Contract Administration related to CARES Act and USPS International Mail Suspension
Please note: Given the fluid nature of this situation, these questions and responses are reflective of a current point in time and may evolve as necessary. Should you have additional questions or need additional detail, please reach out to your Lincoln sales or service contact.
Customer service
Lincoln Financial Group has a robust crisis management plan and is ensuring that we are fully prepared from a business continuity perspective, as well as keeping the health and safety of our employees as a top priority.
The Customer Care Center hours will remain Monday – Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, at 877-275-5462.
You can access your contract information 24/7 by logging into your online account.
Register here for convenient, fast and secure online access to your account.
- Track your account values and update your allocations
- Receive your statements and confirmations electronically
- Request a withdrawal
- Review and update your beneficiaries
- And more
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Select eDelivery Preferences on the Account Details page
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Select the option for annual and semi-annual reports, prospectuses, supplements, statements, daily confirmation statements
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Click Accept to confirm
Option 1: Transactions, including withdrawals may be requested via LincolnFinancial.com (any dollar amount) or via our Customer Care Center (<$50,000).
Option 2: An image of an executed withdrawal form (PDF or photo) may be emailed to Annuityforms@LFG.com.
Yes, select Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) and receive your funds in 2-3 business days.
Our individual annuity and life policies do not contain exclusions related to any specific disease or a pandemic. If a claim is received where a death occurred due to COVID-19, it will be paid in accordance with our normal procedures, subject to our standard contestability provisions. We remain committed to paying death claims as quickly as possible. If you need to file a death claim, you may do so online by clicking here.
For more than 115 years, Lincoln Financial has been there for our customers. In 2019, we paid out over $7.5 billion in benefits for our individual life and annuity products.
CARES Act
Waiver of 2020 Required Minimum Distributions
Yes. If you have previously authorized Telephone Transfer Authorization (TTA), instructions to suspend any current systematic RMD programs until 2021 may be given over the phone to an Annuity Customer Service representative. If you have not previously authorized TTA, written instructions must be provided to suspend your systematic RMD program. If you choose to suspend payments until 2021 no further action will be required to restart payments. If you choose to terminate, written instruction will be required to restart payments.
No. You cannot suspend your annuity payments. The waiver of the 2020 RMD does not impact annuitized contracts.
Tax Favored Withdrawals & Loan Relief from Retirement Plans
You are eligible for tax favored treatment and loan relief if:
- you were diagnosed with COVID-19; or
- your spouse or dependent was diagnosed with COVID-19; or
- you experienced adverse financial consequences as a result of being quarantined, furloughed, laid off, or having reduced work hours, or being unable to work due to lack child care due to COVID-19.
Yes, you can repay the withdrawal into your retirement plan or IRA within three (3) years of the distribution, and the repayment will be treated as a direct rollover.
Yes, your withdrawal will be subject to normal state and federal income tax. However, you can include the distribution in income ratably over a three (3) year period beginning on the date of the distribution.
Your tax favored distribution will not be subject to the 20% mandatory federal tax withholding. Distributions from your IRA will be subject to 10% federal income tax withholding, unless you elect out of withholding. State tax withholding may apply.
Lincoln will report your tax favored withdrawal on your 2020 Form 1099-R. Absent additional guidance from the IRS, Lincoln will report your withdrawal with distribution Code ‘1’ (premature, no known exception) and you can file Form 5329 with your 2020 income tax return to claim the exception to the 10% additional tax. However, if you have attained age 59½, Lincoln will report the withdrawal with distribution Code ‘7’ (normal distribution).
Other
Due to service disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Postal Service™ (USPS) received notice that various postal operators are no longer able to process or deliver international mail or services originating from the United States (U.S.).
As a result, effective April 3, 2020, the Postal Service™ is currently unable to accept items destined for affected countries at any Post Office® or postal facility location, until further notice.
Lincoln has been asked to refrain from submitting postal items addressed to any of the impacted countries into the USPS system effective immediately.
For annuity contracts within impacted countries, we are working closely with clients to provide electronic options for mail delivery.
This link provides more information from the Postal Service™ including the list of impacted countries.
For life insurance policy owners and annuity contract holders currently residing outside the United States,
click here. (PDF)