To name who inherits your Fifth Third Bank account, you complete a Payable on Death (POD) or beneficiary designation form that lists each person’s identifying information and share of the account. Funds then pass directly to those people when you die, without going through probate. You can handle this online for a Health Savings Account, or pick up the Fifth Third Bank beneficiary form at any financial center for checking, savings, and CD accounts.
Which Accounts Can Have a Beneficiary
Not every Fifth Third product supports a POD designation. The bank’s deposit account rules say a POD beneficiary or custodian designation is available “if your account type permits” one, so eligibility depends on the specific product you hold. Checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and Health Savings Accounts are the account types that most commonly allow POD designations at banks. If you aren’t sure whether yours qualifies, call Fifth Third at 800-972-3030 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, or Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET) or ask at a branch.
Information the Form Asks For
Gather everything before you start. The form covers two blocks: you as the account holder, and each beneficiary.
About You
You provide your full legal name, the last four digits of your Social Security number, your account number, phone number, and email address. HSA account numbers are 10 digits and begin with 796.1Fifth Third Bank. HSA Beneficiary Form
About Each Beneficiary
For every person you name, the form asks for:
- Full legal name and current address, exactly as they appear on government-issued identification.
- Social Security number, used for identity verification and IRS reporting after the funds transfer.
- Date of birth.
- Relationship to you (spouse, child, sibling, domestic partner, or other).
- Primary or contingent status. Primary beneficiaries receive the funds first; contingent beneficiaries only inherit if every primary beneficiary has already died. If you leave both boxes blank, the bank treats the person as primary by default.1Fifth Third Bank. HSA Beneficiary Form
- Share percentage. Primary percentages must total exactly 100%, and contingent percentages must also total exactly 100% as their own separate group. If you list several beneficiaries in the same tier without percentages, the bank splits the funds equally.1Fifth Third Bank. HSA Beneficiary Form
A common stumble with percentages: if you name three primary beneficiaries and want equal shares, 33% each only adds to 99%. Assign 34% to one and 33% to the other two.
How to Submit the Form
Fifth Third accepts the designation several ways, and which one you use depends on the account.
Online for an HSA
You can add or change HSA beneficiaries through the online portal without any paper. Log in, open the Accounts tab, go to Profile, then Profile Summary, and find the Beneficiaries section. Click Add Beneficiary, enter the name, Social Security number, date of birth, relationship, and type (primary or contingent), and submit.2Fifth Third Bank. Adding Dependents and Beneficiaries
By Fax or Mail for an HSA
If you prefer paper, download the HSA beneficiary form from Fifth Third’s website, complete it, sign and date it, then send it in one of two ways:
- Fax to the Fifth Third Bank HSA Support Center at 866-635-7177.
- Mail to Fifth Third Bank HSA Support Center, PO Box 495933, Cincinnati, OH 45249-5933.1Fifth Third Bank. HSA Beneficiary Form
If you mail it, use a delivery method that gives you a tracking number. The form is a legal document, and proof of delivery protects you if a question ever comes up about whether the bank received it.
In-Branch for Checking, Savings, and CDs
For standard checking, savings, and CD accounts, visiting a Fifth Third financial center is the most direct path. A banker can hand you the right form for your specific account, check it for completeness while you’re there, and confirm the designation has been recorded. That help is worth having when you’re structuring multiple beneficiaries or building primary and contingent tiers. Bring a valid photo ID and the identifying information for each person you want to name.
Spousal Consent if You Live in a Community Property State
If you’re married and live in a community or marital property state, Fifth Third’s HSA beneficiary form requires you to name your spouse as the primary beneficiary. To designate someone else, your spouse must sign the spousal consent section of the form.1Fifth Third Bank. HSA Beneficiary Form Community property states are Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Regular bank deposit accounts (checking, savings, CDs) generally don’t carry a federal spousal consent requirement, though your state’s laws may still affect how marital property is treated.
Naming a Minor or a Trust
Banks typically don’t release funds directly to a minor. If you want a child under 18 to eventually receive the money, you have two practical options. Name a custodian under your state’s Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA), who manages the funds for the child until adulthood. Or name a trust as the beneficiary and let the trust document control when and how the child receives distributions.
A trust gives you more control than a straight custodial arrangement. You can set conditions, such as paying only for education, or releasing part of the balance at 25 and the rest at 30. The trust has to exist before you list it on the form, and you’ll need its full legal name and tax identification number. For blended families with children from more than one relationship, a trust as beneficiary can also head off complications.
Updating Who’s on File
Submitting a new form automatically replaces whatever was there before. The most recent version controls, so you don’t need to formally revoke the old designation. Review your designations after any major life change: marriage, divorce, a new child, or the death of a beneficiary you had named.
After a Divorce
This is where people trip up. Some states automatically revoke a beneficiary designation naming your ex-spouse once a divorce is finalized, treating the former spouse as if they died first. Other states do nothing, and your ex stays on the account until you file a new form. Given the patchwork, don’t assume. Update your designations right after the divorce rather than relying on state law to sort it out. Five minutes at the bank removes any chance your ex-spouse inherits by default.
Checking What’s Currently Listed
For an HSA, you can see your current beneficiaries in the online portal under Profile Summary.2Fifth Third Bank. Adding Dependents and Beneficiaries For other accounts, ask at a branch or call 800-972-3030 to confirm who is listed and at what percentages. If something’s off, fix it now. An outdated designation can’t be corrected after death.
What Happens if You Skip the Form
Without a POD beneficiary, the funds fall into your probate estate. A court distributes them under your will, or if there isn’t one, under your state’s intestacy laws, which follow a rigid statutory order among surviving spouse, children, parents, and siblings. Probate can take months, and court costs and administrative fees eat into what your family receives.
A filed beneficiary form avoids that. The named beneficiary usually just presents a death certificate and valid ID at the bank to claim the funds. A POD designation isn’t an absolute shield, though. Creditors of the deceased account holder may still reach the funds if the estate lacks enough other assets to cover debts, taxes, and administration expenses.3Gislason & Hunter LLP. A Primer on Payable on Death Accounts for Financial Institutions The beneficiary receives what’s left after those obligations are met.
Can Someone With Power of Attorney Change Your Beneficiaries
Usually no. An agent under a power of attorney generally cannot change your beneficiary designations, even when the POA document is written broadly. Deciding who inherits your accounts stays with you as the account holder. A POA might authorize routine banking such as paying bills, making deposits, and handling transactions, but altering a beneficiary designation sits in a different category of authority that most POAs don’t grant. If you become incapacitated and your designations need updating, your options narrow sharply, which is another reason to keep the form current while you can still sign it yourself.