Home Life insurance Life insurance basics What is an irrevocable life insurance beneficiary? What is an irrevocable life insurance beneficiary? An irrevocable life insurance beneficiary is the person who will receive the policy's death benefit in the event of the policyholder's death. This person can’t be removed as the beneficiary without their permission. Written by Desiree Ghazi | Reviewed by Nupur Gambhir Nupur Gambhir Nupur Gambhir is an insurance expert and managing editor of Insure.com. She specializes in life and health insurance content, and has experience as a marketing consultant. | Updated on: April 21, 2023 Why you can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry. Life insurance is the only financial product that can immediately create an amount of money chosen in advance to be paid at the insured’s death.The life insurance death benefit provides a lump sum to your family when you die and the life insurance funds can be used for anything they want, including their living and education expenses. But to receive this money and enjoy the life insurance benefit, they must be listed as beneficiaries on your policy. There are two types of beneficiaries – revocable beneficiaries and irrevocable beneficiaries. If you designate someone as a revocable beneficiary, they can be removed from your policy. However, an irrevocable beneficiary can’t be removed from your policy without their consent.What is a life insurance beneficiary?A beneficiary is a person named by the life insurance policyholder who will receive the death benefit.It can be a specific person, such as a spouse, or multiple people, such as children or grandchildren.The primary life insurance beneficiary will receive the death benefit when you die as long as the policy is still active. For instance, a term life insurance policy is only for a set time. If you outlive a term life policy, your beneficiaries don’t receive death benefits.Generally, a policyowner can change the beneficiary anytime by notifying the life insurance company. However, a policy owner may designate a beneficiary as irrevocable, which makes it much harder to remove the person from the policy.What is an irrevocable beneficiary?An irrevocable beneficiary designation can’t be changed without the beneficiary’s consent. In some states, the insurance company has to notify an irrevocable beneficiary if the policy has been canceled.So, if you name someone an irrevocable beneficiary, that person will receive the life insurance benefits— even if you later would remove that person from your policy.In community property states, spouses are irrevocable beneficiaries if the policyholder purchased the policy after they got married. In those states, you need your spouse’s permission if you plan on naming someone else as the beneficiary.How an irrevocable life insurance beneficiary worksLife insurance owned by a trust usually has the trust named as an irrevocable beneficiary to make sure the death benefit stays out of the insured’s estate.Andrea Schanker, partner at Schanker and Hochberg P.C., says she uses an Irrevocable Trust to be the owner and beneficiary of life insurance policies. This method is most commonly used to exclude the death benefit from the taxable estate at the time of death (for estate tax purposes, whether that be state and/or federal). It’s also known as Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust or ILIT.Schanker adds that other reasons to name an ILIT are to protect and manage the assets on behalf of the designated beneficiary or beneficiaries once the death benefit payout is released.That’s especially vital for minors and beneficiaries with special needs.“This is also important for those beneficiaries who may be adults but are not capable of managing the assets on their own for a variety of reasons,” Schanker adds.Irrevocable beneficiaries are guaranteed to receive their share of the proceeds. For example, a policyowner might want to name their children as irrevocable beneficiaries if they’re in a second marriage. QuickTake What happens to the cash value of my whole life insurance policy when I die? 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See more > Benefits of listing an irrevocable beneficiaryThere are a few reasons why you want an irrevocable beneficiary:Asset protectionKeep assets out of the estate when used with an ILITGuarantees beneficiary won’t be changedRevocable vs. irrevocable life insurance beneficiaryHere’s how revocable and irrevocable beneficiaries compare:Policy detailsRevocable beneficiaryIrrevocable beneficiaryBeneficiariesCan be changed or removed at any timeCan’t be removed without written consent of beneficiaryPolicy transactions and changesDetermined by policy ownerMay require written consent of beneficiaryPolicy cancellationAt discretion of ownerCompany may be required to notify beneficiaryHow to change an irrevocable beneficiaryTo change an irrevocable beneficiary, the policyholder will have to get written consent from the current beneficiary to forfeit their rights to the money. Even if you change the beneficiary on your policy, the irrevocable beneficiary will still receive the death benefit because of the policy terms.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat happens to an irrevocable trust when the beneficiary dies?Irrevocable trusts are governed by the provisions in the trust document. The trust will generally contain provisions for contingent beneficiaries.Who can be the beneficiary of an irrevocable trust?Beneficiaries are named by the provisions of the trust. Beneficiaries are usually family members or charitable organizations.When should you choose irrevocable beneficiaries?Choosing an irrevocable beneficiary protects the person from being removed from the life insurance policy later. Instead, that person must agree to get removed from the policy.Going this route gives your beneficiary more protection.Can an irrevocable beneficiary be changed?Irrevocable beneficiaries can only be changed with their consent.Meanwhile, revocable beneficiaries can be changed or removed at any time. × Get Free Life Insurance Quotes Today! 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