To make a change to a Venerable annuity contract — updating a beneficiary, requesting a withdrawal, transferring ownership, changing your address, or setting up recurring payments — you use Venerable annuity service forms, which you download from docs.venerable.com or request by phone. Venerable Insurance and Annuity Company administers legacy contracts originally issued by carriers including Voya, John Hancock, and Equitable, and the same standardized paperwork applies regardless of which company originally sold your policy.
Where to Get the Current Form
The document portal at docs.venerable.com posts the current version of each service form. Use that version. Forms get revised when tax rules or internal requirements change, and submitting a copy you saved from a previous transaction is one of the quickest ways to have paperwork returned unprocessed.
If you would rather have a representative confirm which form fits your situation, Venerable runs separate phone lines by product type. Variable annuity owners call (800) 366-0066. Fixed annuity owners call (800) 369-5303. Both lines run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern. If your contract began life as a 403(b) custodial account, the mutual fund custodial line is (888) 854-5950.
Which Form Matches Which Change
Choose the form based on what you are trying to accomplish:
- Beneficiary Designation Form names who receives the death benefit.
- Name and Address Change Form updates your legal name or mailing address on the contract record.
- One-Time Withdrawal Form requests a single lump-sum distribution.
- Systematic Distribution Form sets up recurring payments on a monthly, quarterly, or annual schedule.
- Ownership Transfer Form moves the contract to another person or a trust.
- Power of Attorney Form authorizes an agent to manage the account on your behalf.
- Trust Certification Form gives Venerable the details of a trust that has been named as owner or beneficiary.
Keeping the address current matters beyond routine mail. Venerable sends tax documents, including Form 1099-R, to the address on file, so a stale address means missed tax reporting.
Information Every Form Requires
Every service form asks for the contract number, the legal name of the owner and annuitant, and your Social Security number or Taxpayer Identification Number. The contract number appears on your annual statement and on any correspondence from Venerable. The name on the form has to match the name currently on the contract. If you have legally changed your name, file a Name and Address Change Form first, with supporting documentation such as a court order or marriage certificate, before submitting anything else.
Beneficiary Designations
For each beneficiary, provide full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and the percentage of the death benefit that person should receive. Primary beneficiary percentages must add up to exactly 100 percent. Three primary beneficiaries listed at 40, 30, and 25 percent will come back to you, because that missing five percent creates ambiguity the administrator cannot resolve.
Name at least one contingent beneficiary. If every primary beneficiary predeceases you and no contingent is on file, the death benefit falls to default distribution rules written into the contract, which may not match what you wanted. A surviving spouse named as designated beneficiary receives favorable federal tax treatment and can effectively step into the role of contract holder rather than being forced into an immediate payout.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 72 – Annuities; Certain Proceeds of Endowment and Life Insurance Contracts
Community property states change what the form requires. If you live in Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin and want to name someone other than your spouse as beneficiary, expect to need spousal consent, typically witnessed by a notary or plan representative, before Venerable will process the change. Those states treat assets acquired during marriage as jointly owned, including annuity value built up during the marriage.
Withdrawal Requests
Specify an exact dollar amount or an exact percentage of your contract value. A form that says “some money” without a number sits in the queue until someone contacts you to clarify. If you want the maximum available, write that explicitly.
Every withdrawal form has a tax withholding election section. For a one-time, nonperiodic distribution, the default federal withholding rate is 10 percent of the taxable portion. You can raise that rate or opt out entirely by entering zero.2Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Form W-4R For recurring payments, withholding works more like a paycheck: Venerable applies a married-filing-jointly default unless you submit a Form W-4P with different instructions.3Internal Revenue Service. Publication 575 – Pension and Annuity Income State withholding rules vary; the form will include a separate state election if your state requires one.
Tax Consequences to Know Before You Sign
The tax result is locked in the moment Venerable processes the form. A few consequences catch people off guard.
