, or convert directly to a Roth IRA.
A non-spouse beneficiary receives the assets in an inherited IRA. Rolling the funds into your own retirement account isn’t an option.

For 403(b) and custodial profit-sharing accounts, a non-spouse claimant can roll into an inherited IRA or convert directly to an inherited Roth IRA. A spouse claimant has more flexibility, including rolling into their own IRA or into an inherited 403(b) if eligible to contribute to a 403(b) plan.⁴

Most non-spouse beneficiaries who inherited after 2019 fall under the SECURE Act’s 10-year rule: empty the inherited account by December 31 of the tenth year after the account owner’s death. If the original owner had already begun required minimum distributions before dying, you’ll also take annual distributions in years one through nine.⁵

One deadline catches people off guard. If the deceased had reached their required beginning date but hadn’t yet taken that year’s RMD, the beneficiary must take it by December 31 of the year the account holder died.⁴ Missing an RMD on an inherited retirement account triggers a 25 percent excise tax on the amount you should have withdrawn, dropping to 10 percent if you correct it within two years.⁶

Tax Withholding

The form includes a section where you set federal and state income tax withholding on any taxable distribution. For nonperiodic distributions, which is what most estate settlements produce, the default federal withholding rate is 10 percent. You can choose anywhere from 0 to 100 percent by completing Form W-4R.⁷

If you don’t provide a valid Taxpayer Identification Number, Ameriprise is required to apply backup withholding at 24 percent. Correcting the W-9 is the only way to stop it once it starts.⁸

Think about whether 10 percent will actually cover your tax bill. If the inherited account is large, or you have other substantial income, electing a higher rate on the form is simpler than owing an underpayment penalty next April.

Managed Accounts and the 90-Day Window

If the inherited account was under an Ameriprise advisory agreement, submitting the claim form ends that managed account agreement. No management fee is charged going forward, but no advisory services are provided either. You have 90 days after settlement completes to liquidate or transfer the assets. Miss the 90 days and Ameriprise automatically converts the holdings into a standard brokerage account, with normal brokerage fees from that point on.⁴

Signatures: Medallion or Notary

How your signature must be verified depends on the value and type of assets. Securities transfers often require a Medallion Signature Guarantee, a specialized stamp issued by a bank, brokerage, credit union, or savings and loan that participates in an approved Medallion program. It carries more weight than a standard notary seal and is required under SEC Rule 17Ad-15 for securities transfers.⁹

Not every bank offers Medallion stamps, and the institution providing one takes on financial liability, so staff will usually want to verify your identity and your relationship to the account. Call ahead before making the trip. Smaller claims and insurance payouts may only need a notarized signature. Your packet will say which applies.

Where to Send It

Mail the completed form and all supporting documents to:

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
70010 Ameriprise Financial Center
Minneapolis, MN 55474¹

Use a tracked delivery method such as FedEx, UPS, or USPS Certified Mail. You’re sending original certified documents and signed legal forms. Keep copies of everything before you drop the envelope.

After You Submit

Once your paperwork arrives in good order, processing usually takes a few business days. In many cases Ameriprise can settle your portion independently, even if other claimants haven’t submitted theirs. Some products can’t be split or partially sold, though, so all claimants have to submit before anyone’s share is processed.¹

If something is missing or doesn’t meet legal requirements, Ameriprise contacts you to resolve it. Common hold-ups include missing signatures, an expired or unsealed court order, a claimant under 18, a claimant represented by a court-appointed guardian or power of attorney, and estates not going through probate where the executor wants to discuss alternatives.¹

Settlement proceeds are typically placed into a new account in the claimant’s name.¹

Situations That Change the Process

Joint Accounts With Rights of Survivorship

If the account was held jointly with rights of survivorship, the surviving owner generally keeps full access and can continue the same transactions as before. Sole-ownership accounts get locked down during settlement; survivorship accounts don’t.¹

Minor Beneficiaries and Education Accounts

When a beneficiary is under 18, extra steps apply. The form asks whether a successor controller is replacing the deceased controller on UGMA/UTMA custodial accounts and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts. For UGMA/UTMA, assets can transfer to a successor controller, to a non-qualified account if the minor has reached the age of custodial termination, or to an account for the estate of a deceased minor owner.⁴

For 529 plan accounts, the form lets you replace the deceased plan beneficiary with a new one. Withdrawals not used for qualified education expenses may be subject to federal income tax plus a 10 percent penalty on the earnings portion.⁴

Disputed Claims

When more than one person claims the same assets, or there’s ambiguity about the deceased’s intent, Ameriprise may withhold payout until the dispute is resolved. In severe cases, a financial institution can file an interpleader action asking a court to decide who has the rightful claim. The funds are typically held in trust by the court until a judge rules.

1
Ameriprise Financial. Your Guide to Estate Settlements
2
Ameriprise Financial. Your Guide to Estate Settlements
3
Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification
4
Ameriprise Financial. Estate Settlement Claim – Beneficiary
5
Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics – Beneficiary
6
Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics – Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
7
Internal Revenue Service. Pensions and Annuity Withholding
8
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer’s Tax Guide
9
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ameriprise Financial Common Stock Certificate