Early Withdrawal Penalty
If you take money out of a non-qualified annuity contract before age 59½, the taxable portion carries an additional 10 percent federal tax on top of ordinary income tax. This applies per distribution, not per year, so multiple early withdrawals each carry their own surcharge.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 72 – Annuities; Certain Proceeds of Endowment and Life Insurance Contracts The penalty does not apply to distributions triggered by the holder’s death or disability, or to a series of substantially equal periodic payments spread over your life expectancy.
Ownership Transfers
Transferring an annuity contract to another person without receiving full value in return triggers a taxable event for the original owner. The taxable amount equals the contract’s cash surrender value minus your investment in the contract, and the IRS treats that gain as ordinary income in the year of transfer. Transfers between spouses, or to a former spouse under a divorce decree, are the exception and are not taxable.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 72 – Annuities; Certain Proceeds of Endowment and Life Insurance Contracts If the recipient is anyone else, consult a tax advisor before submitting an Ownership Transfer Form.
1035 Exchanges to Another Carrier
To move your money from a Venerable annuity into an annuity contract with a different insurance company without recognizing any gain, use a Section 1035 exchange. Two requirements: the funds must move directly from Venerable to the new carrier without passing through your hands, and the owner and annuitant on the new contract must match the old one.5Internal Revenue Service. Notice 2003-51 An annuity can also be exchanged tax-free for a qualified long-term care insurance contract.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 1035
Partial exchanges are allowed but carry a trap. If you withdraw money from either the old or the new contract within 24 months of the partial exchange, the IRS may recharacterize the entire transaction as a taxable distribution. You can overcome that presumption if the withdrawal was triggered by death, disability, or reaching age 59½, but the burden is on you to prove it.5Internal Revenue Service. Notice 2003-51
Required Minimum Distributions for Qualified Contracts
Some Venerable contracts are qualified retirement vehicles, including 403(b) annuities, IRA annuities, and annuities held inside employer plans. If yours is one of these, federal law requires you to begin taking minimum distributions by a specific age. Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, the starting age depends on when you were born:
- Born 1951 through 1959: RMDs must begin by age 73.
- Born 1960 or later: RMDs must begin by age 75.
Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you reach the applicable age. Every subsequent RMD is due by December 31 of that year. Missing an RMD or taking less than the required amount can result in an excise tax on the shortfall.7Congress.gov. Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Rules for Original Owners
Non-qualified annuity contracts, meaning those purchased with after-tax money outside of a retirement plan, are not subject to these lifetime RMD rules. They have their own distribution rules that apply only after the holder’s death: the balance generally must be paid out within five years, or distributions must begin within one year over the beneficiary’s life expectancy.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 72 – Annuities; Certain Proceeds of Endowment and Life Insurance Contracts If you are not sure whether your contract is qualified or non-qualified, the answer appears on your annual statement, or customer service can confirm it.
How to Submit the Completed Form
Once the form is signed and dated, you have several options. The overnight mailing address is Venerable Service Center, 699 Walnut Street, Suite 1350, Des Moines, IA 50309-3942. A standard mailing address and fax number are printed on each form; use whichever appears on the specific version you downloaded, since routing details occasionally change. Scanned forms can also be uploaded through Venerable’s secure online portal, which is usually the fastest route.
Forms are typically processed within a few business days after Venerable receives a complete submission. The industry phrase is “in good order,” meaning every required field is filled in, signatures appear where indicated, and any supporting documents are attached. A death certificate needs to accompany a beneficiary claim. A court order or marriage certificate needs to accompany a name change. A trust certification needs to accompany trust-related transactions. If something is missing, the processing clock stops and you will receive a notice explaining what to fix.
After the change is finalized, Venerable sends a written confirmation to the address on file or posts it to your online account. Keep that confirmation. It documents that the update took effect and on what date, which matters if a beneficiary designation or ownership transfer is ever disputed later.